Meet Your Career Coach
Hello Columbia University SPS Students and Alumni! We are here to serve and provide support throughout your career journey!
To make an appointment, please click HERE
Karen Acampado
Associate Director | Career Coach for: Construction Administration, Human Capital Management, Narrative Medicine, Non-Profit Management
Specialties and Interests
Construction Administration / Education / Non-Profit / TrainingCareer Paths
Construction, Engineering, & Real EstateConsultingEducation & ResearchGovernment & Public SectorHealthcare & Pre-MedicalNonprofit & Social ImpactDegree Paths
Construction AdministrationHuman Capital ManagementNarrative MedicineNonprofit ManagementNicole Arndt
Associate Director | Career Coach for: Bioethics, Technology Management, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Nicole is a Career Coach with a passion for education and empowering individuals in their careers. With a Master’s in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, she has over 10 years of experience teaching and coaching adult learners in dynamic education settings. As a former Recruiter for Platinion of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), as well as a former Recruiter for Premier Staffing, Inc., her experience working in education is supplemented with her role in the recruitment of digital, risk, and IT professionals and in creating hiring partnerships with both startups and Fortune 500 companies. In her current role as Associate Director of Industry Relations, Nicole is energized by innovative employer partnerships that offer students and alumni opportunities to create impact, an individualized approach to career coaching, executive development, and initiatives that promote personal growth, wellbeing, and fun! Outside of work, Nicole enjoys creative writing, live music, and supporting STEAM initiatives in underrepresented communities.
Specialties and Interests
Bioethics, Technology Management, Negotiation and Conflict ResolutionDegree Paths
BioethicsNegotiation and Conflict ResolutionJia Wei Cao
Assistant Director | Career Coach for: Applied Analytics
Jia Wei is an Assistant Director and a career coach for students within the Applied Analytics program. Prior to Columbia, Jia Wei worked in career services, particularly focusing on students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds at his alma meter, Stony Brook University. Jia Wei’s favorite part about working in career services is being able to guide students in their job search, explore different career opportunities, assist students in recognizing and developing their brand, and see it all come together. Prior to working in career services, Jia Wei worked in a number of various roles in higher education, such as academic affairs, academic advising, student orientation, and residential life.
Jia Wei was born in Shanghai, China, and is a first generation immigrant and a first generation college student. He holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Stony Brook. Although he has been living on Long Island for almost a decade now, rumor has it that Jia Wei still claims to be from Brooklyn and NYC raised.
Specialties and Interests
Applied AnalyticsDegree Paths
Applied AnalyticsWill Goodall
Assistant Director | Career Coach for: Enterprise Risk Management
Will Goodall serves as an Assistant Director at the CDL, supporting Columbia’s Enterprise Risk Management students. Before joining the CDL, Will was a strategy consultant with both EY and a start-up organization, supporting organizations through their operational, strategic, and human capital challenges. He also spent time on the backcountry staff at Philmont Scout Ranch, teaching team-building and conflict management skills to thru-hiking groups. Will is excited to bring all his experience to support students’ career search and professional development.
Will holds a MA (Hons) from the University of St. Andrews in International Relations and Management. He is also a subject-matter expert in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Outside of work, Will enjoys backpacking, cooking, and his guilty pleasure: reality television.
Specialties and Interests
Enterprise Risk ManagementDegree Paths
Enterprise Risk ManagementCaroline Kelley
Assistant Director | Career Coach for: Applied Analytics
Caroline serves as the Assistant Director and Career Coach for the Applied Analytics program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. With a background in career development from her previous role at Harvard Business School’s Career and Professional Studies office, Caroline brings a wealth of experience to her role. She is dedicated to guiding SPS students towards lifelong career success and fulfillment.
In her coaching role, Caroline emphasizes the importance of aligning career paths with personal values and meaningful life goals. She collaborates with students to craft a compelling career vision and strategy, offering support in areas such as resume writing, networking, behavioral and case interview preparation, and offer negotiation. Caroline, a proud Columbia alumna with a Master’s degree in Education from Teachers College, is committed to helping students achieve their professional and personal aspirations.
Specialties and Interests
Applied AnalyticsDegree Paths
Applied AnalyticsPaul Maniaci
Assistant Director | Career Coach for: Enterprise Risk Management
Paul Maniaci has worked at four institutions of higher education across New York City in career development. He has over thirteen years of experience helping students find internships and prepare for career opportunities. Paul spent eighteen years living internationally in Mexico City, Hong Kong, and London. He received his Bachelors of Arts in Communications at Syracuse University and his Masters in Public Administration at Baruch College. He is currently a Masters student at the Columbia Journalism School. He has two young daughters.
Specialties and Interests
Enterprise Risk Management/Actuarial ScienceDegree Paths
Enterprise Risk ManagementVictoria Passarella
Associate Director | Career Coach for: Strategic Communications, Actuarial Science, Insurance Management, Wealth Management
Victoria Passarella has over 15 years of professional experience as a workshop facilitator, career coach, and public speaker, with extensive experience in creating programs to provide opportunities for people to learn how to strategically take their goals to the next level.
Her career development expertise has been honed at organizations such as Barnard College and Columbia Center for Career Education.
She earned an EdM in Adult Learning and Leadership and a MS in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University. In addition she attended Women’s Campaign School at Yale, is a certified trainer of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and will be working on her Certificate in Learning Design at NYU.
Victoria also instructed college courses, managed nonprofits, and founded an LLC for her career counseling private practice.
Specialties and Interests
Strategic Communications, Actuarial Science, Insurance Management, Wealth ManagementDegree Paths
Actuarial ScienceInsurance ManagementStrategic CommunicationWealth ManagementHannah Salto
Associate Director | Career Coach for: Sports Management, Information and Knowledge Strategy, and Political Analytics
Hannah Salto currently serves as Associate Director for Columbia’s Career Design Lab, where she oversees career support for three distinct academic programs. She began her higher education career in 2017 as a Support Specialist for first-generation college students at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, where she launched initiatives to aid students’ transition to college and support their career development. Hannah then relocated 1,200 miles from her home state of Minnesota to New Jersey to work at Rutgers University.
Most recently, she served as the Assistant Dean of Support, Engagement, and Leadership at Rutgers Business School – Newark and New Brunswick. In this role, she launched and ran numerous programs focused on mentorship, leadership development, and gender equity in business.
Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Communication from the College of Saint Benedict and a master’s degree in Communication and Media Studies from Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Her lifelong love of learning means she will likely seek opportunities to expand her academic and professional knowledge in the years to come.
Driven by a mission to help others thrive by following their passions, Hannah’s coaching philosophy centers on empathy, fostering connections, and encouraging growth through challenge.
Outside of work, Hannah enjoys writing poetry, traveling, reading, and exploring NYC.
Specialties and Interests
Sports Management, Information and Knowledge Strategy, and Political AnalyticsDegree Paths
Information and Knowledge StrategyPolitical AnalyticsSports ManagementTaylor Wordsman
Assistant Director | Career Coach for: Sustainability Management and Sustainability Science
Taylor Wordsman is currently serving as Assistant Director at the Career Design Lab, where she supports Sustainability Management and Sustainability Science students. She has a background in career services and international student services, and is passionate about serving students and guiding them as they navigate their careers in a global workforce. Before joining the CDL in 2021, Taylor worked for global non-profit organizations with a mission to support students and help them acquire skills necessary to thrive in a culturally diverse world. Taylor earned her B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature at SUNY Geneseo, and her Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from CUNY Baruch. Taylor lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and enjoys drinking coffee and taking long walks through Central Park in her free time.
Specialties and Interests
Sustainability Management, Sustainability ScienceDegree Paths
Sustainability ManagementSustainability ScienceLeslie Rich
Leslie Rich, currently an adjunct professor in Columbia University’s Sustainability Management program, has over 25 years of experience as an equity analyst covering the US utility sector for major asset management institutions. Following a multi-decade career on Wall Street, Rich is now a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office. In this capacity, Rich will support the design and implementation of new loan authorities including the $250 billion Energy Reinvestment program. She will also assist in outreach and business development to finance technologies and infrastructure project that enable the energy transition.
Previously, she worked at JP Morgan Asset Management covering companies in the electric, gas, and water utility sectors. Prior to JP Morgan, Rich held similar equity analyst roles at Columbia Threadneedle Investments and Neuberger Berman. Additionally, she served on the advisory council of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) from 2018 – 2023. She regularly speaks at industry conferences on topics including ESG, utility capital allocation, and decarbonization strategies. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
