Two Rutgers Employees Honored as Top Professionals by the HireBig10+ Career Consortium
On July 14, 2022, the HireBig10+ Career Consortium recognized Catarina Caulfield, Industry-to-Campus Connector, with the Outstanding Career Services Professional Award, and Zachary Stager, Industry-to-Campus Connector, with the Outstanding New Career Services Professional Award. Both honorees serve as dedicated team members within the Industry and Student Connections team within the Rutgers Office of Career Exploration and Success. Nominations were accepted across all HireBig10+ Career Consortium schools for these prestigious awards presented annually at the Allerton Conference, hosted virtually by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this year.
Recognized for the Outstanding Career Services Professional Award, Catarina is an individual who has worked full-time for over five years within career services. As an honoree, she has shown genuine support and regard for students and colleagues, demonstrated an outstanding commitment to students' career success at the campus level, and is active in her profession at a regional level.
Catarina earned her Master of Labor & Employment Relations and Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Portuguese, Economics, & Labor Studies, both at Rutgers University. As a team member of Rutgers University's Office of Career Exploration and Success, she works closely with employers to build a recruitment strategy and help them secure the best RU talent. Catarina also serves as the primary contact for fraudulent job reporting and investigation, is an employer liaison for the Rutgers Internship & Co-op Course, leads biannual diversity recruitment events, recently served as president of the New Jersey Career Center Consortium, and is an active member of the Hire Big 10+ Consortium Vendor Committee.
Janet Jones, Director for Industry and Student Connections within the office states that, "Catarina has broadened her skills and leadership through her involvement with professional organizations. She has mentored new staff, led search processes, and developed tools to assist students in evaluating job offers. She is a true team player and consummate professional who consistently exceeds standards in all areas of her work." While colleagues of Cat, emphasized that, "she is an ideal team member and colleague; she is dynamic, positive, hard-working, creative, and kind. She is the individual who thinks to send you a hand-written note to bring a smile to your face, the individual to reach out and make sure you and your family are okay after a significant event, and always there to lend a hand on committees, projects, and new ideas. She is beyond an employee who excels on projects; she is someone who strives to create and foster relationships with her colleagues, employer contacts, and campus partners. She is also inventive, great at troubleshooting and generating new ideas, and a pleasant person to be around."
Zachary was recognized with the Outstanding New Career Services Professional Award as an individual who is new to the career services industry. Zachary was honored as an individual who continuously provides outstanding services that impact our students and has taken on additional responsibilities to support the department.
Zachary earned a Master of Human Resource Management from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from The College of NJ and is also a team member at Rutgers University's Office of Career Exploration and Success. He works closely with employers to build recruitment strategies, assists in programming for multiple student interest groups, is an employer liaison for the Rutgers Internship & Co-op Course, and spearheads the employer engagement portion of the Rutgers Summer Service Internship (RSSI) Initiative.
One of his nominators wrote, "Zachary deserves this award for many reasons, but the most prevalent one surrounds his work with the brand-new Rutgers Summer Service Internship Initiative, a presidential initiative that matches students to high-impact public service internships." Jones adds, "In a short period of time, Zachary took on the this initiative and developed over 100 internship experiences for our students. He has also made significant inroads working with faculty and student organizations in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. His ability to connect, assess, and deliver recruiting solutions to our employers has been impactful and effective." Zachary's previous experience before career services brings vital insight into what students, interns, and recent graduates may be feeling or experiencing in terms of their connection to professional development in the workplace. This type of first-hand knowledge is invaluable and what seems to drive him in his work in higher education and his success with employer relationships.
Executive Director, William Jones states, "I’m incredibly proud that two of our own were recognized by the HB10+ Career Consortium for their work connecting students to opportunities! Zac and Cat both represent the dedication and passion students and recruiters will find when they connect with the Office of Career Exploration and Success." Catarina and Zachary have demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm, and innovation to their roles and the department and exemplify bright futures ahead.
The HireBig10+ Career Consortium is a network of dedicated career services professionals from the Big Ten schools, DePaul University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame. This group is dedicated to expanding the professional practices of career services as it relates to career counseling/advising, employer relations, and programming. The Office of Career Exploration and Success at Rutgers University-New Brunswick is honored to have these staff members recognized for their hard work and commitment to the industry.
