Our Career Education team is here to help you reach your career goals. Schedule an appointment today!
- .Karol JohansenDirector - Career EducationDr. Karol Johansen is a proud UCI alumna (BA English) and has served in the field of Career Development for more than 25 years, specializing in the career needs of college students. Prior to her current position as Director of Career Education, she served as Senior Counseling Manager for Pre-Professional Services at the UCLA Career Center where she assisted students in preparing and applying to graduate/professional schools.
Karol Johansen
Director - Career Education
karolj@uci.eduKarol earned her Master's degree in Counseling at Loyola Marymount University (with a concentration in multicultural education) and a doctorate in Higher Education from Morehead State University. She comes to UCI with private industry experience in financial services/advertising, having worked for a leading investment publication. Karol's work in the field of career services has been featured in many major publications, including Time Magazine (Joel Stein's Awesome Column) and the Los Angeles Times. One of Karol's favorite career development quotes is "Be true to yourself and useful to the journey."
- .Allison KellerAssociate Director - Career EducationAllison Keller is the Associate Director of Career Education and has worked in career services for more than 15 years. Allison graduated from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Indiana University with a Masters degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. She provides career counseling and conducts workshops to students and alumni on various aspects of career planning including career exploration, Strong/MBTI interpretation, job search strategies, and graduate school planning. She serves as the liaison to the School of Engineering and oversees the Peer Consultant Program.
Allison Keller
Associate Director - Career Education
kellera@uci.edu - .Caroline ChiangAssistant Director, Career EducationCaroline Chiang graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Management Science and Information Systems. She started her career in business working for Johnson & Johnson in information management. After several years in the corporate world, she decided to change careers and pursue her passion in higher education. She received her Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from USC. Caroline has worked as a career counselor at various colleges and universities across the country including Brown University, Boston University Questrom School of Business and is excited to be supporting students here at UCI. She serves as the liaison for the Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and School of Physical Sciences.
Caroline Chiang
Assistant Director, Career Education
caroline.chiang@uci.edu - .Lauren Lyon-GutierrezAssistant Director, Career EducationLauren Lyon-Gutierrez serves as the Graduate Student liaison. She received her Bachelor's from CSUF in Sociology and her Masters in Educational and Clinical Counseling from Azusa Pacific University. She has worked at both private and public higher educational institutions, and outside of higher education, has worked in K-12 and with local non-profits providing counseling services. Lauren's passion is helping students find purpose and meaning in their careers.
Lauren Lyon-Gutierrez
Assistant Director, Career Education
llyon@uci.edu - .Cari MalekAssistant Director, Career EducationCari Malek (she/her) graduated from SDSU with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and University of San Diego with a Masters in Counseling. Her career began over 20 years ago in corporate recruiting and outplacement consulting. Cari has served in career services at UCLA and Concordia University Irvine, and as a Career Guidance Specialist for people with disabilities. Her passion is helping people navigate the road to satisfying careers. Her favorite poem on the theme of work is To Be of Use by Marge Piercy.
Cari Malek
Assistant Director, Career Education
camalek@uci.edu - .Stacie OshimaAssistant Director, Career EducationStacie Oshima graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies. She then obtained her Master's degree in Communication Management at USC and spent five years at MGM in the marketing departments of the Television and Home Entertainment groups. After being inspired through informational interviews, Stacie decided to pursue the field of career counseling. She went back to UCLA for her Master of Education in Counseling in Student Affairs. She is a liaison with the undergraduate students at the Merage School of Business.
Stacie Oshima
Assistant Director, Career Education
soshima@uci.edu - .Katie OsterkampAssistant Director, Career Education
Katie Osterkamp
Assistant Director, Career Education
osterkak@uci.eduKatie Osterkamp (she/hers) graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in History and English. She first worked as an academic advisor at UCLA before pursuing her Masters in Higher Education at Boston College. Katie has experience in various areas of higher education, including residential life, honors programs, and admissions. She is passionate about serving diverse student populations and empowering students from all backgrounds to pursue their academic and career goals. She serves as the pre-law advisor as well as the liaison for the School of Humanities.
- .Jill WellsAssistant Director, Career Education
Jill Wells
Assistant Director, Career Education
wellsj2@uci.eduJill graduated from USC with both Doctorate of Education and Master of Business Administration degrees. She also received a Master's degree in Education from Boston University. Jill began her career as a teacher of elementary and high school students in public, private, and international education settings. Recognizing the urgent need for education reform, Jill grew into leadership roles, working as a school director, charter school founder, curriculum specialist, and consultant. She transitioned to higher education to learn more about persistence and retention rates, and quickly embraced the postsecondary environment. Jill most recently served as an Associate Director at Caltech, where she advised students and postdocs, created and implemented STEM-related career programming, and led employer engagement efforts. She is passionate about serving minoritized, first-generation college students.