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  • .Karol JohansenDirector - Career Education
    Karol Johansen

    Karol Johansen
    Director - Career Education
    karolj@uci.edu

    Dr. 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 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 Education
    Allison Keller

    Allison Keller
    Associate Director - Career Education
    kellera@uci.edu

    Allison 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.
  • .Caroline ChiangAssistant Director, Career Education
    Caroline Chiang

    Caroline Chiang
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    caroline.chiang@uci.edu

    Caroline 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.
  • .Lauren Lyon-GutierrezAssistant Director, Career Education
    Lauren Lyon-Gutierrez

    Lauren Lyon-Gutierrez
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    llyon@uci.edu

    Lauren 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.
  • .Cari MalekAssistant Director, Career Education
    Cari Malek

    Cari Malek
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    camalek@uci.edu

    Cari 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.
  • .Stacie OshimaAssistant Director, Career Education
    Stacie Oshima

    Stacie Oshima
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    soshima@uci.edu

    Stacie 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.
  • .Katie OsterkampAssistant Director, Career Education
    Katie Osterkamp

    Katie Osterkamp
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    osterkak@uci.edu

    Katie 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

    Jill Wells
    Assistant Director, Career Education
    wellsj2@uci.edu

    Jill 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.