Spotlights on Alumni Career Paths

The Bates Center for Purposeful Work offers Spotlight Programs that focus attention on alumni and organizations in specific industries. As student interests and industry opportunities change over time, the goal is to highlight different industries every year so that students get exposure to a wide range of sectors that they can explore in greater depth throughout their time at Bates.

Spotlights provide students with the chance to:

  • Gain industry knowledge from individuals with diverse experiences and perspectives, from recent graduates to seasoned professionals
  • Learn about specific organizations and potential internship/job opportunities
  • Develop a critical understanding of how to capitalize on the strengths of a Bates education to help them find their way to purposeful work

Each year, the team at Purposeful Work determines which industries to focus on based on trends in student interests, trends in industry opportunities, industries yet to be highlighted, and alumni engagement and support.

Our Spotlight Programs have included:

A virtual panel featuring alumni who are using their STEM degree in different industry positions. Hear their perspectives on how they broke into their respective fields and what advice they have for current students.

Panelists include:

An alumni panel highlighting a variety of career paths in marketing, advertising, and media. This program will appeal to students who are interested in business, but not sure what paths fits best, as well as students who creative, people-focused, and great with quant. Hear the stories of three alumni, the skills that they use in their jobs, and their career advice.

Panelists include:

  • Scott Kelliher ’92 – Head of Revenue, Newsbreak, Board Member, Ad Council
  • Simon McCormick ’24 – Corporate Trainer at P.E.A.K. Marketing Inc.
  • Michael Morgan ’22 – Strategic Accounts and Marketing Lead, Adtelligent

Co-hosted by Maine Public Health Association, the Student Public Health Initiative and the Center for Purposeful Work, this event included a panel featuring public health professionals from different sectors/backgrounds followed by a networking reception.

Panelists included:

  • Emily Dooling Hamilton, MS – Health Promotion Manager at Healthy Androscoggin
  • Olivia Pennington – Volunteer and Community Programs Manager at Maine Family Planning
  • Tim Cowan ’91, MPH – Director, Community Health Surveillance and Evaluation at MaineHealth

Bates alumni to talk about their experience in the military and how it helped them achieve their career goals and taught them unique perspectives on leadership and public service.

Panelists included:

  • J.J. Cummings ‘89 – Currently retired from the U.S. Navy and works in Business Strategy and Operational Solutions for Boeing Defense. He also works as a public speaker using his decades in Navy leadership to teach people how to care for and empower their workforce. Prior to retiring J.J. spent his nearly three decades in the Navy flying fighter jets and captaining nuclear powered ships with his last post being the Captain of the aircraft carrier the Gerald R. Ford.
  • Adelae Durand ‘19 – Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine student at the University of New England. While at Bates she was a student EMT and Peer Tutor. After graduating she worked as a researcher at Yackle Lab and later became a medical scribe for ScribeAmerica before joining the Air Force.
  • Andrew Henderson ‘ 89  – Agency Counsel at the United States Department of Defense. Prior to earning his LLM in International Law through the Army Judge Advocate General(JAG) program he was a Captain in the U.S. Navy for 22 years.

A collaboration between the Environmental Studies department and the Center for Purposeful Work, this alumni panel featured five recent graduates s who were Environmental Studies majors at Bates and are currently working in the environmental fields.  The program will highlight their current work,  their search for their first post-grad job, and how they are applying their ES skills to their current roles.
Panelists included:
  • Eli Bosch Dining ’23 – Staff Environmental Scientist with Mabbett & Associates
  • Daisy Kettle ’24 – Sustainable Hazelnut Sourcing with SCS Global Services
  • Evan Ma ’23 – Project Scientist II with FB Environmental Associates
  • Amelia Wallis ’24 – Project Scientist I with FB Environmental Associates
  • Gianluca Yornet de Rosas ’24 – Community Resilience and Climate Action Plan Fellow with Center for an Ecology-Based Economy

The goal of this panel is to highlight multiple avenues within the real estate industry. The discussion will be an opportunity for those considering real estate to hear from alumni operating within several verticals one can enter upon graduation.

Panelists included:

Careers in International Affairs in 2023/24

In this program, guest speaker Patrick W. Quirk, Ph.D., ’03 offered insights into his own career pathway and  advice for students interested in pursuing careers in international affairs.

Patrick currently serves as Senior Director for Strategy, Research, and the Center for Global Impact at the International Republican Institute, a non-partisan and non-governmental organization that works to advance democracy and freedom worldwide. As Senior Director, Patrick manages a team of 30 thematic experts, researchers, and global project staff who help IRI monitor and develop innovative approaches to address emerging trends and challenges. This includes helping IRI incubate and scale up innovative, cross-cutting, democracy and governance programs to address global challenges to democracy, as well as maximize impact in priority technical areas such as political processes, electoral transitions, fragility and stabilization, countering authoritarian influence, and digital democracy. He also oversees IRI’s institutional efforts on monitoring, evaluation and learning, and applied research.

Concurrent to serving at IRI, Patrick is a Nonresident Fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. Before joining IRI, Patrick served on the U.S. Secretary of State’s Policy Planning staff in the Department of State as the lead advisor for fragile states, conflict and stabilization, and foreign assistance. From 2018-2019, he conceptualized and managed the process to advance the new U.S. approach to fragile states. Prior to Policy Planning, he served in State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy. Prior to government service, Patrick was a Research Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where he led a research study on how rising powers like China, Russia, and India use foreign aid to advance their national interests and the implications for U.S. national security.

Patrick is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, teaching courses on stabilization and political violence. His book, Great Powers, Weak States, and Insurgency: Explaining Internal Threat Alliances, was published in 2017.

Success as STEM Scholars in 2023/24

In this program designed for current STEM Scholars, graduates from the class of 2023 shared their experience in their first professional jobs, how the STEM Scholar program prepared them for the world of work, and what they are doing next in their careers related to science.

Panelists included:

Careers in Psychology and Beyond in 2023/24

In this collaboration between Purposeful Work and the Psychology Department,  graduates who studied psychology discussed a wide range of career paths in journalism, technology, non-profit and community development.

Panelists included:

Social Services in Portland, Maine in 2023/24

To explore opportunities in social services in Portland, Maine, this virtual panel brought together representatives from Avesta Housing, 75 State Street, and Preble Street — three social services agencies focused on supporting diverse communities in Portland.

Panelists shared: how and where they decided to start their careers with nonprofits and social services, how their undergraduate experiences prepared them for post-graduate life and work, how their early jobs in social services led them to their current roles, and what keeps them committed to doing work that can be challenging and complicated. They also shared what characteristics, experiences, and qualities they think effective social service professionals have, and what kind of entry-level and summer opportunities exist for students and graduates exploring the field.

Panelists included:

Pre-Law Reflection Series in 2023/24

Current Law School Students

For this session of the reflection series, three Bates alumni currently in law school shared their experiences with the application process, and their insights on what to expect in your first and second year of law school as well as what you can do now to prepare for what is ahead.

Panelists included:

Practicing Lawyers

For this session of the reflection series, this panel brought together alumni currently working as practicing lawyers from a variety of firms and practices.

Panelists included:

Careers in Public Health in 2023/24

This virtual panel brought together local public health professionals to discuss their career paths, academic backgrounds, and insights into their work within the field.

Panelists included:

Alumni & Parents in Education: Public, Charter & Private in 2023/24

This virtual panel explored opportunities in public, charter, and private education as panelists discussed their pathways from college to their current roles, as well as the unique benefits and challenges of three different educational contexts.

Each panelist addressed: how their undergraduate experiences prepared them for post-graduate life and work, how their unique schools and school systems operate, what keeps them motivated and committed in their daily work, and what kind of entry-level and summer opportunities exist for students and graduates exploring the field.

Panelists included:

A Dialogue on Leadership in 2023/24

Guest speaker J.J. Cummings ’89, a retired aircraft carrier captain for the U.S. Navy, joined the Bates community to discuss his unconventional approach to authentic leadership. His “show them you care” leadership style focused on connection, humility, and empathy improved the morale, culture, and performance of each Navy organization he led.

With a military career spanning three decades and culminating in serving as the captain of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS GERALD R. FORD, he led thousands of young sailors in the unforgiving world of fighter and aircraft carrier aviation. J.J. was the first technical advisor for Top Gun Maverick and helped Paramount create the original screenplay. He was also the Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ, Commanding Officer of the amphibious assault ship USS Anchorage, and Commanding Officer of an FA-18F Super Hornet squadron. Prior to assuming command positions, J.J. was an F-14 Tomcat instructor pilot and a Top Gun graduate, and he successfully completed the prestigious Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. He completed multiple overseas aircraft carrier deployments, logged 3,900 hours in fighter aircrafts, completed 740 aircraft carrier landings, and completed 137 combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.

J.J. received his B.A. in Physics from Bates College, an M.S. in Education from Old Dominion University, and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. While at Bates, J.J. played football, rowed, and was a student athletic trainer. He currently works for a major defense aerospace corporation, serves on the Bates College Alumni Council, and started his own leadership consulting business.

Understanding the World through Spectator Sports in 2023/24

Dr. Amy Bass ’92 is a history professor and an award-winning writer and sports journalist who served as senior research supervisor for NBC Olympic Sports across eight Olympic Games, winning the Emmy at the London Olympics in 2012. A leading scholar of sports, culture, and politics, she is currently Chair of the Division of Social Science and Communication and Professor of Sport Studies at Manhattanville College.

In this program, Professor Bass and Marianne Cowan from the Center for Purposeful Work discussed:

  • Empowerment and equity in sports – and why it matters – from the 1968 Olympics to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
  • Looking at the world through the lens of spectator sports
  • Balancing and choosing CNN, NBC, mainstream media, and teaching history in the college classroom

Careers in Government, Policy & Public Service in 2023/24

As part of Government, Policy, and Public Service Week, Purposeful Work hosted a panel of alumni who spoke about their career trajectories, how Bates helped them achieve their goals, and the purpose they find in their respective roles.

Guests included:

Careers in Human Resources in 2022/2023

This panel engaged guests in a discussion about their pathways from college to their current roles in different areas of human resources — talent acquisition, learning and development, executive search, and organizational change. They also shared how their undergraduate experiences prepared them for life beyond college as well as their current roles and responsibilities.

 Guests included:

  • Scott Miller, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, The Academy, Bank of America, Enterprise Strategic Initiatives Education & Change Management Executive 
  • Marquise Clarke ’19, Associate, Financial Services & Technology Officers Practices, Heidrick & Struggles

Careers in Tech in 2022/2023

Product Management

Associate Product Manager David Akinyemi ‘21, discussed his exploration and entry into technology, his journey to Atlassian, finding purpose in product management, and all the lessons he learned along the way. He provided insight into what exactly product management entails, the relevant skills to pursue this kind of work, and how you can get started while still at Bates.

Software Engineering

Bates alumni shared their experiences and advice for students interested in exploring engineering and software development. A variety of Bates experiences set them on the path to where they are today, so they connected those dots for us and discussed how they continue to craft work that aligns with their interests and sense of purpose.

Guests included:

User Experience (UX)

Bates alumni who are also UX professionals shared what drew them to UX work, how they established themselves in the field, and where they think the field is going. They shared guidance and resources for how a student ca determine whether UX is a field where one can find meaning and purpose.

Guests included:

Careers in Higher Education in 2021/2022

Featured alumni in admissions and financial aid, advancement, athletics, and student success. Alumni discussed their pathways from Bates to their various areas of higher education and shared how their Bates degrees prepared them for navigating through different institutions and roles.

Panelists included:

Women in Entrepreneurship in 2021/2022

Featuring a panel of Bates alumnae founders and innovators, trustee Emma Sprague ’10, co-founder of Upswing Strategies, facilitated a conversation about women in entrepreneurship and innovation.

Panelists included:

Opportunities in Social Justice in 2021/2022

Highlighted alumni with diverse backgrounds and experiences that fall under the umbrella of social justice. From economic justice to racial justice, from community work to policy work, alumni shared their unique pathways through the academy to domestic and global stages.

Opportunities in Journalism in 2020/2021

Highlighted alumni with backgrounds and experiences in various areas of journalism. Alumni shared their pathways to their current roles at: the Miami Herald Media, the New York Times, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Opportunities in Policy in 2020/2021

Highlighted alumni engaged in policy research, communications, consulting, and strategy, with representation from: Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), DCI Group, and Internet Association.

Opportunities in STEM + Business in 2020/2021

Focused on alumni operating in roles and organizations at the intersection of STEM and business. From healthcare to pharmaceuticals, from marketing to operations, alumni shared their academic and professional pathways from Bates to: Boston Scientific, CVS, LevelEx, and Pfizer.

Opportunities in the Environment in 2019/2020

This alumni panel and networking event exposed students to alumni with a broad range of experiences in environmental careers, including: climate impact research, corporate sustainability, environmental law, municipal planning, and urban planning.

Panelists included:

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Opportunities in Mental Health in 2019/2020

Invited students to connect with alumni and friends operating in the mental health space. Students had the opportunity to hear about the similarities and differences in the work being done by those with a PhD, a PsyD, an MD, a DNP, and a MA/MS in counseling.

Opportunities in Entrepreneurship in 2019/2020

Provided students with the opportunity to hear Bates alumni discuss their experiences with entrepreneurship, ranging from building their own businesses, to supporting their communities, to innovating within large organizations. Led by Bates Trustee and longtime entrepreneur Chris Barbin ‘93, the program also served as a kick-off for Bobcat Ventures, Bates’s entrepreneurial program and pitch competition.

Opportunities in Consulting in 2019/2020

Offered students the chance to hear from alumni engaged in different kinds of consulting work, with representation from: Analysis Group (AG), Artisan Healthcare Consulting, Beacon Group, Business Intelligence Advisors (BIA), and Ernst & Young (EY).