About Us

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Staff Biographies

Jennifer Antonini, M.A.

Jennifer is the Coordinator for the Cooperative Education and career counselor. Jennifer also serves as liaison to the Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS). Prior to coming to Mason, she worked as a Career Center Advisor at the University of Maryland's Career Center. She received her bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in Political Science and her master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. Jennifer enjoys the opportunity to work with such a diverse student body at George Mason.

James Barricelli

James works to cultivate employer relationships, expand employment opportunities for students/alumni, and facilitate employer participation in Career Services programs. He received his bachelor's degree from Utica College in History and Liberal Studies and his master's degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Student Affairs in Higher Education. Having recently joined the Career Services team at Mason, James looks forward to becoming involved in the campus and surrounding community.

Dave Bauer

As a Special Projects Consultant, Dave helps academic departments identify their core skills from an external perspective and then develop relationships with external (non-Mason) organizations that share a common interest. Additional career opportunities for students are one of the potential benefits for expanding such relationships. Dave retired from IBM where he worked on a variety of information technology and relationship building activities. He lives in the City of Fairfax with his wife and three sons. His other interests involve youth sports and recreation for which he is actively involved within the City of Fairfax and at Fairfax High School.

Tory Bustard

Tory Bustard is the Assistant Director for Career Resources and Information Systems. She oversees the Career Library, is involved in the development of Career Services' website and serves as a liaison to New Century College and Disability Support Services. She likes working at George Mason University because it is so wonderfully diverse and enjoys working in an environment where learning is the main focus. In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling and working on arts and craft projects. Tory has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Hiram College and a Masters of Science in Human Resource Development from the School of Public Affairs at The American University. She also has done additional graduate study in counseling and in statistics.

Elena Chiru

Elena graduated from GMU in 2007 with a M. Ed. in Counseling and Development She joined University Career Services in December 2008 as a part-time career counselor, and works a Wednesday and Thursday schedule. Prior to working at Mason, Elena completed her career counseling internship with the Counseling and Career Center of Montgomery County Commission for Women in Rockville, Maryland, and continued to work for the Center until August 2008. Since June 2007, Elena has been conducting career-related workshops for the Counseling and Career Center. She also has extensive teaching experience and holds a B.A. in Linguistics (Double Major: Romanian and Russian) from University of Bucharest, Romania. She is an active member of American Counseling Association and National Career Development Association.

Bernadette Davey

Bernadette works part time as events coordinator, in particular organizing the two annual Job &Internship Fairs at George Mason. She holds a law license from New York State and an MBA from Columbia University, New York. Born in Northern Ireland but settled for many years in the U.S., she has three children. She came to Mason from a varied community and volunteer service background in the local area. She enjoys the dynamic working environment on campus and particularly likes the interaction with such a diverse body of staff and students.

Ken Guerrant, M.Ed.

Ken earned a B.S. degree in Human Services from Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado, and a M.Ed. degree in Counseling with a concentration in Higher Education Counseling from George Mason University. Ken is the Career Services liaison to the Office of Housing and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Ken has worked in the counseling field for over 25 years and believes that learning and personal development is a life-long process. Ken enjoys helping students discover their talents, strengths, and interests. He has served as an instructor at the Colorado Outward Bound School, teaching wilderness travel and mountaineering courses, and currently teaches canoeing and kayaking courses at Mason. Ken is an American Canoe Association Whitewater Canoe Instructor Trainer Educator, and a member of the university's Recreation, Health & Tourism Adventure Course Development Committee. He serves as the faculty advisor for Mason East Peak Adventure Sports student organization.

Ralph Lattanzio

Ralph Lattanzio is working through the ExxonMobil Foundation filling two roles for Mason. He is both "Employer in Residence" and Affiliate Professor of the University 400 "Transitions to Work" class. Seniors nearing graduation can take advantage of the University 400 class preparing for your "First Professional Career Step" or for those seeking the first career experience. He has received outstanding comments and ratings from his University 400 graduates and has prepared over 100 students to gain employment in significant entry level positions in the Washington DC area. Students looking to schedule appointments with Ralph should first speak with their assigned career advisor. Ralph held numerous Human Resource positions with Mobil for 18 years and 5 years post merger with ExxonMobil. In his most recent assignments he served as the Global Human Resources Director for Information Technology and later the Director of Global Recruiting. Ralph has extensive knowledge in Recruiting Strategies, Career Development models, Competency Development, Leadership Development, Change Management and Behavior Invent Interview processes. Ralph has his B.A. in Economics from Pittsburgh, MS in Human Resources from West Virginia and has done post graduate work at Cornell, Harvard and Michigan.

Julie (Kaplan) Lubochinski

Julie is a career counselor and the outreach coordinator for University Career Services. She has a master’s degree in Education and Human Development with a focus in Community Counseling from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State University. Prior to coming to Mason, she worked at the Counseling and Career Center at a community college in Maryland. Julie also has a background in human resources and worked at a financial services company in San Francisco before returning to the DC area to pursue her graduate degree. Julie enjoys being able to support George Mason students with their career development.

Catherine A. McCormick , Ph.D., Master Career Counselor (MCC)

Catherine is the Assistant Director for Career Development in University Career Services and a Career Counselor. She has held Career Counseling and Advising positions at several other universities and has counseled and advised graduate students in their pursuit of career-related academic programs at MASON and in other settings. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on adult career development from George Mason University, a M.A. in Counseling from Gallaudet University, and a B.A. In Psychology and Sociology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has taught Career and Educational Counseling as an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Education and assisted on a Department of Labor contract related to web-based career information. Her professional affiliations include National Career Development Association, American Counseling Association and MAC/LPN.

Alan More

Alan is Adjunct Faculty in the BIS Program and also teaches seminars and workshops in the Mason Leadership Institute and New Century College. Prior to joining the BIS Program in 2005, he spent 32 years in the US intelligence and national security communities crafting interdisciplinary solutions to critical foreign policy problems. Some of the more interesting issues he worked on included Middle Eastern territorial and resource conflicts, international environmental affairs, global financial vulnerability, African humanitarian needs, Rwandan genocide, and nuclear terrorism. Alan has disciplinary degrees in Geography from institutions in Upstate New York, but not satisfied with a one-dimensional approach to solving problems, he ventured on to interdisciplinary degrees in International Affairs and Environmental Conservation at universities further west in Ohio and Colorado. His mother attributes this wanderlust and lack of focus to his losing a few marbles after having fallen out of too many trees when he was young. He feels it more likely stems from having grown up as a global nomad all over Asia and Africa. Alan has taught Geography at the State University of New York and Ohio University, and Intelligence Analysis at CIA University. He also has masqueraded as a Ski Instructor in Western New York State and an Alpine Mountaineering Instructor on the slopes of Kilimanjaro in East Africa. He speaks a couple of esoteric languages and is fascinated by anything foreign.

Erin Ogburn

Erin Ogburn is currently a Senior Recruiter (2005-present) at Kearney & Company, a Certified Public Accounting Firm that specializes in providing accounting, audit, and information technology services to the Federal Government. Erin attended George Mason University and received a B.A. in Integrative Studies, with concentrations in Communication and Spanish. Go Mason! Later, Erin attended Virginia Tech and received an M.A. in Education with a focus in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Erin has had the opportunity to gain experience in both corporate recruiting and the career services environment through employment with Booz Allen Hamilton (2000-02), Virginia Tech (2002-04), and James Madison University (2004-05). She is passionate about working with college students and greatly enjoys educating and recruiting college graduates!

Gemma Scallon Costa, MS, National Certified Counselor

Gemma graduated in May 2006 from Syracuse University (SU) with a Master of Science degree in Student Affairs Counseling. Gemma has had previous career counseling experience as a Graduate Assistant at SU's Career Service Center where she worked with students in a variety of majors. Prior to her graduate studies, Gemma worked in New York City as a Media Buyer and received a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Vermont in Community Development and Applied Economics with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Gemma enjoys cooking and traveling and working with students with diverse backgrounds.

Kathy Shifflett

Kathy is Webmaster and System Administrator for Career Services. She enjoys the technical challenges and learning opportunities that working in these areas of expertise provide. A resident of Fairfax, Kathy enjoys spending time with her family, especially when it involves travel. She is a devoted walking companion to her Labrador retriever.

Charlotte Strauss, M.Ed., National Certified Counselor

Charlotte Strauss is a Career Counselor with over 25 years of experience working in the field of career development. She has worked in a variety of settings, local and federal government agencies, corporations and universities. Charlotte has worked internationally in Europe, Asia and South America. Prior to Mason, she worked as a Career Consultant at The George Washington University. She holds a Masters degree in Urban Education and also received her M.Ed. at Mason in Counseling and Development. She is a member of the Virginia Association of Colleges and Employers. Charlotte enjoys working with Mason’s diverse student population. In her free time she can be seen cheering her 7th grade daughter on the soccer field and basketball court.

Janice Sutera, Ph.D., National Certified Counselor

Janice began her fourth year as Director of Career Services in 08-09. She enjoys working at Mason because she is always learning from students, faculty, staff and employers. Using technology, data collection/analysis for improvement, and building collaborative relationships are key aspects of Janice's efforts. She holds a PhD in Counseling and Personnel Services from University of Maryland, a M.A. in Student Personnel Work in Higher Education from The Ohio State University, a B.A. in Psychology from University of Delaware, and is a National Certified Counselor. She taught Career and Educational Counseling as an adjunct faculty member in Mason's Graduate School of Education for five semesters. She has held a variety of leadership positions in national and regional professional associations and has conducted career-related presentations at the national, regional, and local level. Janice relaxes by participating and attending local theatre, cooking/eating, and gardening. She enjoys the company of her family, her husband and three wonderful children including a graduate of Mason, a graduate of Virginia Tech, and a sophomore at Mason!

Virginia "Ginny" Wheeler, National Certified Counselor

Ginny has been a Career Consultant at George Mason for 22 years. She manages the University 200 course "Major/Career Decisions" and teaches one section of that course each semester. She holds an M.A. and a Professional Diploma in Counseling and Student Personnel Administration from Columbia University, NY. She earned a B.A. In English from Allegheny College, PA. Ginny has three wonderfully diverse adult children and a grandson who is a sophomore at Radford University. She lives in Reston and enjoys entertaining family and friends, ethnic restaurants, all kinds of music, art and theater. She is a National Certified Counselor and a member of the Metropolitan Area Career/Life Planning Network and the National Career Development Association. She considers working with Mason’s diverse students to be a continual joy and a privilege.

Pat Williams

Pat has worked for University Career Services since January 1983. She currently the Office Manager..

Laura Winkler, M.A., National Certified Counselor

Laura serves as the Career Coordinator at the School of Management's Office of Academic and Career Services and as the liaison to University Career Services. She is pursuing a D.A. with a concentration in Higher Education Administration and has a M.A. in Counseling with a concentration in Career Counseling from the University of Maryland. Laura has held career counselor positions at the community college, Federal government, and employment agency settings. She also taught English in Spain for two years. Laura speaks Spanish and greatly enjoys working with George Mason's diverse student population.

Debbie Zuiker

Debbie has worked for University Career Services since July 2001. She currently works as the Co-op Program Assistant half time. She works with both students and employers interested in the Cooperative Education Program.