Contact: 713-348-5781┃ nvdh@rice.edu
Nicole Van Den Heuvel, a Rice alumna, is the Executive Director for the Center for Career Development and brings over twenty years of industry experience. Prior to assuming the current Executive Director role, she worked at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business as Associate Director of Career Management, counseling and advising MBA students on career planning and development. She has an extensive business background in public, private and not-for-profit organizations having worked for the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies for more than 14 years in Houston, Washington, D.C. and Montreal, Canada. She also brings across-the-board expertise in career counseling, leadership training, recruiting, and human resources. Van Den Heuvel also brings an international perspective to CCD as she speaks French, Spanish, and German and has lived throughout Europe. She continues to actively contribute to the Houston and Rice alumni community through her community service and fundraising activities.
Contact: ifm2@rice.edu
Ivette Mekdessi develops and implements instructional programming related to post-graduate planning. She provides individual counseling and assessment interpretation to assist Rice students and alumni in making informed career decisions and to prepare them for professional advancement. Mekdessi joined Rice in 2015 from the University Career Services at the University of Houston, where she was a career counselor intern. At University Career Services, she provided career exploration, professional correspondence reviews, interview preparation, and assessment overviews and interpretations to undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni. She also served as a research assistant in varying fields of psychology including job satisfaction, employee well-being, stress overflow, and gender roles and differences. Mekdessi holds a bachelor's of science in Psychology, a bachelor’s of business administration in Marketing and a master’s of education in Counseling from the University of Houston. Mekdessi also brings an international perspective to the CCD as she speaks French, Spanish, and Arabic and attended international schools her entire life.
Contact: lgs7@rice.edu
Leora Gabry Semble advises Rice students in all stages of the internship/job search process and develops instructional programming related to post-graduate planning. Previously, she managed on-campus recruiting and relationships with Rice recruiters to provide mutually beneficial career support for Rice students and employers. Leora joined the CCD from the MBA Career Management Office at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she coordinated and implemented career-related programming for students, alumni, and employers. Prior to that, she served as a staff attorney and volunteer coordinator at Whitman-Walker Health, a community health center located in Washington, D.C. Leora also spent several years working as an economic consultant before attending graduate school. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Columbia University.
Contact: maw5@rice.edu
Marilyn Wade specializes in counseling & coaching college students to explore career options, make good career decisions and successfully navigate the internship/job search process. Marilyn joined Rice in 2017; in addition to individual counseling, she currently manages the Peer Career Advisor (PCA) Program and teaches the UNIV 212 Career & Life Options course. She has 10+ years of experience in career development/higher education and has worked in similar roles at the University of Houston (TX) and Saint Joseph's University (PA). Marilyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tulane University and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University.
Contact: rdr3@rice.edu
Raylea Rideau is excited to be a new member of the CCD team having joined the staff in July 2019. She seeks to empower students in their job search and overall career development through one-on-one advising. Raylea previously worked for two years as a career coach at the LSU Olinde Career Center at Louisiana State University. During her time at LSU, Raylea coached students in many areas such as developing job/internship search strategies, networking, professional etiquette, career decision, and resume/CV creation. Raylea holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Louisiana State University. She is continuing her academic pursuits as a Ph.D. candidate at LSU in Educational Leadership & Research which she plans to complete in May 2020.
Contact: kcm4@rice.edu
Karishma Mendes joined the CCD team in August of 2019 and currently serves as the Career Counseling Intern. Karishma is thrilled to be a part of the CDD and seeks to make a positive impact in the lives of students through education, inspiration, and empowerment, while also equipping them with tools for success in their vocational journey. Previously, she worked as a Career Coach at the University of St. Thomas-Houston (UST) Career Services and Testing Center’s and as a counseling intern for the Source for Women in the Galleria. During her time at UST, Karishma counseled 80+ students including domestic and international undergraduate, graduate, and alumni. She enjoys helping students find their career ambitions and passions via career exploration, LinkedIn reviews, resume/cover letter development, workshop facilitation, and program evaluation. Karishma holds a B.A in Psychology and is currently pursuing her M.S in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UST. Karishma brings an international perspective, having traveled to India and Dubai, and she speaks English, Hindi, and is currently learning Mandarin.
Contact: 713-348-4143 | amg@rice.edu
Ann McAdam Griffin develops and maintains relationships with Rice recruiters, alumni, parents, and friends of Rice to create opportunities for Rice students through internships and full-time positions, externships, and mentoring opportunities. She also manages recruiting programs, including assessing the effectiveness of all aspects of the on-campus recruiting process and is a Certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i) Coach. Ann joined the Center for Career Development in 2015. Prior to that, she served as an Academic Advisor and Associate Director of Corporate Relations, both at Rice. She has a broad business background, having spent many years as a Management Consultant and Lecturer at the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from Tufts University and an MBA degree with a Finance concentration from Boston University. Ann and her family were the Hanszen College Magisters from 2009-2014.
Contact: 713-348-3776 | mip2@rice.edu
After working as a Campus Recruiter for Academy Sports+Outdoors Corporate Office, Passo is thrilled to be back in the CCD working on Owl Edge initiatives including its externship and internship programs. Passo initially joined Rice in 2008 from the University of Iowa, where she was a graduate teaching assistant for the Department of Communication Studies. Previously, she worked as adjunct faculty at El Centro Community College in Dallas, Texas. Passo brings several years of professional experience to Rice. Through the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, she served as a programming intern at USA Network. Prior to that role, Passo spent over four years with the National Basketball Association (NBA) - working in the Commissioner's Office and then for NBA TV. She holds a master's degree in Cinema-Television from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University.
Contact: 713-348-4008 | kh39@rice.edu
Katelyn Holm develops and implements CCD marketing plans, creates CCD collateral, manages CCD marketing interns, and plans and executes all CCD events. Holm joined Rice in 2016 and brings a variety of communication skills from her experience in nonprofit marketing and event planning. Previously, she worked at Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse in Downtown Houston, where she created visual marketing, coordinated communication strategies with government entities, and assisted in grant management to benefit victims of family violence in gaining civil legal aid. She also worked in foster care with Arrow Foundation as Communications Associate and spent three years in newspaper publication as Editor-in-Chief at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Contact: 713-348-3916 | ems18@rice.edu
Elsa Schieffelin is the Assistant Director, Employer Relation & Alumni Engagement at Rice University's Center for Career Development. She first joined the Center for Career Development as Recruiting Coordinator 2 years earlier and has engaged with employers at every stage of the recruitment process. Currently, she enjoys applying her Rice recruiting knowledge to help employers build long lasting relationships at Rice University at the undergraduate and graduate level. Along with helping recruiters connect with Rice University, Elsa collects and analyzes data that the Center for Career Development collects on student and employer engagement and aids in CCD programs that encourage students and alumni to connect with employers outside of classic on-campus recruiting. Before Rice University, Elsa received her Masters at the University of Virginia in Russian Language and Literature and a Bachelors in Russian and Eastern European Studies.
Contact: 713-348-4055 | hs51@rice.edu
Helen Seilkop recently graduated from University of Houston with a Bachelor’s degree in English. During her time at University of Houston, she worked as a Writing Consultant and assisted UH student’s in improving their writing, research, and reading skills. She joined the the CCD as their recruitment coordinator in 2019. Helen assists the CCD in their On-Campus Recruiting efforts by managing the Handshake database and assisting in answering phone calls, responding to emails, and working with the Rice population to help further their professional development.
Contact: 713-348-4055 | sh88@rice.edu
Shelley Hernandez joined the CCD team in July 2019. Prior to working at Rice, Shelley was an Operations Manager at Lilly Pulitzer where she worked for three years. She has also worked for the University of Texas at Austin in the Office of Admissions and Educational Testing Services. Shelley holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is excited to get back to working in higher education and assisting the CCD with their mission to help Rice students in pursuing their career goals.
Contact: 713-348-4029┃ chebert@rice.edu
Christine Hebert manages the administrative and office operations and oversees financial processes for the Center for Career Development. She also coordinates the student employee program. Hebert joined Rice in 1997 from the University of Houston. There, she held roles as an Office Manager in the International Student and Scholars Services Office and as a Business Administrator for the Computer Science Department. She served in a similar capacity for the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Hebert holds a bachelor's degree from the University of the Philippines, Quezon City.