Employer Engagement and Operations

Albert (Al) Knoblach is a program manager on the Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business, focusing on business development. With several years of higher education experience, Al has served as a career counselor at The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln College of Business. Outside of higher education, Al has over 2 decades of experience working in the pyrotechnics industry shooting and manufacturing professional display fireworks. Al completed two degrees at The Pennsylvania State University, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2017 followed by a Master of Education in counselor education in 2020.

Alison Moser is a curriculum coordinator who works on the career management team at W. P. Carey School of Business, specifically partnering with undergraduate students. Alison believes in the importance of designing curriculum that will further students’ prior knowledge regarding career development, as well as foster students’ understanding of the importance of a solid foundational skill set in career instruction. Alison has over 21 years of experience working in the education field, including preparing and implementing specially designed instruction for students of various learning abilities and backgrounds. Alison Moser holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary and special education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Alyssa Pereira is the Marketing and Communication Manager for the W. P. Carey Career Services Center, where she oversees the areas of communication strategy, marketing campaigns, communications materials, asset development, and marketing analytics for the department. Over the last few years, Alyssa has directly coached students in career and leadership development, in addition to developing communication assets and leveraging her background in visual design. Her professional background includes work in sports broadcast media, content strategy and development, social media management, freelance photography, and has previously founded a podcast and blog. Alyssa holds a B.S. in Strategic Communication and International Studies from North Dakota State University and a M.Ed. in Student Development Administration from Seattle University.

April Patten is the Content Consultant for the career management team at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

After eight years as a coach and manager within the team, April leverages her content expertise to extend our Where Business is Personal® mission to reach over 20,000 business students on an annual basis via online and on-demand content as well as comprehensive project management. As content consultant, April’s role is pivotal to ensure students across all W. P. Carey programs have access to curated content that meets their specific needs and interests.

In addition to her 20 years of comprehensive experience in career management, April is a Certified Career Management Coach, University Career Coach, MBA Career Coach, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Civil Treatment Facilitator, and is Dare to Lead trained.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in management and international studies from CMU, an Master of Education in human relations from NAU, and a Certificate of Global Advocacy from ASU.

Brianna (Bri) Miloz-Pabst is the Associate Director of Curriculum Design on the career management team at W. P. Carey School of Business. Bri knows the importance of bringing individuals together around the shared vision of revolutionizing career education. She leverages her unique perspective to drive a strategy for curriculum that delivers student engagement, retention, and employer satisfaction with a competitive design approach. With several years of experience in higher education, Bri has worked in residence life, TRIO programs, diversity and inclusion, student athlete success, student support services (first generation college students) and national scholarship advisement. She began her educational journey at Northern Arizona University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in business marketing and a Bachelor of Science in business management in 2017, followed by a Master of Arts in higher education and student affairs from the University of Connecticut in 2019.

Dakota Haight is on the operations team at the W. P. Carey School of Business, working with all industry portfolios. Dakota supports the employer and student facing teams in navigating the university landscape, planning engagement opportunities, and executing on-campus and virtual recruiting activities. Prior to joining W.P. Carey, Dakota worked in finance and academics in higher education. Dakota holds a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Grand Canyon University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sports Law and Business from the Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Emily Thompson is an assistant director on the Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business. With several years of higher education experience from financial counseling to leading large-scale career fairs and events, Emily has found purpose in helping students discover meaningful career opportunities that set the foundation for their professional success. Emily holds a Master of Arts in higher education and student affairs leadership from the University of Northern Colorado.

Jack Balon is a results-driven professional with a passion for forging meaningful connections between organizations and talented job seekers.

Currently, Jack is an assistant director on the employer engagement at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. In this role, Jack manages a diverse portfolio of 250+ companies spanning various industries. His responsibilities include facilitating strategic relationships, helping organizations refine their hiring strategies, and leveraging data analysis to identify emerging industry trends. Jack prides himself on exceptional stakeholder management skills, which have led to increased collaboration and mutually beneficial outcomes.

Before his academic tenure, Jack honed his skills at Yelp Inc. as a Franchise Account Executive, consistently exceeding sales quotas, analyzing key data, and strengthening corporate relationships. Jack’s results-oriented approach led to an increase in customer acquisition and lifetime value during his tenure at Yelp Inc.

Jack holds a Master of Public Administration degree with an emphasis in government and policy and a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in professional writing, both earned with honors distinctions from Grand Canyon University. Jack’s diverse professional background, commitment to excellence, and passion for building strategic relationships have been key drivers of his success.

Jes Douangchanh is a program manager on the operations team at W. P. Carey School of Business, working with all industry portfolios. Jes supports the employer and student facing teams in navigating the university landscape, planning engagement opportunities, and executing on-campus and virtual recruiting activities.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in business management from Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining W. P. Carey, she acquired a multitude of experience in higher and post-secondary education. Throughout her academic and professional experiences Jes has played key roles in campus, community, and cultural events. She believes in serving her community through creativity, innovation and connection.

Octavio Duarte is an assistant director on the employer engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business, focusing on corporate alumni engagement. He joined the career management team as a career coach in 2022, partnering with full-time MBA students along with Professional MBA students in the Evening, Online, and Executive programs. Octavio believes colleges and universities are responsible for stewarding knowledge and mentoring future generations. He is committed to planning, communicating, and executing a strategic direction to help strengthen our alumni career engagement. Octavio’s professional experience spans across multiple industry’s in various roles. He has over 15 years of leadership, talent acquisition, and higher education experience. Octavio received his Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Arizona and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Rachel Dieter is an associate director on the Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business. Rachel knows how important it is for organizations to not only have a strong talent pipeline, but have opportunities to connect with that pipeline throughout the recruiting process.  She is energized by working with organizations to identify strategies for success in their approach to recruiting. Rachel has experience in many functions of career services, including career coaching and programming, event planning and management, career outcome collection, and building and maintaining relationships with employers in order to meet their hiring goals. She is certified in the Strong Interest Inventory and Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, religion, and educational studies from St. Olaf College and a Master of Science in college student personnel from Western Illinois University.

Renae Smith is the Business Operations Specialist on the operations team at the W. P. Carey School of Business Career Services Center. Renae has provided support in a variety of business models and has a passion for streamlining process and optimizing workflow. Throughout her career, she has played key supportive roles in aiding teams to thrive and achieve excellence. Renae holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration for the University of Phoenix and believes the success of a team is greater than the achievements of the individual members.

Sarah Hernandez Byrne is an assistant director on the Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School Career Services Center. She is committed to building relationships that lead to positive outcomes and has a strong belief in education equity. Prior to joining W. P. Carey, Sarah worked as an assistant director in Professional Education Services at the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation and was a secondary English teacher. Sarah holds a B.A. in English literature from Biola University and an M.Ed. in secondary education from Arizona State University.

Sarah Romero is a curriculum coordinator on the career management team at the W. P. Carey School of Business with a specific focus to assist with the design and administration of the Career Navigation Program for all undergraduate students. Sarah has close to 6 years’ experience working within the Higher Education sector to include the implementation and execution of Grants + Contracts to facilitate research, as well as, the transfer initiative of MyPath2ASU™. Sarah most recently transitioned to our team after two years of advising W.P. Carey students majoring in Supply Chain Management, Tourism, and Communication. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Florida State University and is a proud Sun Devil alumna with a Master of Education in higher and postsecondary education from Arizona State University!

Sean Spain is a Program Manager on the Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business, specifically partnering with transportation and logistics employers and focusing on business development with employers from the West Valley. Leveraging his experience coaching at the undergraduate and MBA level at ASU, Sean brings a well-rounded approach to his portfolio. Sean has experience in career services at the secondary and higher education levels with additional experience in leadership with Verizon Wireless and as a licensed realtor. Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Rockford University and an MBA from Strayer University.