While Cornell undergraduates and alumni are interested in learning more about pursuing and navigating public service career tracks, they often have limited information compared to the resources available on careers in finance, business, consulting, medicine and teaching. This free event (excluding travel) address this dynamic.
Rachel Cooke ’99 is the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm specializing in workplace activation – building employee experiences that fuel, rather than follow, the “real” and most meaningful work.
A sought-after educator, facilitator and speaker Rachel crafts experiences designed to crack your Activation code. Helping leaders unleash potential, lead through never-ending change and keep burnout at bay – all while delivering outstanding results.
Rachel’s gift for blending her external expertise with a company’s interior wisdom, experience and intuition has won her accolades from a diverse slate of clients, including American Express, Wolters Kluwer, Cisco, Splunk, AMC Networks, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Scholastic and many more.
Named by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Leadership Speaker, Rachel’s insights have been featured in such publications as Inc. Magazine, Thrive Global, Bloomberg Quint, Fast Company, Business Insider, HuffPost and more. Rachel is also the host of Macmillan’s Modern Mentor Podcast, a weekly show delivering actionable tips and insights for those striving to define and achieve their version of success.
Rachel holds her master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree in human development from Cornell University.
Erin Johnson ’10 is director of service operations and infrastructure at Green City Force.
Dr. Vicki Johnson ’01 is founder and director of ProFellow, the world’s leading online resource for professional and academic fellowships.
Liz Ngonzi is founder and CEO of the International Social Impact Institute (AI for Impact).
As the chief human resources officer of the Legal Aid Society of NYC, Connie Park MILR ’13 leads a team of human resources professionals dedicated to retaining, recruiting and supporting the people who deliver on the mission for justice in every borough.
Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society of NYC, Connie served as the executive director of human resources, chief diversity officer, and Title IX coordinator at SUNY Corning Community College for five years. Her past professional experiences also include 15 years in a variety of roles in human resources at Cornell University, and she has worked within the nonprofit sector in New York City providing direct human services to individuals who experience chronic homelessness.
She holds her masters from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Maryland.
Samantha Pedreiro ’12 is COO of New American Leaders (Immigrant voices in elected office).
Amanda Perez Leder ’99 is founder of CHAT (Communicating about Health and Tough Topics).
Ariella Weintraub ’12 is an Emmy Award-winning supervising senior producer at NY1.
Jane Zelenko ’14 is the assistant principal at Success Academy Charter Schools and a Robertson Leadership Fellow.
Ashley Zwick is currently the executive director of the Tuck Initiative on Workplace Inclusion at Dartmouth and a course facilitator at eCornell in the Women in Leadership certificate program. As a strategist, educator and connector, Ashley has spent her career working to build inclusive teams and people-centered organizations to create a more just world.
Prior to joining Tuck, Ashley was the managing director of fellowships for the OpEd Project, a social venture with a mission to increase the public impact of our nation’s top and most diverse thinkers. Prior to her work at the OpEd Project, Ashley spent a decade directing academic centers at both the University of Michigan and Columbia Business School, focused on helping students and alumni lead and build organizations that matter in the world. Ashley has taught courses on social innovation, entrepreneurship and women and leadership, most recently as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Ashley is a Chicago native who currently lives in Connecticut with her husband and two boys. She spends a lot of time on the sidelines of soccer games and track meets, cheering quietly (but fiercely).
- 8:30-9:30 a.m.: Registration and Speed Networking
- 9:30-9:50 a.m.: Welcome
- 9:50-10:30 a.m.: Workshop: Create and Practice Your Personal Pitch
- Ashley Zwick, facilitator of the Cornell Women in Leadership Certificate, eCornell
- 10:30 – 12:00: Armchair Conversations: Emerging Women Leaders
- Erin Johnson ’10, Director of Service Operations & Infrastructure at Green City Force
- Ariella Weintraub ’12, Emmy-award winning Supervising Senior Producer, NY1
- Jane Zelenko ’14, Assistant Principal, Success Academy Charter Schools and Robertson Leadership Fellow
- Samantha Pedreiro ’12, COO of New American Leaders (Immigrant voices in elected office)
- 12-12:30: Break & Networking with speakers
- 12:30-1:30: Lunch & Keynote Address
- 1:30-2:15: Workshop: How to Fully Fund Graduate School
- Dr. Vicki Johnson ’01
- 2:30-4 p.m.: Armchair Conversations: Established Women Leaders
- Rachel Cooke ’99, Founder of Lead Above Noise
- Liz Ngonzi ’98, Founder & CEO, International Social Impact Institute (AI for Impact)
- Connie Park, MILR ’13, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Legal Aid Society
- Amanda Perez Leder ’99, Founder of CHAT (Communicating about Health and Tough Topics)
- 3:50-4:10 p.m.: Guided Reflection & Conclusion
- Facilitated by Rachel Cooke ’99
- 4:10-5 p.m.: Networking