Alumni Career Coaches

Fellow alums you can engage for advice

It’s not always easy to discern the best next step in your career. A professional career coach can help. A coach works with you to consider how your skills, knowledge, and experience might prepare you for opportunities you hadn’t considered on your own. And your coach can help you present yourself in the most favorable light.

These Duke alumni work as career coaches and offer special rates and services for fellow alums:

Please note: The counselors listed on this webpage are in no way affiliated with the Office of Alumni Affairs or the Duke Alumni Association (DAA). These professionals are independent contractors and are not being compensated or retained by the DAA.

Join our Career Coaches Network

If you are a Duke alum that is an experienced and professionally trained career coach who is interested in working with fellow Duke alumni, please apply using this link.

Career Coaches

Cassandra Shepard, MBA'12

Location:

Colorado Springs, CO

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(970) 439-0288

Cassandra brings her years of experience as a global C-suite executive to coaching her ideal clients: talented, driven women who are looking to move into higher levels of leadership and make greater contributions to their organization, while still living an amazing life.

Rachel Sanford '07

Location:

Denver, CO

|

(203) 550-7170

Rachel believes that people are at their best, when they are motivated, engaged and excited about their endless possibilities. She helps clients get what they want, whatever it is.

David Cheong profile image

David Cheong '01

Location:

New York, NY

David is a Partner at Antler Capital, a US$500M AUM global venture capital firm with 23 offices across 6 continents. Previously, he looked after Partner executive recruitment at McKinsey & Company. Based in New York, David brings deep experience and expertise coaching executives on how to effectively navigate career transitions. David has served a broad range of prominent corporate clients around the world and has helped hundreds of executives prepare for and secure aspirational job opportunities. He has cultivated a deep global network and leverages the full breadth of his relationships across the US, Europe, and Asia helping candidates - and Duke alumni - navigate their careers.

Marsha Egan '74

Company:

The Egan Group

Location:

Reading, PA

|

(610) 780-1640

Marsha is an International Coaching Federation board certified Professional Certified Coach (PCC). She specializes in working with entrepreneurs and mid to executive level organizational leaders to assist with goal attainment, leadership strategies and confidence building.  Marsha is hired by individuals and organizations to clarify goals and to define actions to work through obstacles and to accelerate personal growth.

Itir Keskiner, MBA, MBA'09

Company:

itirkeskiner.com

Location:

Durham, NC

|

(919) 599-3522

Itir (Duke MBA, '09) is an Executive, Life, and Leadership Coach who specializes in coaching professionals who want to get more satisfaction out of life. Whether her clients are in the midst of a career transition, trying to enhance their performance at work without compromising on life, or wanting clarity on life decisions, she helps them bring their values, strengths, and actions into alignment so that they can be their most powerful selves. Itir uses her 15 years of corporate leadership experience in creating brands and driving growth at Accenture, Unilever, Samsung, and Burt's Bees to help her clients develop and live their personal brand.

Free 30-minute coaching session offered to Duke students, alumni, and staff.

Certifications: International Coach Federation PCC (Professional Certified Coach), ELI-MP (Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner)

Fielding Arnold, '01, MBA'10

Company:

Third Mast

Location:

Durham, NC

|

(617) 939-4676

Fielding is an integral coach. She looks at the whole person and their whole life in supporting her clients as they work through the challenges they bring to coaching.That includes all aspects of life - work, leadership capacity, family and friendships, health and fitness, spirituality, culture - believing these are all interrelated, and often the need for support in one area can show up as an issue in another. Fielding works with entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders to address the issues that they feel are keeping them from achieving their goals and dreams.

Specialties/certifications:
Training, Certificate etc.
New Ventures West, PCC

Chris Coward, '87

Company:

ChrisCoward.com

Location:

Denver, CO

|

(267) 226-7935

Chris works with Executives and Leaders to create a fulfilling career and life. She is trained to help her clients discover their strengths, challenges and what truly lights them up so they can excel in their career. The industries that she most works with are non-profit, government, academia and financial. Her clients say that through their work with Chris they increase their confidence, productivity and life satisfaction.

Dale VanFleet Herink '75

Company:

Sage Advice

Location:

Prospect, KY

|

(502) 640-2352

Dale is a life and career coach for adults, adolescents, and business groups. She prepares and coaches individuals to succeed in school and career by providing motivational workshops and presentations, HR consulting for supervisor development and team building, empowerment coaching and training for physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual wellness.

Hillary Schubach profile image

Hillary Schubach '93

Location:

Santa Monica, CA

|

(303) 888-2588

HILLARY SCHUBACH (T’93) is the President of Shine/ MBA Admissions Consulting. Hillary received her BA in History from Duke and her MBA from Harvard in 2001. Her background includes over 20 years of marketing and brand management experience from top CPG firms such as Kraft Foods and Unilever, as well as the sports and music industries and she has been a successful MBA admissions consultant since 1999. SHINE is a full-service MBA admissions consulting firm, serving graduate school applicants around the world. As your advisor, Hillary will work with you 1x1 to develop your strongest possible applications by advising you through every step of the admissions process, from school selection to final interview.

Karen Shapiro '88

Location:

Haverford, PA

|

(610) 642-4313

Karen’s goal as a coach is to help her clients rise to new heights, with a renewed sense of accomplishment and self-confidence. Whether it be a career or life related goal (or both), Karen supports clients to navigate hurdles and be their best, most authentic self. She is a certified coach and lawyer. She coaches primarily by phone.

Julia Faye Wuench (Korn), MBA'17

Location:

Raleigh-Durham, NC

I am a life-long learner, omnivert and empath. I have been through many career and life transitions, but no matter my function, I have always been a coach and teacher first. An adopted North Carolinian, I have loved what this region has to offer, professionally and personally.

John Marth '59

Location:

New York, NY

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(212) 433-1390

John’s expertise is recruiting and placing professionals across functional disciplines and industries.  He guides his clients through the job search process, prepares clients for job interviews and assists with networking and mentorships. John volunteers his services and there is no charge to Duke Alumni.

Elizabeth Linzer, '09

Location:

Philadelphia, PA

|

(608) 345-4285

I teach job seekers today’s most-effective steps for finding career clarity, landing more interviews and offers, and navigating career transitions with authenticity, confidence, and joy. I spent my earlier career working at LinkedIn where I developed job seeker training programs for audiences across the globe. I have a deep understanding of the tools and strategies required to succeed in today's job market. I am also intimately familiar with burnout, and the experience of recognizing that the path you are on is not the long-term path for you. I love helping job seekers explore, set, and achieve career goals that are aligned with their own values. Whether you want to build towards that next promotion, transition to a similar role in a new company, or take a turn in a new direction, I'd love to help you get wherever you want to go.

Morgan Beard, '12

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

Morgan helps clients overcome anxiety, depression, burnout, career stagnation, and self-doubt to create lives they are excited to live. She brings her personal and clinical experience, energy, enthusiasm, nurturing, patience and insight into every session. Whether it’s engaging in open conversation, creating a step-by-step plan, making art or tuning into the body, she intuitively combines the tools she's used over and over to help you overcome emotional and psychological blocks, illuminate the path to where you want to go and provide the right amount of support along the way to foster independence and self-actualization.

Paul Bernard MA'75

Location:

New York, NY

|

(212) 957-3470

Paul Bernard is an executive coach, recruiter, and small business consultant with more than 25 years of experience. He is the founder and principal of Paul Bernard & Associates, an executive coaching and management consulting firm. His unique services have helped thousands of executives find jobs and advance their careers after landing a position. Paul holds an M.A. from Duke University and has provided his services to 500+ Duke alums. Paul offers Duke alums a 30% discount on the initial appointment and a 15% discount on all subsequent appointments. Further information about Paul and his services can be found on his site: http://www.paulbernard.net/

Kristi Dinsmore - MBA'96

Location:

Dayton, OH

|

(937) 344-7071

Kristi works with clients to transition to new roles, move up in their current careers, and increase their contribution to an organization. She uses a variety of assessments to help customize her work with clients and to meet their specific goals and needs.

Debby Stone '84, JD'89

Location:

Durham, NC

|

(404) 975-3000

Debby helps build competent, confident leaders.  Her clients are lawyers, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who want to develop and implement practical strategies for continued career success.  She works with clients on a variety of topics including career pathing, executive presence, communication skills, emotional intelligence, self-promotion and developing core management and leadership competencies.  Debby is the author of The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career, and she helps her clients speak confidently and authentically about who they are and what they do.

Katy Hansell '84

Location:

Chicago and Evanston, IL

|

(847) 687-3469

Katy works with individuals at any career stage (from college students through C-Suite executives) aspiring to improve their career and leadership performance or seeking a complete change in career direction. Her expertise is in helping clients identify their talent stack and value proposition to reposition them to leverage their strengths, align with their purpose, and maximize their impact and legacy. Katy works with clients all over the US remotely and uses customized approaches to optimize each client experience.

She specializes in: Forbes Coaches Council Coach, TEDx Speaker, Career Re-entry, Career Strategy, Career Transition, Career Advising for College/Graduate Students, Millennials Career Expert, Women's Leadership Expert, Negotiation Expert, Entrepreneur Strategy and Scaling Advisor, High Performance/High Impact Coaching, C-Suite Executive Coaching, Alignment Coaching, Value Proposition/ Talent Stack ™️ Coaching, Leadership Team Coaching

Heidi Giusto - PHD'12

Location:

Apex, NC

|

(919) 698-6408

Heidi has a diverse background and education that makes her comfortable working with a wide range of people. Her specialty is helping people transition by articulating their value to the new, intended audience. 

Ann Park '87

Company:

Ann Park, M.D.

Location:

Virtual, West Coast,

Ann Park, M.D. is a Board-certified psychiatrist, therapist, and coach who specializes in working with women.  Ann brings cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness approaches to managing stress, work-life integration, and relationship building. She is a certified Executive Coach with the Financial Times Top 10 ranked Center for Creative Leadership network, where she coaches C-suite and Senior women managers to navigate and lead in their organizations. Ann helps her clients thrive in their personal and professional lives.

Brian Alvo '11

Company:

NextGen Center

Location:

Durham, NC

|

(703) 899-2824

Brian specializes in training and coaching the "Next Generation" of leaders, especially those transitioning in their career, managerial, or Executive roles. Because there is no cookie-cutter manual for success, he works with these individuals and their companies through an intentional process of coaching and consulting to create opportunities for them to discover their abilities, develop their skills, and ultimately deliver results.

Susan Gurnik - MBA'90

Company:

Strategic Gain

Location:

Orlando, FL

|

(407) 718-0895

Susan specializes in clients that are looking for a change but not sure which direction to go, or don't know how to do the job search because they have no clarity surrounding the perfect job. She helps clients gain clarity, discover and define their personal brand, and network to that next job.

Angela Silak '09

Location:

Hollywood, CA

Angela is a career coach and resume writer specializing in entertainment. In an industry where most jobs are filled through internal referrals, she believes that it’s crucial to impress not only the recruiters, but those in the actual departments that are hiring. Since launching Hollywood Resumes in 2016, Angela has helped hundreds of clients at all levels land positions across Hollywood. Her company's services include resume, cover letter, bio, and LinkedIn profile writing, career coaching, and online professional development courses.

Mikaela Cheree Falk

Company:

KaylaFalk.com

Location:

New York, NY

Kayla brings an integrative approach to well-being and mindful living. She works with groups and individuals who are seeking personal growth in the form of greater presence, passion, and purpose in their lives and careers. She applies her knowledge of mindfulness, psychology, transformational learning theories, neuroscience, and philosophy to help others discover and deepen their own inner wisdom, resilience, and self-efficacy.