Katherine A. Dey
Director of Career Services

Cowell Building, Room 121 
510.430.3177 
kdey@mills.edu 

After earning her undergraduate degree in Biology, Kate began her professional career in the private sector by working in the research and regulatory side of the health care industry. Kate's career journey then presented her with the opportunity to work in the administrative side of the non-profit hospital environment in San Francisco. After several years at St. Mary's Medical Center, Kate accepted an exciting opportunity to work in the rapid-paced world of executive recruiting. She joined a women-run recruiting firm in Palo Alto as a Senior Associate with a specialization in the rapidly expanding area of biotechnology. Kate also developed specialty practice experience in senior academia placements as well as  healthcare and information technology industry sectors.

As Kate worked to help senior executives reach the career goals and salaries they desired and deserved, she began to fine tune her skills for networking, employer research and career coaching that would eventually lead her into a new professional arena. In addition, Kate's work experiences brought her into regular contact with doctors, nurses, scientists, academic professionals and business leaders. Kate has maintained and nurtured her early career connections throughout her journey and utilizes these personal and professional links in the support of advancing women's educational and career goals.

Several years ago, Kate made the personal life decision to step out of the paid workforce to raise her two young children. Following the birth of her second child, Kate began to formulate her goals and plans for returning to paid work. After much research and reflection, Kate chose to pursue her Master's degree in Career Development. She completed her program in June of 2003 and joined the staff at Mills after working as the Career Services Intern for one year. Kate now serves as Director for the Career Services program on Campus and oversees all programs implemented by that office.

Kate enjoys working with students both individually and in group settings. She conducts several workshops each year targeted directly to the current needs of Mills graduate and undergraduate students. Kate is always interested in hearing from students, staff and faculty about innovative ways in which to make Career Services even more responsive to the needs of the Mills community.

Kate's life and career path have provided her with the insight, empathy, energy and passion to work with individuals in all areas of life and career transitions. Kate brings the concept of "unconditional positive regard" to all her interactions. She is very interested in working with you to investigate the many wonderful possibilities awaiting you during your journey at Mills and beyond.

Pooja Sharma
Internship Coordinator/Career Counselor

psharma@mills.edu    510.430.2394

Pooja Sharma moved to the Bay Area last year from Canada. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. With few job opportunities in her focus area, Pooja decided that a Master's degree would allow her to expand her knowledge in Psychology and Counseling and enable her to become more marketable. She decided to pursue her Master's of Education at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada. 

During her Master's training, she received invaluable experience interning with the Federal Government of Canada.  Pooja’s internship enabled her to experience providing short-term personal and career counseling for employees and their families.  She also gained experience designing workshops and group sessions for her employer. 

Pooja began her career as a counselor after obtaining her degree from the University of Ottawa.  She was then offered the opportunity to work for the Federal Government of Canada as an assessment and competency specialist. In this capacity she assessed candidates at all managerial levels (executive to entry level) with competency based assessment centers. 

Pooja has experience working in a multi-cultural and bilingual (English, French) environment.  She enjoys facilitating workshops, working one-on-one with students, and utilizing professional assessments to enable students to uncover their skills, values and interests.  Pooja looks forward to working with the students of Mills College and to building collaborative relationship with Internship organizations globally as well as locally. She hopes to create an Internship program at Mills that will enable students to experience the opportunities available in the world of work.

Jean Han
Career Counselor

jhan@mills.edu           510.430.3183

Jean Han first began her journey in Student Services as a Career Assistant, Admissions Ambassador, Resident Assistant, and Peer Advisor while pursuing her undergraduate degree in International Economics.  Following graduation, Jean chose to utilize her degree by participating in a management development program in the financial services industry, which provided her the opportunity to serve as an internal consultant to all the major business areas of the company.  After completion of the program, Jean worked in various management roles within the bank before being called to return to college and university life. 

Her first foray back into Student Services landed Jean in California where she worked as a Graduate Residence Director while enrolled in her graduate program.  Simultaneously during her graduate studies, she also spent a year interning with the Career Resource Center (CRC).  At the CRC, Jean served as an interim career counselor, assisting students and alumni one-on-one with resumes, cover letters, graduate school applications, and all aspects of the career exploration process.  She also facilitated various workshops and presentations on job and internship searches, selecting a major, and career networking. 

After receiving her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and Leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs, Jean also spent time as a Resident Director within a residential learning community model and a Program Manager for the campus multicultural learning center.  As such, Jean has worked with faculty, staff, administration, and students, and enjoys the variety of views each population brings to the table.  She has also been “coast-bouncing” throughout her life journey, having lived in Korea, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Washington, DC, and Delaware, before settling in California again.  Jean is excited to be supporting the needs of the diverse student and alumni population at Mills as they navigate their own career and life paths.  On a more practical note, Jean is currently also serving as the Career Services liaison to the newly designated School of Education, supporting their 200+ graduate students.

Stay tuned for our introduction to our newest Career Interns beginning in May, 2008!