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February 18 - 20, 2026

  

Professional U career and professional development conference

Career Services, in partnership with Blackstone Launchpad, presents Professional U. This multi-day conference offers various career education sessions facilitated by employers, alumni, community partners and Career Services professionals. Sessions last up to 45 minutes. Attend as many as possible to gain knowledge and skills aimed at ensuring you are career ready.

Featured Speaker

Dr. Mary Gatta, Director, Research and Public Policy, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

Dr. Gatta will discuss the labor market landscape, skills based hiring, and other trends and data impacting college graduates and the workplace, followed by a moderated conversation with Vivian Senior, Senior Director of Student Engagement - Career Services.

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Noon - 1:30pm Student Union Ballroom  

  • Wednesday, February 18

    9:00 - 9:45am Professional Communications in the Workplace Trey Spratling-Williams (Internship Program Manager, CSI)  Student Union Room 3804

    10:30 - 11:15am Expert Advice on How to Land a Job in Communication Vic Miccoluci (Strategic Communications Executive, JSO), Stacey Steiner (Director of Digital Marketing, Prattify), Christine Caven (Director of Business Development and Communications, PS27 Ventures) Student Union Room 3805

    Noon - 1:30pm Featured Speaker Dr. Mary Gatta (Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE), moderated by Vivian Senior (Senior Director Career Services, UNF) Student Union Ballroom 

    1:30 - 2:15pm Building Career Success in the Business World Patrick Sargent (Senior VP, Regions Bank) Student Union Room 3804

    1:30 - 2:30pm Navigating Career Dreams and Concerns in an AI World Jeff Crume, PhD (CISSP, IBM), moderated by Amanda Kulp, PhD (Director Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement, UNF) Student Union Room 3806

    1:30 - 2:15pm Preparing for Careers in Social Media Charmaine Martinez (founder of Do Good Communications) Student Union Room 3805

    3:00 - 3:45pm Communication in Public Health Courtney Graddy, M.H.A., (Research Program Manager, Mayo Clinic), Morgan Henson (Assistant Director of Clinical Research, UF), Carly McKimm (Wellness Manager, Health Designs) Student Union Room 3805

     

  • Thursday, February 19

    10:00am - Noon Resume Room with Stellar, PLS Logistics and PIVOT CPAs Student Union Room 3605

    11:00am - Noon Holland Party: A Workshop for Exploratory Students Valarie Robinson (UNF Career Services) Student Union Room 3805

    Noon - 1:00pm Professional Dining Etiquette Zuleyka Hernandez (UNF Career Services) Student Union Room 3804

    Noon - 2:00pm  Resume Room with Stellar, Waffle House and Winn-Dixie Co. Student Union Room 3605

    1:40 - 2:25pm Data-Driven Careers: How Businesses Use Data to Make Decision Amy Casari (Group Talent Acquisition Manager, Enterprise Mobility) Student Union Room 3805

    2:30 - 4:00pm  Supercharge Your UNF Experience Manny Velasquez-Paredes (Career Services, UNF), Justin Sipes (Experiential Learning, UNF) Student Union Room 3605

    3:00 - 3:45pm The Value of Human Skills in the Age of AI Eddie O'Neal (Client Success Manager, NLP Logix), Dr. Ronetta Wards (VP of JPEF), Dr.Erin Richman (Associate Vice President, UNF) Student Union Room 3804

    4:00 - 5:00pm Careers in Criminal Justice Angela Gaff (JSO), Special Agent in Charge Joe Scargill (Secret Service) Jerry Coxen (Public Defender), Holly A. Hewitt (Applicant Recruiting Program, FBI) Student Union Room 3805

    4:30 - 5:15pm Hello, World! - Beyond your Resume Kelli Focht (Dun and Bradstreet) Student Union Room 3804

    5:30 - 6:30pm The Young Professionals Playbook: Navigating Your Career and Workplace Tara Campbell (Senior Director Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff to SVP Research & Development, Perdue), Jill Short Clark (Chief Commercial Officer, Protein2o), Scott Ward (VP of Talent Enhancement and Development, CORE Foodservice), Rebecca Ackerman (Coca-Cola Florida Senior Manager, Data Engineering, AI and Automation Solutions) Student Union Ballroom 

    7:00 - 7:45pm Transferable Skills: Why They Matter More Than You Think Afrika Rameses-Annunm (City Year), Dr. Raven S. Robinson-Wilson (Assistant Professor, UNF), Gabriela Vargas (Associate Director of Housing Operations, UNF) Student Union Ballroom 

  • Friday, February 20

    9:00 - 9:45am How to Get Experience Before Med School?  Alex Beasley (Instructor in Neuroscience, Principal Research Technologist, Mayo Clinic), Dr. Katherine Hicks (Dental Care), Dr. Justin Clay (Physician, Emergency Resources Group), Dr.Wilson (Monument Road Animal Hospital) Student Union Room 3805

    10:00 - 10:45am Resume and Job Search Process Audra Larsen (UNF Career Services) Building 15 Room 3130

    3:00 - 5:00pm Skills That Matter in Every Job Scott Curry (Senior Director Career Services, UNF), Jonathan Jordan (Project Manager, Forcura), Natalie Gerlach (Career Coach, UNF) Osprey Fountains MPR