Staff

Liz Horgan has served as the Director of the Career and Professional Development Center since 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University and her Master of Education in Student Affairs Counseling from Bridgewater State University. Liz also serves as the Director of the Professional Development Seminar Program (PDS) at Nichols, a series of four credit bearing career focused courses which all undergraduate students are required to complete before graduating.  Students take one PDS course each of their four years at Nichols. Liz truly enjoys helping students and alumni as they pursue their career goals.  She also finds teaching in the PDS program very rewarding.

Prior to joining Nichols, Liz spent over 20 years working for a Boston based residential property management firm in a variety of marketing, management, and human resource roles.  Her responsibilities there included over ten years developing and managing its national college recruitment program. The experience gained while attending career fairs, conducting information sessions, and interviewing hundreds of students lends itself well to her work developing employer partnerships and career coaching students and alumni.

Employer Focus: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Human Resource Management

Abby (Gould) DePasquale joined the Career and Professional Development Center staff in August of 2014 as the Employer Relations Associate and is now the Associate Director of the Center. Abby has her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Nichols College. Currently, Abby oversees the Employer Relations aspect of the department and the major event planning such as the Annual Career & Internship Fair. She actively teaches in the Professional Development Seminar (PDS) program and also serves as the Coordinator for 3^rd Year PDS.

Prior to joining Nichols College, Abby studied Business Communication and Hospitality Management. Throughout her studies, she interned for the American Red Cross as an Event & Fundraising Intern and helped plan a major fundraising event for the Worcester, MA office. However, Abby truly realized her passion for event management by serving as an Event Management Intern for Willowbend which is a country club on Cape Cod. She oversaw and assisted with the execution of roughly 75 events during a 3 month period and absolutely fell in love with the overall design and execution of a broad spectrum of events. With a passion for student success, event management and employer engagement, Abby truly values the art of networking and building connections for students/alumni.

Employer Focus: Business Communication, Hospitality Management, Management, Marketing, Sport Management, International Business

Kristina LeDuc joined the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) in August of 2018 as the Career Development Specialist. She has an Associate of Arts and Science and a Bachelor of Psychology from Becker College. She also earned her Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption College and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling Certification. Kristina provides students with career coaching and advising and will teach the Sophomore Professional Development Seminar. Another aspect of her position is networking and community outreach to develop creative and meaningful internships for Nichols College students.

Prior to joining Nichols, Kristina worked with students and adults with disabilities in both educational settings and at a nonprofit adult service agency. She also provides transition training and consultative services for local school districts and is an Adjunct Professor. She truly enjoys teaching, learning, and helping all people achieve their personal and professional goals as they transition through stages in life.  Kristina is active in the community and is an advocate for people with disabilities. She is a board member for the United Way of Southbridge, Sturbridge, and Charlton, a member of Woman in Business of Sturbridge, and an honorary member of the Southbridge Rotary. She is also a member of the board for Harrington Hospital and serves on various committees.

Make an appointment with Kristina or visit during her drop-in hours on Thursdays from 1:00-3:00.

Employer Focus: Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Management, Psychology, English, History

Brijin Kastberg joined the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) in March of 2019 as the Marketing and Administrative Coordinator. She has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Certificate of Studies in Horticulture from Piedmont Virginia Community College. Brijin welcomes students, employers, faculty, staff and the public as the first point of contact for CPDC. She works closely with the CPDC team to communicate with students and recruiters about on/off-campus events and job/internship postings. Brijin also manages the social media and digital platforms for the department.

Prior to joining CPDC, Brijin started her career at Nichols College as an Administrative Assistant in the Office for International Engagement and Fischer Institute. She particularly loved assisting the study abroad students from initial sign-up to their return. Brijin is excited for her new role at Nichols, and to still be able to support our student population. Prior to joining Nichols, Brijin worked in the horticulture field for over twenty years.