Our Staff

Roderick Lewis is the Interim Executive Director of University Career Services overseeing an office that supports over 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students. He brings prior leadership to this role from his past experiences as Director of MBA Career and Alumni Services at The Lisbon MBA Program in Lisbon, Portugal; and the Director of Career Services for International MBA and Masters Programs at ISCTE Business School in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, he has held Corporate Recruiter and HR Consultant roles for top companies such as Kimberly-Clark Latin American Operations and Delta Airlines. Roderick is an active member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) where he has been recognized for his work on DEI and contributions to career center strategies; and he currently serves as the Director of DEI for the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE).

Roderick holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Alabama, and an MBA from The Georgia Institute of Technology. He’s a native of Alabama and has lived in several states and several countries throughout his professional career. He speaks fluent Portuguese and holds dual citizenship with Portugal.

Connect with Roderick on LinkedIn to learn more.

Julie Pendergraph has been with University Career Services since 1972.  Enjoys attending NASCAR races and is a big fan of Jeff Gordon….go #24.

Teresa Holt has been with University Career Services since June 1984.  Currently, she assists the counselors and employers with posting job vacancies and performing resume referral searches from the UCS website.  When she is away from UNC-Chapel Hill, she enjoys spending time with her large extended family, pursuing projects on her farm, trying new recipes, and singing.

Lisa Bowden has worked at University Career Services for many years.  With Lisa’s experience feel free to contact her for any questions or concerns you may have. Lisa loves spending time with her family, she also likes to take long relaxing walks, and she takes pride in growing her vegetable gardens during the summer and fall seasons.  Her favorite season of the year is summer, and she enjoys vacationing at the beach.

Blakely Williamson has worked at University Career Services since 2004. She received her bachelor's degree in Communications from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2002. In her spare time, Blakely enjoys reading, watching movies and traveling.

Roderick Lewis is the Interim Executive Director of University Career Services overseeing an office that supports over 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students. He brings prior leadership to this role from his past experiences as Director of MBA Career and Alumni Services at The Lisbon MBA Program in Lisbon, Portugal; and the Director of Career Services for International MBA and Masters Programs at ISCTE Business School in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, he has held Corporate Recruiter and HR Consultant roles for top companies such as Kimberly-Clark Latin American Operations and Delta Airlines. Roderick is an active member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) where he has been recognized for his work on DEI and contributions to career center strategies; and he currently serves as the Director of DEI for the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE).

Roderick holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Alabama, and an MBA from The Georgia Institute of Technology. He’s a native of Alabama and has lived in several states and several countries throughout his professional career. He speaks fluent Portuguese and holds dual citizenship with Portugal.

Connect with Roderick on LinkedIn to learn more.

The Assistant Director of External Relations at University Career Services builds relationships with employers across industries focused on: 1) Non-Profits, 2) NGOs, 3) Government/Education, and 4) Related Industries. In addition, they identify potential micro-internship projects from their Industry Portfolio companies, engage UNC Parents/Families to support employer-involved experiential learning initiatives for students, and liaise with designated departments serving Humanities and Social Sciences majors for the purposes of increasing employers in high-impact practices in the classroom.

Focus Areas

• Employer Engagement and Industry Advising for Education, Non-Profits, NGO’s, Government Agencies, and Related Industries
• Source projects for the UCS Micro-Internship Program; build strategic engagements with Parents/Family External Stakeholders
• Portfolio Manager for Humanities and Social Sciences majors/departments with focus on identifying those with High-Impact Practices involving Employers

Kelsey Williams is the Assistant Director of Internships & Experiential Learning at University Career Services. Kelsey builds relationships with internal campus stakeholders across a range of designated College of Arts & Sciences departments, Experiential Education Courses, and Special Student Populations to increase student participation in career-aligned Virtual Work Experiences, Micro-Internships, and Summer Internships. In addition, she leads the in-person UCS Career Trek Program to designated Research Triangle Park (RTP) companies to support our “career experience” initiatives for students.

Kelsey is passionate about helping others discover their purpose and making meaning out of life experiences. Shes lived all over the world, including Pennsylvania, Oregon, France, Spain, California and South Carolina. She loves traveling and getting familiar with new cultures, people, and ways of being. Her true passion is working in the education field and helping students discover their purpose while in school and beyond. She has a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Journalism and Spanish and a master's degree from Clemson University in Counselor's Education. She has work experience in Admissions, Student Affairs, and is now excited to venture into the Career Services space as a leader and liaison to students at UNC Chapel. Her goal is to build relationships with staff and faculty across campus to increase the number of students obtaining experiential learning opportunities and serve as an educator on the importance of out-of-classroom experiences. She has a heart for serving underrepresented populations and enjoy creating opportunities for all students to realize their talents and find success. In her free time, she loves exploring and trying new things - whether it's an activity, food, or city (but especially food). She also enjoys being outdoors, photography, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Kelsey’s Focus Areas

• Develops, promotes, and leads students on the UCS Career Treks Program at employers in UCS-designated industries in the RTP
• Promotes student enrollment in the UCS Carolina Career Readiness Passport; and other designated employer-involved experiential learning programs
• Portfolio Manager for Experiential Education Courses with focus on identifying students for participation in UCS Experiential Learning Programs

The Events and Marketing Coordinator is a member of the External Relations, Marketing, and Analytics Team at University Career Services. They are responsible for coordinating in-person/virtual career and information fairs, organizing fee-based marketing services for employers, website management, graphic design, campus-wide marketing campaigns, and other special projects.

Focus Areas

• Event Coordinator for UCS Standalone and Consortium Fairs
• Graphic Designer, Website Manager, and Communications for UCS Events
• Employer Liaison for Fee-Based Employer and Recruiter Services

Jamel Mallory Jr. is the Assistant Director of External Relations at University Career Services builds relationships with employers across industries focused on: 1) Internet/Software/Hi-Tech, 2) Banking/Financial Services, and 3) Healthcare/Biotech/Pharma. In addition, he identifies potential micro-internship projects from his Industry Portfolio companies, engages UNC Alumni to support employer-involved experiential learning initiatives for students, and serves as the liaison to designated departments serving STEM majors for the purposes of increasing employers in high-impact practices in the classroom.

Jamel is a native of Fairfield, Ohio, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Education in Student Affairs from Clemson University. Jamel is passionate about supporting the holistic development of all students and supporting them to achieve their professional and academic goals. He loves to travel, spend time with his friends and family, and do photography in his free time! Jamel has prior experience in college access, career services, first year experience, and admissions. 

Focus Areas

• Employer Engagement and Industry Advising for Internet/Software/Hi-Tech, Banking/Financial Services, and Healthcare/Biotech/Pharma
• Source projects for the UCS Micro-Internship Program; and Alumni External Stakeholder Engagement Liaison
• Portfolio Manager for STEM majors/departments with focus on identifying those with High-Impact Practices involving Employers

Kara Reddish is the Assistant Director of Assessments and Analytics for UCS helps the office operate efficiently and effectively through tracking monthly activities metrics that provide insight on UCS’s Signature KPI’s, along with aligning UCS assessment of student and employer engagement activities with the Division of Student Affairs guidelines. In addition, she analyzes student and employer data on Handshake and other databases, collaborate with the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment to submit post-graduate student outcomes data for accreditation and rankings publications, and develop visual reports on various data to share with departmental stakeholders.

Kara is a Durham, NC native who earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from NC State, in May 2022. She also graduated from NC State in May 2020 with a B.A. in Sociology. Kara is passionate about improving student experiences in higher education by advocating for changes based on assessment data. Her higher education work experiences include assessment, housing, community college research, and new student programs. In her free time, Kara enjoys listening to music, watching sports, working out, and exploring new restaurants to try.

Focus Areas

• First Destination Survey Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting
• Student Affairs Division Liaison for UCS Office-wide Assessments, Analysis, and Reporting
• Data Collection and Reporting for Professional Associations, School Rankings Publications, and Program Reviews

Kara Alves is the Job Location and Development (JLD) Coordinator for UCS fulfills an important access and equity need for UNC Students and serves three primary roles: 1) developing relationships with off-campus employers interested in hiring UNC students for paid jobs (primarily part-time); 2) giving presentations to student groups and increasing participation in meaningful part‐time employment with off-campus employers; and 3) serving as a member of the University Career Services (UCS) external relations team designing strategies to increase employment‐related opportunities for students. In addition, the position is tasked with connecting UNC students with employers who can provide professional part‐time job opportunities to: 1) support students earning potential during their studies; 2) support students attainment of pre-professional jobs/skills aligned with their academic majors and career goals.

Kara is a native of Gastonia, NC and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in marketing from Anderson University and a Master of Education in Student Affairs from Clemson University. Kara’s passionate about the growth and development of all students, and supporting the holistic college experience through career and professional development. She has work experience in Student Life and Development, Career Services, and Leadership Programs. In her free time, she loves to bake/cook, thrift, and spend time with her friends and family. 

Focus Areas

• JLD Program design, administration, and promotion to students desiring paid off-campus Part-Time Jobs that align with academic majors and career goals
• Promotes student enrollment in the UCS Professional Internship Experience Certificate; and provides analysis and reporting on the Part-Time Jobs market
• Portfolio Manager for Supervisors of On-Campus and Off-Campus Part-Time student employees to ensure the development of NACE Career Readiness Competencies

Tamara serves as the Interim Associate Director and Senior Assistant Director for Career Coaching & Student Belonging with University Career Services at UNC Chapel Hill. In these roles, she is the primary UCS representative leading career education initiatives, and outcomes; in addition to, an advisor, advocate, catalyst for change, and student-facing resource focused on infusing equity and inclusion training into all career content, programming, and activities, including accessibility. Tamara also serves as a liaison to faculty, affinity groups, student organizations, and classes seeking to integrate National Association for Career and Employers Career Readiness competencies, particularly intercultural fluency, into the classroom. A 5th generation Floridian, Tamara earned her B.S. from Florida A&M University and M.S.Ed. from the University of Miami.

Jacquelyn Gist is an Assistant Director and Career Coach for all students. Ms. Gist received both her B.A in Philosophy and her MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has been with UCS since 1992. Before coming to UCS,  Ms. Gist worked as a Social Worker with the ARC of Orange County and as the Coordinator of the Inter Faith Council Homeless Shelter. Ms. Gist has served as an elected member of the Carrboro Board of Alderman since 1989.

Darci Jones a Columbia, South Carolina native joins University Career Services as Assistant Director of Career Coaching and Education. She is a passionate educator who strives to foster the holistic development of students. Darci is transitioning from Carolina Housing where she served as Community Director here at UNC. In that role she successfully facilitated the academic and professional development of our Tar Heels. 

Before coming to UNC, Darci worked at Davidson County Community College where she served as a Student Success Advisor for Trio Talent Search. In this capacity she helped students formulate and advance toward goals, including academic advising, career counseling, progress tracking, and academic early alerts. Additionally, Darci spent three years in residence life at both Elizabeth City State University and Winston Salem State University. 

Prior to working professionally, Darci completed a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Health & Human Services at Coastal Carolina University and an M.S. in Higher Education Administration at Florida International University. Darci is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Darci is very passionate about helping students navigate through college. She enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and traveling.

Sh’Maughn Wright earned his M.A in Career Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina Central University. After completing his studies, he became a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. He has experience in providing career services to students in higher education. Sh'Maughn believes, "Every student has something to offer and at times they need guidance in highlighting their values." He is passionate about assisting students in identifying their career identities and improving career readiness skills necessary to thrive in their careers. In his free time, Sh’Maughn enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, music, art, traveling, and photography.

Abbie Mann-Wood is the Peace Corps Strategic Campus Recruiter for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with a BA in Public Policy from Duke University in 2019 and joined the Peace Corps as a Youth in Development volunteer in September of 2019. She served in Guatemala until March of 2020 when she was evacuated due to the pandemic. She is now pursuing a Master of Library Science degree while serving as the  on-campus recruiter for the Peace Corps.