Valerie Kerr, EdD, MBA

-Coach 800+ MS and PhD students on industry career readiness skills and support their employment searches -Deliver 15+ events per academic year and assess graduate career and professional development offerings annually -Report annual graduate career outcomes to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and the Office of the Provost (96% employment/continuing education rate for Class of 2024) -Partner with faculty to incorporate career development in graduate seminars and develop department-specific events -Support on-campus graduate student recruitment and new graduate student orientation program operations -Cultivate relationships with local, regional, and national employers to develop partnerships and talent pipelines -Design and launch the E-Merge Alumni Mentorship program for 38 participants using evidence-based practices

-Fostered cross-campus partnerships with STEM graduate schools to expand graduate career and professional development opportunities -Developed digital graduate career and professional development resources and program marketing materials, leading to a 20% increase in graduate student career engagement during the 2024-2025 academic year -Strengthened alumni relationships through mock interview, industry panelist, and mentorship volunteer opportunities -Applied improvement science frameworks to research, design, and deliver a career development series for international graduate engineering students -Conducted the literature review for a NSF Innovations in Graduate Education grant, resulting in $500,000 in funding

-Oversaw $16 million in athletic scholarship funding and managed the $300,000 Student Assistance Fund account -Monitored 500+ student-athlete accounts for compliance with NCAA, University, and federal financial aid regulations -Counseled students and their families on federal, state, and University financial aid programs -Forecasted scholarship budgets for 19 NCAA Division I teams -Enhanced efficiency of the monthly student-athlete room, board, and cost-of-attendance stipend process, resulting in increased student satisfaction -Served on the Executive Compliance Committee and presented to executive athletics leadership monthly -Hired, trained, and mentored a team of three student interns

-Executed all daily NCAA compliance operations for 16 NCAA Division I teams -Upheld ethical standards by investigating potential NCAA rules violations and reporting all confirmed violations -Communicated all NCAA rules violation penalties to affected parties and managed enforcement process -Advanced departmental and institutional strategic planning efforts by completing the annual University Assessment for the Student Success Unit -Supervised the Compliance Assistant, Compliance Graduate Assistant, and student intern positions

-Developed and implemented all leadership development and service-learning programs for 278 student-athletes -Served as the advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) -Organized the annual athletic awards banquet for 300+ guests

-Served as the academic advisor for student-athletes participating in men’s cross country, men’s golf, and women’s golf -Conducted weekly one-on-one meetings with 12 first-year and at-risk student-athletes to ensure academic success -Coached student-athletes in study skills, time management best practices, and arranged tutor appointments as necessary -Supervised weekly evening study hall sessions for 30+ student-athletes to promote positive study habits -Planned and coordinated the annual Student-Athlete Major & Career Seminar for 120 first-year student-athletes

-Evaluated initial eligibility of prospective student-athletes using the NCAA Eligibility Center and compiled reports for coaches -Approved official visits for 16 varsity sports, conducted check-in and complimentary ticket distribution for football games -Designed and distributed educational materials for student-athletes and coaches on NCAA bylaws and new legislation, along with a monthly newsletter -Maintained accurate JumpForward profiles of over 400 student-athletes, including: all financial aid documents, practice and competition eligibility, and enrollment information -Processed National Letter of Intent (NLI) documents during signing periods -Reviewed and approved weekly CARA logs and monthly contact and evaluation logs for all varsity sports -Utilized LSDBi for rules interpretations regarding complex questions

-Completed rotations in General Ledger, Planning & Reporting and Treasury -Compiled travel expense reports, recorded invoices via SAP -Completed daily cash flow analysis and currency swaps -Created Excel graphs and reports reflecting open orders and backorders -Conducted all business in German