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Introducing The Career Navigation Practitioner Advisory Board
January 24, 2025
At a glance
The ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF has brought together a group of 10 experts who will share insights and expertise to help design innovative career navigation solutions.
Young people face many critical decisions as they consider what type of education and training to pursue after high school, and it’s essential that they have access to insights and guidance from trusted advisors as they contemplate their options.
That’s why Jobs for the Future (JFF) is thrilled to announce that the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF has formed an expert advisory board to help shape the center’s efforts to develop tools and resources that young people can turn to as they make decisions about their futures.
The Career Navigation Practitioner Advisory Board is made up of 10 accomplished career and education guidance professionals from across the country. Read on to learn more about them.
“We must empower young people by connecting their passions and vision for a fulfilling future life with relevant, engaging, and informative facts about the current and future workforce.”
Austin Dodd, Director of High School Academies and Pathways, Indianapolis Public Schools
| Name | Title | Location | ‘To improve career navigation for young people, we must…’ |
 Austin Dodd | Director of High School Academies and pathways, Indianapolis Public Schools | Indianapolis | Empower young people by connecting their passions and vision for a fulfilling future with relevant, engaging, and informative facts about the current and future workforce. |
 Beth (Betsabé) Garcia | Director, Student Success Center, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation | Brooklyn | Craft a plan to raise young people’s awareness of successful noncollege postsecondary options. For potential partners, we must develop a mentoring system and a curriculum to align with career and technical education programs offered by high schools and community-based organizations. We must also collect hard data to influence policy, and we must promote successful strategies. |
 Rachael Gottlieb | Career Navigator, Bunker Hill Community College | Boston | Keep open minds about where and how our students can best build their strengths, and do our best to keep avenues open for them. |
 Gretchen Lernihan | School Counselor, Fort Hamilton High School | New York City (Brooklyn) | Be thoughtful and clear in career exposure and in developing/teaching career pathways. |
 Emilee Meinert | Post Secondary Education Specialist, American Youthworks | Austin, Texas | Understand their needs, dreams, and ambitions for the future. |
 Orquidia Montero | Assistant Director, NextGen Talent | Boston | Effectively equip advisors with the tools needed to guide them through diverse postsecondary options. |
 Kerri Rhodes | Chief Program Officer, Restore Education | San Antonio | Listen to them and provide the support for them to create their future. |
 Becky Scudieri | Director of Career Services and External Partnerships, KIPP Forward | New Jersey | Provide culturally responsive guidance, meaningful mentorship, diverse real-world opportunities, and better training for counselors to tailor support across all postsecondary pathways. |
 Charisse Taylor | CEO, Climate and Community Laboratory | Multiple cities | Expand their awareness of the skills needed to be developed to progress within a given career path. |
 Javon Treherne | College and Careers Coordinator / RJ Fellowship Supervisor, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center | New York City (Bronx) | Educate our youth on the systems that may be against them while providing the necessary tools and guidance they will need to navigate those challenges. |
“We must provide culturally responsive guidance, meaningful mentorship, diverse real-world opportunities, and better training for counselors to tailor support across all postsecondary pathways.”
Becky Scudieri, Director of Career Services & External Partnerships, KIPP Forward
Help Us Reimagine the Future of Career Navigation
Forming the Career Navigation Practitioner Advisory Board is an important step forward in the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF’s efforts to transform the future of career navigation for young people. But we’re just getting started, and we invite educators, industry professionals, and community leaders to join us in this important work.
To stay connected, fill out our web form on JFF.org.
Together, we can ensure that the next generation has the tools and support they need to navigate their careers successfully.