VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES & EMPLOYERS 2017-2018 Board of Directors Slate of Candidates President-Elect Peggy Reed, University of Virginia Peggy Reed serves as the Employer Relations Manager for the Center for Engineering Career Development at the University of Virginia and has been in this role for 6 years. Prior to this position, Peggy was the Undergraduate Programs Coordinator for the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia for 13 years. In Peggy s current role, she is responsible for employer development and is in charge of large events including several career fairs, employer events, and assisting employers with their recruiting initiatives. Additionally, she has developed an Externship Program for undergraduate students and supervises several student assistants. Peggy has been involved with
VACE as a conference committee member and as Program Committee Chair and most recently served as the Director of Professional Development. Peggy is a dedicated professional and is excited about continuing to serve the VACE members. Outside of her work at UVA and VACE, Peggy has 4 children and 5 grandchildren that bring her and her husband great joy. Peggy also has two dogs and a cat that run the household. Peggy is a gifted seamstress and has created Shakespearian costumes for Four County Players a community theater group, where she has also appeared in multiple productions and served on the Board of Directors. She is a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, colleague, and professional.
Director of Finance-Elect Melody Iannone, Old Dominion University Melody Iannone serves as the Assistant Director of Career Development Services and Liaison of the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. She has been at ODU since October 2014 and prior to joining the ODU team she was a Career Counselor at Norfolk State University, before moving into the Assistant Director of Career Services role. In addition to her responsibilities within Career Development Services, Melody also serves as a Student Conduct Advisor, sits on the Professional Development and Targeted Student Success Committees for the division, is a Member of the School of Accountancy Advisory Board, and serves as a faculty mentor to First Generation college students. Melody has been involved with VACE for over 5 years now and has served on the 2016 Conference Committee for Hospitality and currently serves on the Professional Development Committee. Outside of work and VACE, Melody also devotes her time as the Command Family Ombudsman, an appointed role for the United States Navy, serving as the liaison between the Commanding Officer of HSC-7 and its 250 family members. Lastly, she serves on the Annual Auction Committee and as a 2nd Grade Room Ambassador at St. Matthews School, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Melody has her MBA in Human Resources, her BS in Psychology and is currently scheduled to take her PHR exam for her Human Resources Certification. In her free time, Melody enjoys spending time with her family (including her fur babies), taking trips to Disney World, and long naps. Melody can describe herself and her devotion to volunteerism in two words: organized chaos; she lives by her planner.
Director of Professional Development Dannita Trice, KPMG (formerly Virginia State University) Dannita Trice has made a career of connecting people and is energized by coaching others to identify and achieve their next level. She has been a member of VACE and the Professional Development Committee Chair since 2016. She has over 3 years career services experience and over 5 years facilitation, training, and development experience in various capacities including career development, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, academic research and regulatory, volunteer management, and tutoring subjects from elementary to doctoral. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia and a Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Leadership from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. She is honored to have facilitated Best Practices presentations for VACE webinars; the Symplicity Career Services Management (CSM) System Symposium in New Orleans, LA; VCU School of Business IntelliTips CRM Management users session in Richmond, VA; and regular systems trainings and development sessions at Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA. She is eager to further serve, grow, and lead professional development efforts within the VACE community.
Employer Director Jennifer Weeks, Geico Jennifer Weeks serves as a National College Recruiter at GEICO. She will be celebrating 7 years with GEICO in April of 2017 and has spent the last 3.5 years in Human Resources- Recruiting. Prior to becoming a part of the corporate team in Chevy Chase, MD she served as a Regional College Recruiter in Fredericksburg, VA. Her main focus is to recruit top talent and maintain a close relationship with faculty and staff at different colleges and universities. Jennifer is a proud graduate of Virginia State University where she earned her B.S. in Business Management. Jennifer has been actively involved in VACE for 2 years. In the Spring of 2015 Jennifer attended her first VACE conference. Immediately after attending the conference, she decided to join VACE as a member. In the Spring of 2016, Jennifer was a presenter for the VACE conference and also decided to become a part of the Professional Development Committee. In the Fall of 2016, Jennifer took on the responsibility of Marketing/Public Relations Chair and has been helping with marketing our 2017 conference. She is now thrilled and honored to serve on the executive board as your Employer Director 2017-2019. Outside of work and VACE, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her little girl Jalissa and her husband Jeremy.