Career Studio Team

Schedule a meeting with Jim through 12twenty

I help students and early-career professionals tell clearer, braver stories about who they are and where they’re going. Over more than 20 years in higher education and high school college counseling, I’ve brought together creativity, curiosity, data, and plenty of humor to help people recognize their strengths and take their next steps.

At Alverno College, that means helping students connect what they’re learning with what they want to contribute to the world. Whether we’re working on a résumé, preparing for an interview, exploring internships, or talking through an “I have no idea what I’m doing” moment, my goal is to make it easier to be honest, ask questions, and try something new. You don’t need a perfectly mapped-out future to walk into the Career Studio. We can start wherever you are.

I love creating workshops that get people talking, finding new ways to make career exploration meaningful, and helping students see the value in experiences they might otherwise overlook. I’m also curious about how technology — including AI — can support career development while keeping human connection at the center. Some of the best breakthroughs still start with a good conversation.

Underneath all of this is a simple belief: your strengths matter, your experiences count, and there’s something worthwhile in figuring out how you want to use them. Helping you do that is my favorite part of this work.

Outside the Career Studio, I’m a husband, a dad of two (and a cat dad of six), a Chicago native living in Greendale, and a science-fiction writer who spends considerable time in the Star Trek universe and recently completed my first Trek fanfiction novel. My musical interests stretch from Metallica to Phil Collins, so there’s a reasonable chance I have a song reference for whatever we’re discussing. Whether that reference improves the conversation is open to debate.