UMW Names Inaugural Director of Center for Career and Professional Development
Paul Binkley was recently named the inaugural director of UMW’s Center for Career and Professional Development.
University of Mary Washington announces the fulfillment of one of its key strategic goals with the selection of the first executive director for its Center for Career and Professional Development. Paul Binkley, whose employment will begin June 25, has more than 20 years experience in the fields of career services, student affairs, international development and higher education management.
He comes to UMW from the Homewood Career Center at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), where he served as director of the Student Career Development Team. In that role, he managed a staff of career coaches who implemented an industry-based service model that included group, one-on-one and class-based services to all Homewood undergraduate and graduate students, and young alumni.
Binkley will work with similar constituents at Mary Washington. His arrival at UMW solidifies the University’s commitment to meeting statewide workforce needs as well as its conviction that a liberal arts education is the essence of career and life readiness.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to work with Dr. Binkley on bringing to life a vision that makes preparation for the transition from college to career and life after Mary Washington a central aspect of the student experience,” said Tim O’Donnell, associate provost for academic engagement and student success.
Prior to his job at JHU, Binkley worked in Monrovia, Liberia, for more than three years, first as an education officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and then as the resident director for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI).
Before his tenure in Africa, Binkley spent 13 years working in career development at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and the Elliott School of International Affairs. He has also worked in Afghanistan, Barbados, Iraq, Tajikistan and several other countries in Europe and Africa.
Recognized for his significant knowledge and expertise in the area of federal careers, Binkley teamed with Katherine Troutman, a noted federal careers expert, to author the book Students’ Federal Career Guide — How Students, Student Vets, and Recent Grads Land a Federal Job, now in its third edition. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from The George Washington University, a master’s degree in international affairs from the University of Kentucky and a certificate in Human Performance Improvement. Originally from central Minnesota, Binkley is a certified MBTI facilitator, and a Board Certified Coach.
Influencers and Outcomes: UMW Alums Reunite with Their Mentors
Each alum was reunited with the person at UMW who most influenced their career paths. Photo by Suzanne Rossi.
This place we call Mary Washington is actually a launching pad.
It’s where confidence is built, bonds are formed and careers are sparked.
It’s a setting for rich experiences, profound interactions with professors and development of meaningful mentorships.
Students who come here are grounded; from here, they soar. The exhilarating thing is that they occasionally make their way back to the nest.
UMW’s Office of University Relations recently captured four of those joyful returns, along with a recent graduate on the verge of taking flight. Each graduate returned to campus for a reunion and discussion with the person who most influenced their career paths; the 2019 graduate sat down with his current professor.
Chef Erik Bruner-Yang worked his way through Mary Washington, graduating in 2007 with a degree in business administration. The person on campus with whom he shared his hopes and dreams was Dean of Students Cedric Rucker. Bruner-Yang, who says he “found himself” at UMW, now owns five successful restaurants in the D.C. area.
Laura Mangano, a 2018 grad, returned to campus to see Rita Thompson, who had mentored her through the Rappahannock Scholars program. Laura is now a graduate nursing student at Johns Hopkins.
Matt Tovar, who graduated three weeks ago, is one of the first students to be admitted through UMW’s partnership program to George Washington University School of Medicine. Matt knew where he was going while still an undergraduate. He also knows – and made clear to his mentor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo – what he plans to do: discover a cure for brain cancer.
Abernathy Bland, a member of the Class of 2005, is a teacher, professional artist and designer in Richmond, Va. She said her mentor, Art Professor Carole Garmon, made clear that she had an awesome talent for art. What else could she do, Abby asked, than go out and be awesome.
Corey Taylor, a 2017 grad, is putting his computer science degree to work as a software engineer at Tech Wizards in Dahlgren. He said his mentor, Professor and Associate Provost Tim O’Donnell, helped him figure out what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
There are few aspects of the college experience more important than forming meaningful mentor relationships. Students need mentors to assist in navigating the complexities of university life, and the uncertainty and anticipation of what post-college life has in store.
Steven Spielberg once said that “the delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
Take a look at this video to see what UMW grads, with nudging from their mentors, have created. You are among the first viewers of this video, which will be shown to incoming students and their parents at Orientation sessions starting next week.
Longtime UMW Faculty Awarded Emeritus Status
Three veteran faculty members will be awarded emeritus status during the University of Mary Washington’s graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11.
Friday’s graduate ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. Saturday’s undergraduate ceremony begins at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle on the university’s Fredericksburg campus.
Julie A. Hodge will be named Associate Professor Emerita of Theatre; Louis A. Martinette will be named Associate Professor Emeritus of Marketing; and Raymond B. Scott will be named Professor Emeritus of Chemistry.
The title of emeritus is bestowed on faculty members and administrators who have served the university for at least 15 years and who have attained the rank of professor or associate professor.
Julie A. Hodge
Associate Professor of Theatre Julie Hodge
Associate Professor of Theatre Julie Hodge has been on the UMW faculty for 23 years teaching courses such as costume design, stage management and scene painting. For five years before that, she was an assistant professor of theatre at Knox College in Illinois.
At Mary Washington, Hodge has designed scenery for 44 productions, lighting for 23 and costumes for one. “When you add it up, Julie has spent more than three years in technical rehearsal at UMW,” said her chair, Gregg Stull, “three years devoted to building a program of excellence on top of her classes, professional work, advising and service to the department, college, university and community.” Also, taking into account her set work in Klein Theatre, Stull said, “Julie has built the equivalent of eleven houses.”
Hodge earned her B.F.A. from Northern Kentucky University and her M.F.A. from Indiana University. She has done a number of tie-dyeing demonstrations in the area, has designed furniture for a boys’ academy in North Carolina and renovated the lobby of a D.C. television station.
At UMW, she has served on countless committees ranging from academic resources to race and gender. She also has been a board member for student conduct review hearings.
Above all, Hodge has been a teacher. As Stull put it, students have left her classes surprised by what they can do. “Julie teaches and, in so doing, changes lives.”
Louis A. Martinette
Associate Professor of Business Louis Martinette
Associate Professor of Business Louis Martinette has been with UMW since 2004. He has taught courses in marketing and business strategy, as well as leadership. Earlier in his career, Martinette spent a dozen years in marketing roles for 3M and Richmond-based MicroMagnetic. In 1992, he co-founded and served as president of The Inside Track, a fully integrated marketing and consulting company in Richmond.
Martinette, who earned a doctorate in business administration from Nova Southeastern University, brought his marketing experience to the classroom. Before becoming a full-time faculty member at Mary Washington, he taught business as an adjunct at Averett University.
After receiving an undergraduate business degree from Old Dominion University, Martinette received an MBA from Golden Gate University. He is a member of the Old Dominion University Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Beginning with his role as the first-elected president of the College of Business Faculty Senate, Martinette has served on numerous UMW committees and in a variety of roles, from journalism advising to curriculum review. He received the J. Christopher “Topher” Bill Faculty Service Award in 2014 and the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Teaching Award in 2013.
In applauding Martinette’s teaching ability, Associate College of Business Dean Ken Machande described him as “changing people’s lives.”
Raymond B. Scott
Professor of Chemistry Raymond Scott
Professor of Chemistry Raymond Scott joined the Mary Washington faculty in 1984 after receiving a master’s degree and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Cincinnati. As an undergraduate, he finished with honors in chemistry and biology from Hartwick College.
An avid piper, Scott formed in 1997 the award-winning UMW Eagle Pipe Band, which he has directed since its inception. He was a founder of what is now called UMW’s Summer Science Institute, and he served as its director from 1999 to 2012.
A member of the American Chemical Society and the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry, Scott has served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and has taught a range of courses from introduction to chemistry to honors and analytical chemistry. A member of myriad university committees, he has served as advisor to the UMW Honor Council and Chi Beta Phi. In 2006, Scott was awarded the J. Christopher “Topher” Bill Faculty Service Award.
A New England native, Scott has been “the model for service at the university, college and departmental levels as well as in the larger Fredericksburg community,” according to his colleague and friend Associate Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo. Scott has played with the Fredericksburg Community Concert Band, served as a school science fair judge, been a counselor for the Boy Scouts of America Chemistry Merit Badge and served as an AP high school chemistry instructor. He is a clerk of session at Hope Presbyterian Church.
Giancarlo added: “Ray tries to make chemistry more accessible.” And, as for his outstanding teaching, she said, “he is our students’ fiercest advocate.”
Courageous Conversations: Faculty Speak from the Heart
In addition to collaboration and collegiality, university campuses have their share of controversy and contention. University of Mary Washington is no exception. How does this campus come to grips with civil discord?
We talk – or at least we try. This requires us to listen. To open our minds. To think critically. To speak from the heart.
To engage in courageous conversations.
The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, meaning heart. The original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.
UMW faculty have been captured on video to talk about timely issues.
This spring, five UMW faculty members have been captured on video using their hearts to talk about timely issues of significance. They are courageous conversationalists, and we will be featuring each of them, on a weekly basis, in EagleEye. Next week, you will start seeing a rollout of the University’s Courageous Conversations video series.
In addition to spotlighting UMW’s outstanding experts, this series shows that Mary Washington is a place to use your voice, and a place where voices are heard. It says this university is not afraid to tackle controversial subjects, and – in fact – considers it the civic duty of a public institution.
As President Troy Paino put it earlier this year:
Here at Mary Washington, I want to promote a liberal arts education that is responding to the issues of our day. It is our responsibility at this time in our society – as we see fraying around the edges of our democracy, as we see increased fragmentation, polarization, anger and an inability for people to talk and work with one another – to think about what our role is.
As we think about our role in society, let the Courageous Conversations begin.
LaWanda Simpkins, James Farmer post-doctoral fellow in civil rights and social justice, helps us learn more about breaking down social barriers with intentionality. Today’s UMW students learn just as much from their peers as they do from their professors. How do we help them know how to approach others who bring varying perspectives into the classroom and beyond?
Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer takes on the thorny topic of monuments, relics and artifacts that depict the past – a past that is painful for some members of society. Preservationists like Spencer are increasingly being called on to help navigate the monumental decisions surrounding what are perceived as either icons or eyesores.
John Broome, associate professor and program director in the College of Education, issues a clarion call for diversifying education. Do the people in your textbooks and reading materials look like you? While the United States has continued to be a melting pot of cultures, races and ethnicities, our education system yet to catch up. Find out why he believes putting different people in the same room – and classroom – matters
In this hyperconnected digital world, it is imperative that we discuss how we relate to each other online and how we interact as citizens on the web. That is just what Jesse Stommel, executive director of Teaching & Learning Technology, does in his Courageous Conversation.
Is speech ever really free? Professor of Communication Anand Rao grapples with understanding First Amendment rights in the U.S. during these divisive days of protests, “fake news,” and offensive language.
The conversations must continue. UMW’s Office of University Relations is indebted to these trailblazing faculty members and encourages others in the University community to speak up and to step forward if you would like to participate in a Courageous Conversation.
SHH to Hold ‘For the Kids 5K,’ March 30
Students Helping Honduras will sponsor a For the Kids 5K on Saturday, March 30, at 8 a.m. Faculty and staff are encouraged to come out for the race, which will take place on the Fredericksburg campus. Strollers, dogs, and kids are all welcome to participate. Children under 10 are free; otherwise, it is $20 for UMW students and faculty and $30 for non-UMW participants. Sign up before March 8 and receive a free T-shirt!
Students Helping Honduras is an international nonprofit organization that was founded by Shin Fujiyama ’07. SHH’s mission is to alleviate extreme gang violence and poverty through youth empowerment and education. With the proper access to education, children in Honduras can become the next teachers, doctors, and lawyers. Join SHH, run in our 5K, or just donate to the cause to help provide the resources necessary for these children to change their lives. To register or find out more about the event, visit https://my.shhkids.org/event/umw-for-the-kids-5k/e222224.
