Category: Events

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Hilmon Sorey

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Hilmon Sorey, the managing director of ClozeLoop, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Hilmon Sorey

Managing Director at ClozeLoop

Hilmon Sorey is the managing director of ClozeLoop, a management consulting firm in San Francisco. He is an award-winning sales management consultant and trainer to Salesforce, Box, SurveyMonkey, Nutanix and other fast-growth Silicon Valley firms and start-ups.

Hilmon Sorey
Hilmon Sorey is the managing director of ClozeLoop, a management consulting firm in San Francisco, and one of the featured speakers scheduled for Career Summit 2018.

He continues to advise chief executive officers regarding methodology, organization and scalability. Hilmon holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Roosevelt University.

Hilmon is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
  • Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Serendipity: Making the Most of Unexpected Opportunities, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Esperanza Cantú ’11

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Esperanza Cantú ’11, a project leader in the Data Planning and Evaluation Division at the Detroit Health Department, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Esperanza Cantú ’11

Esperanza Cantú
Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan.

Project Leader, Data Planning and Evaluation Division at Detroit Health Department

Originally from Monte Alto, Tex., Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan. In 2016, Esperanza transitioned to the Detroit Health Department, where she currently serves as a project leader in the Data, Planning and Evaluation Division. In her current role, she is coordinating a communitywide strategic planning process for health; efforts will result in a community health assessment and five-year community health improvement plan for the city of Detroit.

In 2016, Esperanza also accepted an appointment from Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the statewide Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan. She serves as chair of the Finance Committee, and will build capacity to reduce inequities in state resources and services to the Hispanic and Latino community.

In her spare time, Esperanza enjoys spending time with her husband Micah Smith ’10, traveling to the Rio Grande Valley to visit family and running. Esperanza earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Kalamazoo College, where she participated in the student groups Latinx Student Organization and el Movimento Estudiantíl Chicano y Chicana de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A). She received her Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

Esperanza is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
  • Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Ed Hortelano ’83

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Ed Hortelano ’83, a global vice president of research and development at Loparex, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Ed Hortelano ’83

Ed Hortelano
Since September 2015, Ed Hortelano has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC.

Global Vice President, Research and Development at Loparex

Ed Hortelano began his career at Covestro (then Mobay) in New Martinsville, W.V., where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S., Germany and China. Although he spent most of his Covestro career in research and technical roles, he also worked in production, sales and business development.

In October 2010, Ed joined the Global Non-Wovens Division of Bostik Inc. in Wauwatosa, Wis. He managed the global technical activities for the division and led the research activities for the hot melt, pressure-sensitive adhesive technology platform.

From May 2013, until his departure, Ed served as the chief technical officer for Bostik. Since September 2015, Ed has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC. As the senior research and development executive for the company, he is working to build a global technical community and to improve the processes and delivery of new products and technologies.

Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Wayne State University. He worked with Professor Ernest Eliel as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ed and his family live in Raleigh, N.C. When he is not working or traveling for work, Ed enjoys spending time with his family as well as running and biking around Raleigh.

Ed is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
  • Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Drew Dumsch ’90

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Drew Dumsch ’90, the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Drew Dumsch ’90

Founder and President/CEO, The Ecology School

Drew Dumsch
Drew Dumsch ’90 is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. He will be one of the featured speakers at Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2018.

Drew Dumsch is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. Since its founding in 1998, The Ecology School has educated more than 175,000 children and adults and trained more than 350 ecology educators through the science of ecology and the practice of sustainability.

Drew is currently leading a capital campaign to purchase the 105-acre River Bend Farm in Saco, Maine, and over the next two years construct the most sustainable residential environmental learning center in the country. The Ecology School at River Bend Farm will include a full-scale agroecology farm operation, community environmental education programs, field ecology research and buildings constructed and certified under the Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge through the International Living Future Institute. River Bend Farm will be a 21st Century Education Center for Resilience, Healthy Communities and Conservation.

Drew has had leadership positions with the Maine Environmental Education Association and the New England Environmental Education Alliance and is also active with the North American Association of Environmental Education and the Residential Environmental Learning Centers national network. Drew earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Kalamazoo College and his master’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Drew is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Roadblocks and Potholes: Surmounting Inevitable Challenges, 8:30 a.m. April 7
  • Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: David Rust

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Walk-ins will be accepted if space becomes available.

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. All students are welcome, regardless of their major, and are encouraged to attend. David Rust, a former director of operations strategy at Lyft, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

David Rust

David Rust
David Rust launched Lyft’s first markets and helped write the playbook for its national expansion. He will be one of the featured speakers April 6 and 7 at Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2018.

Former Director of Operations Strategy, Lyft

David Rust is an experienced operator who has helped scale some of the fastest-growing marketplace businesses, including Lyft. David joined Lyft in February 2013 as the 25th employee and helped drive the company’s growth nationally to an $11 billion-plus valuation.

Early in his four-year tenure at the company, David launched Lyft’s first markets and helped write the playbook for national expansion. David then went on to launch Lyft’s internal strategy team and drove key initiatives including Lyft’s self-driving car pilots and partnership with General Motors.

Prior to Lyft, David led marketing and city expansion for one of the early pioneers in the car-sharing industry, Wheelz.

David graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and enjoys making time to invest in his side passions, whether they be playing salsa music or backpacking in the California outdoors.

David is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
  • Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Carolyn DeWitt ’04

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Carolyn DeWitt ’04, the president and executive director of Rock the Vote, is the third in a series of features that will highlight our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Carolyn DeWitt ’04

President, Executive Director at Rock the Vote

Carolyn DeWitt
Carolyn DeWitt ’04, a passionate and lifelong champion of the democratic process in the U.S. and abroad, has a diverse background in government, politics, international development, education and in the financial sector.

A passionate and lifelong champion of the democratic process in the U.S. and abroad, Carolyn DeWitt ’04 has a diverse background in government, politics, international development, education and in the financial sector.

It was during her time in South Africa, meeting with parties critical to the collapse of the apartheid system and the subsequent building of a democratic state, that Carolyn witnessed the power of youth movements. Convinced of the absolute necessity of a health democracy for marginalized groups, she continued on to work in Kenya, participating on the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission during an election year. Carolyn also served as senior international advisor to a youth political movement and potential presidential candidate in Madagascar.

Back home in the U.S., on the national political stage, Carolyn coordinated satellite media booking operations at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, training teams of volunteers and staffs and coordinating surrogate media appearances alongside DNC and Obama for America staff. On the local government level, Carolyn has worked as chief of staff at the Office of Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis, and as deputy campaign manager and finance director for the 25th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.

Shortly after relocating to Washington, D.C., Carolyn took up the position of director of special projects for a thriving start-up that sought to leverage technology to provide clinical services to persons with special education and development needs in less-developed countries. She has also provided services for therapists working in DC public schools. For the 2014 election cycle, Carolyn served as chief of staff at Pivot, a political communications firm.

Carolyn studied international and African studies, political science, psychology and women’s studies and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and international and area studies from Kalamazoo College. She sits on the board of Coworker.org.

Carolyn is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
  • Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Bill Duane ’94

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Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’

A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Bill Duane ’94 is the first in a series of features that will highlight our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.

Bill Duane ’94

Retired Superintendent of Well-Being at Google

Bill Duane
At Google, Bill Duane and his team created worldwide programs to move the needle on well-being at the individual, team and organizational level.

Bill Duane works at the intersection of individual resilience and organizational effectiveness, particularly in innovative and/or chaotic environments. As an engineering executive for Google earlier in his career, Bill was responsible for worldwide production engineering for Gmail, G Suite and WebSearch Infrastructure, leading a team of 130 people across five countries.

Though an amazing, interesting and rewarding ride, it also contained more burnout than was OK, which sparked a curiosity about how burnout worked. As he investigated burnout, Bill discovered a deep interest in the biological, psychological and interpersonal mechanisms of happiness, effectiveness and well-being which led him to create the role of Google’s Superintendent of Well-Being. At Google, he and his team created worldwide programs to move the needle on well-being at the individual, team and organizational level, partnering with various teams in the Google ecosystem to make it part of the culture.

After 12 years at Google and 25 years in corporate environments, he is taking his expertise to a more diverse set of individuals and organizations. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Kalamazoo College.

Bill is scheduled to speak in these Career Summit sessions:

  • Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
  • Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Serendipity: Making the Most of Unexpected Opportunities, 11:30 a.m. April 7.

Other Scheduled Speakers

Lecture to Explore Intersection of Math and Music

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For David Kung, the relationship between math and music goes far beyond alliteration.

Math and Music speaker David Kung
David Kung will deliver the annual Kitchen Lecture, sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Department of Mathematics, while exploring the interrelations between math and music.

The star of a series of popular video lectures explaining the applications of mathematics to the world around us, especially music, Kung will deliver the annual Kitchen Lecture, sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Department of Mathematics, at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Stetson Chapel.

A math professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, that state’s public liberal arts institution, he grew up studying violin while developing a passion for math. He says that at age 16, he had to decide which field to pursue professionally. Although he chose math, he never gave up music.

“While pursuing a doctorate in math, I always made sure to keep up my violin chops — or not let them fade too badly,” he says on his website about mixing math and music. “Now I get the privilege of traveling around the country giving talks and performances about the connections between these two beautiful subjects.”

He has authored a variety of articles on topics in harmonic analysis and mathematics education. His series of Great Courses lectures, “How Music and Mathematics Relate,” is a top math and science seller for the Teaching Company.

Performing and explaining, he discusses — for example — how the math that explains the movement of electrons also lets us understand why a particular string on the violin vibrates at a certain pitch, and why a clarinet’s tone is so much lower than that of a flute. He also explores how the brain recognizes harmonics and other musical patterns the same way it recognizes numerical patterns, and how errors in that pattern recognition lead to auditory illusions, tricking the brain into hearing something that isn’t there.

In addition, he uses abstract algebra to provide insight into the structures beneath the surface of Bach’s canons and fugues.

Kung holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D., all in mathematics, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. At St. Mary’s, he is a full professor and chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. He also serves as director of the Mathematical Association of America’s Project NExT, a professional development program for new faculty in the mathematical sciences.

The George Kitchen Memorial Lectureship was established at Kalamazoo College in 1999 to honor George Kitchen, a mathematician and teacher at Portage Northern High School in Portage, Michigan. Kitchen was married to Susan Kitchen ’60.

The purpose of the lectures is to provide an opportunity for high school students and mathematics educators to hear mathematicians speak about their own or related work at a level intended for high school students.

Music Concerts Feature Jazz Band, College Singers

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Be sure to attend two music concerts this weekend that will feature Kalamazoo College student performers. Both concerts will be at Dalton Theater in the Light Fine Arts Building.

Jazz Winter Music Concerts from 2017
Be sure to attend two music concerts this weekend, featuring the Kalamazoo College Jazz Band and the College Singers.

From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, enjoy Kalamazoo College’s Jazz Band. The group, directed by Thomas G. Evans, pulls together an eclectic collection of contemporary and classic jazz arrangements to provide the students participating and the audience members an electric experience.

From 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, hear a variety of musical favorites from Broadway shows performed by the College Singers in their “Broadway Revue.” The group is a 24-voice choral ensemble that performed a sold-out show at K last fall. More recently, they performed a social justice-themed concert in Farmington Hills, Mich., and Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in February. The group is directed by Christopher J. Ludwa and features a mix of soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices.

Read more at our website about the Kalamazoo College music ensembles and find music scholarships available to music majors and non-music majors alike.

K Plans Career Summit 2018 for April 6, 7

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About Career Summit 2018

A distinguished group of K alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend this special event.

Kalamazoo College Career Summit 2018
Kriti Singh ’17 attended Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit last year. “As a senior who will soon transition into the workplace, it was inspiring for me to hear that your career is a lot more than your first job,” she said about her experience at the event.

Through interactive break-out sessions, themed panel discussions and networking opportunities, students of all majors will gain priceless information about the global job market.

Led by Brad O’Neill ’93, creator of K to the Bay and the CEO and co-founder of Depot Global Inc., this exclusive opportunity to connect with industry leaders takes place at K so as many students as possible may participate.

Confirmed speakers for Career Summit 2018 include: