A Signature Event from Graduate Career Development
Build Connections & Momentum
Join us for an impressive keynote speaker, expert-led workshops, and additional engaging activities. Explore the essentials to needed to position yourself for career success, no matter where you are in your journey. You’ll find community, increase confidence, and gain valuable skills.
Free for current Bentley graduate students every fall.
Why Attend
Expert Guidance
Learn from experts focused on improving your career skills and enlightening your path. All on one convenient day at Bentley.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Be more prepared to take on your career goals earlier in the academic year.
Expand Your Network
Build relationships throughout the day in a low-pressure setting.
Be a Winner
Attendees can win swag for outstanding participation, a $300 fund for professional development, or one of three $50 gift cards!
Agenda
Prizes throughout the day for outstanding participants!
Morning - LaCava 3rd Floor
- 9:30 a.m. | Check-in until 4:00 p.m.* | Executive Dining Room Lobby & Zoom
- 9:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. Drop-In Career Coaching | Room 375
- 10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Welcome | Executive Dining Room & Zoom
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Keynote: Jeff Taylor - Founder & CEO of Boomband and founder of Monster.com | Executive Dining Room & Zoom
Afternoon - LaCava 3rd Floor
- 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch | Executive Dining Room
- 1:00 - 3:15 p.m. w/ break 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. | Career Essentials Workshops | Choose from 2 tracks:
- 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
- 3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Break
- 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Industry Panel hosted by Sean Ferguson | Executive Dining Room & Zoom
Evening - LaCava 3rd Floor
- 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Summit Close | Executive Dining Room & Zoom
- 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Networking Reception | Executive Dining Room
* Only current students checked in for the Career Success Summit are eligible for four prize drawings of one $300 professional development fund and three $50 gift cards. Winners will be announced later in the week on our social media!
Keynote
"Disruption Happens" with Jeff Taylor - Founder/CEO, Boomband & Founder, Monster.com
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Executive Dining Room
Jeff Taylor is a visionary entrepreneur with 30+ years revolutionizing talent marketplaces. He founded Monster.com in 1994 (the 454th .com), creating two key patents that reinvented how the world looks for work. Under his leadership, Monster grew to 10,000+ employees across 35 countries with nearly $2B in revenue.
Now, Jeff has launched Boomband, an AI-powered talent marketplace designed to challenge hiring’s status quo. By replacing traditional resumes with dynamic Dossiers and creating an Arena - a more transparent way for players and scouts to discover each other, Boomband celebrates the whole person—highlighting the life experiences and “boom moments” that shape character and transferable skills.
Jeff also served as Creative Leader at Bridgewater Associates under Ray Dalio, designing firm-wide recruiting systems and contributing to the launch of Ray’s book Principles. Additionally, he founded Root Society (a 250-volunteer Burning Man theme camp hosting shows for more than 10,000 attendees), led a historic gravestone preservation project, and is an award-winning Land Rover Defender restorer. Jeff holds a BA in Human Resource Management/Communications from UMass Amherst and an Executive Certificate (OPM) from Harvard Business School.
At his core, Jeff is always building, always reimagining, and always bringing people together.
Career Essentials Workshops
"Ace the Case Interview" with Rick Wilmot, Management Consulted
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. | LaCava 375
Case Overview: Get a strategic breakdown of the core components that define every case interview. Learn how to approach case interviews with a structured mindset that showcases analytical insights and business acumen.
Profitability Structures: Master the profitability framework used by top consulting firms to dissect revenue and cost drivers. Understand how to tailor the structure to different industries and business contexts for maximum impact.
Example Walkthrough: Apply the framework in real time through a guided walkthrough of a classic profitability case. Gain insight into how you should navigate data, ask sharp questions, and drive toward actionable solutions.
Rick Wilmot started his career as an engineer at a fast-growing future "tech unicorn" before accepting an MBA fellowship at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business with the goal of breaking into MBB. After McKinsey, Rick went on to become an IBM exec and lead a private tech venture incubator backed by one of his former consulting clients. Today, he focuses on investing in, working with and advising startup tech companies in the B2B GenAI space.
"Interview Ready: Prove Your Value, Show Your Fit, Build Trust" with John Hutchings, Bentley University
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. | LaCava 325
An interview is not simply a conversation about a résumé. It is an opportunity to help an employer understand the value you can provide, how your educational and professional experiences align with the position, and what it would be like to work with you. In this interactive session, students will learn a practical framework for identifying what an interviewer is seeking, communicating a focused strength, supporting that strength with evidence, and demonstrating authentic interest and fit. Participants will leave with an interview preparation map they can use immediately, whether or not they join the follow-up pilot.
By the conclusion of the workshop, students will be able to:
- Identify the employer’s most important needs from a job description.
- State a specific, role-relevant professional strength.
- Select a proof story that demonstrates their ability to meet an employer’s needs.
- Connect company research to a credible statement of fit.
John Hutchings is a graduate career coach in the Bentley University Graduate and Alumni Career Development department. He coaches all graduate business students through personal branding, networking, and interviewing. His coaching emphasizes a structured job-search process that connects career direction, branding, relationship building, interviewing, and execution rather than treating each as a separate activity.
For more than 20 years, John has coached emerging leaders, experienced professionals, graduate business students, and career changers at North Carolina State University, the Thunderbird School of International Management, and his own career coaching firm, Greater Impact Career Strategies LLC. John is a Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Personal Branding Strategist, and Certified Interview Coach. He also incorporates tools and methodologies including CliftonStrengths, CareerLeader, and the 2-Hour Job Search into his coaching.
Please feel free to connect with John on LinkedIn.
"Beyond Plan A: Strengths-Based Dual Planning for International Graduate Success" with Richard Spicer, Founder and CEO of OPT Global
2:15 to 3:15 p.m. | LaCava 375
Take control of your career trajectory despite OPT/CPT shifts and visa uncertainties by adopting a proactive "Dual Planning Mindset." In this interactive workshop, we will look beyond the barriers to focus on what is possible. Through real-world success stories and Appreciative Inquiry peer interviews, you will uncover your core professional strengths and unique value. You will learn to simultaneously navigate U.S. and global employment channels, leaving with a customized, actionable roadmap that translates your individual assets into a flexible, multi-market career strategy.
Richard Spicer serves as the Assistant Director for Global Outreach at Penn State Global and is the Founder and CEO of OPT Global, a consultancy dedicated to empowering international students and graduates through career coaching and global mobility strategies. With extensive experience in international higher education administration, Richard organizes and facilitates Penn State’s Global Careers Institute (GCI), designing high-impact programs that bridge the gap between international education and post-graduate employment outcomes. Through both his institutional leadership and his work with OPT Global, he specializes in equipping global talent with practical tools, strengths-based frameworks, and adaptable strategies to thrive in complex U.S. and international labor markets.
"Career Success through Curiosity and Storytelling" with Andy Aylesworth, Bentley University
2:15 to 3:15 p.m. | LaCava 325
The path to career success is paved with curiosity, cooperation, and creativity. Curiosity leads to knowledge, cooperation leads to connections, and creativity leads to innovation and enjoyment. In this session we will practice listening to others to understand their story, in order to better tell our own stories. Interactive activities will your enhance your listening, collaborative, and creative skills so that you can be more interested, interesting, and memorable to others.
Dr. Andy Aylesworth is a Professor of Marketing at Bentley University. He has been teaching at Bentley since 1994, and has lectured at Rotterdam School of Management, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Adelaide. He is a passionate educator, and has received the prestigious Adamian Award for Teaching Excellence, the Business Deans Faculty Excellence Award, and the Innovation in Teaching Award. His primary teaching interests are Creativity, Marketing Fundamentals, Marketing Management and Falcon Discovery Seminar, mentoring first-year students. His current research interests include enhancing creativity in business and the classroom and improving marketing and business pedagogy. He has trained in the techniques of improvisational comedy and performed in several Boston area shows, and strives to use these techniques to improve the business skills of his students. Professor Aylesworth has been published in the Journal of Marketing Education, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, and Advances in Consumer Research.
Industry Panel
Industry Panel
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Executive Dining Room
Join senior executives from technology, healthcare/life sciences, and financial services for a timely discussion on the trends shaping their industries, organizations, and the broader economy. Gain executive insights into emerging opportunities, future workforce needs, and how to position yourself for success in today's evolving marketplace. Hosted by Sean Ferguson, Bentley University's Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.
Julie O'Brien, Chief Marketing Officer, Feedzai
As Feedzai’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julie O’Brien brings over 25 years of B2B experience honed at some of the technology industry’s most transformational companies, including Cisco, Box, Nutanix, and Dazz (acquired by Wiz).
From fast-growing SaaS start-ups to publicly traded global leaders, Julie has led brand and growth strategies that have delivered exceptional customer experiences and business outcomes, including two acquisitions and an IPO. Her commitment to marketing excellence, empowering high-performing teams, and building strong partnerships will accelerate Feedzai’s success.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Julie advises emerging start-ups and mentors marketing leaders while actively volunteering in her community. She holds a BA/MBA in marketing and finance from Bentley University.
Matt Fichera, Head of Responsible AI & Governance, Managing Director in Chief Data and AI Office, State Street
Matt oversees enterprise automation and AI delivery, and leads the firm’s first‑line GEN AI governance, providing thought leadership on Responsible AI at State Street. He has 25 years of Technology & Financial Services experience, with expertise in Application Development, AI & Automation, Process Engineering, Investment Operations, Business Consulting, IT Strategy and Strategic Management. Matt earned his MBA / MS in Management of Operations and Technology from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University. He received a BA in Business Management and Political Science from Assumption College.
View Matt's LinkedIn
Piyum Samaraweera, Chief Product Officer, L2L
A product strategist at heart, Piyum brings 25+ years of experience scaling SaaS platforms and building customer-centric product organizations at companies like Buildium, Constant Contact, and Intuit.
Sean Ferguson, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Bentley University
Sean is a global higher education executive who has driven growth for over twenty years by leading and transforming academic programs, while partnering with industry, at top universities. At the intersection of technology and business, he has established a track record of developing and implementing innovative strategic plans that deliver transformational programmatic, financial, and operational results for both established and innovative start-up institutions.
A visionary leader and business developer with a market-oriented mindset, Sean excels at bridging the gap between academic mission and global workforce demands. He is an education industry opinion leader whose insights have been quoted by premier publications, including the Financial Times, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal. His approach to the market is informed by deep global networks and board experience covering the United States, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East/GCC along with his experience across industries: energy, FMCG, consulting, and technology.
Additional panelist from a Life Sciences & Healthcare industry TBA.
Summit Close & Networking Reception
Networking Reception & Summit Close
4:30 to 6:00 p.m. | Executive Dining Room
Wrap up the Summit with an opportunity to connect with the Bentley community and Summit guests.
