Dana Faircloth Sumner

About Dana Faircloth Sumner

Strategic and mission-driven leader, educator, facilitator, and coach with a proven track record in career and leadership development, employer engagement, and program management. Dynamic counselor and career consultant with expertise in supporting learners through tailored coaching, leadership development, and workforce preparation. Adept at designing and facilitating engaging, results-oriented training and programming. Experienced in leading high-performing teams and implementing data-informed strategies that support student and organizational success. Skilled at building and maintaining relationships with partners and stakeholders that drive career and professional development initiatives. Effective communicator who uses active listening and coaching skills to understand needs and reach individual and organizational goals. Effective organizational, time management, and event planning skills. Certifications include Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, MBTI and SII Practitioner, RYT-200.

Experience

1. Director, Career Planning

   Meredith College

   Jul 2015 — Present · Raleigh-Durham, NC, US

   Direct strategy and operations for a centralized career services program, overseeing program development, employer relations, and professional development initiatives for graduate and undergraduate students. • Hire, mentor, and develop a high performing team, fostering a strengths-based, student focused approach to career education. Provide leadership to a team of coaches, employer relations professionals, and event planning colleagues.• Create and champion inclusive large-scale career and professional development programming, ensuring equitable access to resources for students of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. • Build and maintain employer partnerships, expanding recruitment opportunities for students in the business and related sectors. • Cultivate employer and alumni/ae partnerships to increase internship and job opportunities, ensuring strong connections between students and industry professionals. • Provide tailored career coaching to graduate and undergraduate students focused on career planning, job searching, career management, leadership and professional development, and transition topics.• Lead career services program assessment and first destination data collection, using data to optimize services, provide actionable insights for campus leadership and stakeholders, and to strengthen employer engagement. • Prepare and manage budgets, ensuring strategic resource allocation for career programming. • Embed career readiness into the academic curriculum, collaborating with faculty to develop and integrate career education across disciplines in Business, Natural & Mathematical Sciences, Arts & Humanities, and Education, Health & Human Sciences.

Education

• Appalachian State University

  Master of Arts (MA)

• Stetson University

  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Skills

• Program Evaluation
• Interviews
• Leadership Development
• Research
• Event Management
• Career Counseling
• Event Planning
• Public Speaking
• Student Development
• Job Search Strategies
• Editing
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Resume Writing
• Higher Education
• Career Development
• Student Affairs
• Marketing
• Community Outreach
• Powerpoint
• Program Development
• Supervisory Skills
• Teaching
• Time Management