October 15, 2026

COLA Career Week with Alumni begins Monday

SIU Carbondale’s College of Liberal Arts will host its third annual COLA Career Week with Alumni, Monday through Friday, Oct. 19-23. Eleven former students from COLA majors are returning to talk with current students about their careers and how their liberal arts degrees laid the foundation for their current positions.

The talks are paired with classes related to each alum’s major. All SIU students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend. Some of the talks will be in person while others will be virtual.

Rachel Wolters, COLA recruitment and retention coordinator, said the event “demonstrates the many different career paths for COLA majors” and encourages students to think about how to market their skill sets and network with alumni. This year, students will hear from graduates working in law, government, communications, marketing, human resources and higher education.

Speaker Schedule

Monday, Oct. 19

  • 9-9:50 a.m. — Johnathan Kiwala, deputy executive director, Glenview Park District.
  • 10:30-10:50 a.m. — Makela Clay, executive assistant, TGP Financial Services; principal, The Clay Experience.
  • 11-11:30 a.m. — Savannah Coady, brand and content strategist, CVS Health.
  • 1-1:30 p.m. — Sarah VanVooren, executive director of community relations and university events, SIU Carbondale.
  • 1-1:30 p.m. — Carole-Ann Haun, senior account manager, Forrester Research.

Tuesday, Oct. 20

  • 2-2:50 p.m. — Ashley Slaughter, associate director, human resources, Kraft Heinz.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

  • 9-9:30 a.m. — Ian Johnston, dispatcher, Jackson County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office; owner, editor and author, Cthulhuville Publications.
  • 2-2:50 p.m. — Barton Lorimor, consultant, Full Stack Strategies.

Thursday, Oct. 22

  • 12:35-1:25 p.m. — Helena Paschal, communication trainer, CEO and founder, Correlations Training.
  • 12:35-1:05 p.m. — Timothy Merriman, assistant attorney general, Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
  • 2-2:30 p.m. — Jamey Dunn-Thomason, press secretary, Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

How to register

SIU Students can find speaker bios and register for individual talks using the registration links on the COLA Career Week webpage. Registering sends reminder emails that include meeting locations. Registration links only work for SIU students.

For more information, email Rachel Wolters at rachelw@siu.edu. For disability accommodations, call 618-453-5738.