Fall 2025 Career Talks Semester Review

graphic with all the company logos that participated in the fall 2025 career talk series

The Department of Information Systems wrapped up a highly successful Fall 2025 Career Talks series, drawing strong attendance from students across all majors at UMBC, not only from Information Systems and COEIT, but from across the university. Each session brought together industry professionals, alumni, and community partners for dynamic lunchtime discussions designed to help students explore career paths, gain practical guidance, and hear firsthand what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving technology landscape.

Across nine sessions, students heard speakers share expertise spanning nonprofit technology, gaming, public sector innovation, cybersecurity, enterprise software development, UX, leadership, and mission-driven computing. Panelists offered invaluable advice on navigating the job search, preparing for interviews, networking effectively, staying current with industry trends, standing out in competitive applicant pools, and succeeding as early-career professionals on multidisciplinary teams. Each conversation revealed a unique side of possible career paths, showing students not only where their technical expertise fits but also how soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability shape real success in the field.

Each event was moderated by Meagan Wade ’13, psychology, Program Coordinator for the Department of Information Systems, who guided thoughtful discussions and facilitated open Q&A sessions with students. Lunch was provided at every talk, creating a welcoming space for informal networking and deeper engagement between students and speakers.

This semester’s lineup featured:

  • Careers in Non-Profit IT with The Trevor Project
  • Women in Tech with leaders from SmartLogic, Kalamuna, and W4Sight
  • Soft Skills: Knowing Your Audience with Qualcomm, Tenable, and Precise Software Solutions
  • Gaming for Good co-hosted by the UMBC Game Developers Club
  • Tech for Social Good with Kalamuna
  • Sharing the Stack with Oracle’s MySQL Developer Advocate
  • Careers in Public Sector Technology with Precise Solutions
  • Connecting Innovation and Impact with AT&T (in collaboration with the Fort Meade Alliance and ISSA)
  • Advancing National Security Through Technology with RealmOne

These panels included a mix of UMBC alumni and industry leaders who generously shared their journeys and offered guidance tailored specifically to students preparing for the workforce.

The Fall 2025 Career Talks program exceeded expectations in attendance, student engagement, and industry participation. We look forward to building on this momentum and delivering an even stronger series in the spring, continuing to connect UMBC students with the professionals, perspectives, and opportunities that will help shape their futures.

Read more about the individual events and access a recording of each presentations below.

Careers in Non-Profit IT: Insights from The Trevor Project 
Join IT professionals Paul Pham, Will Young, Allie Kintner, and Ben Busath from The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Learn about career opportunities in the nonprofit sector, the role of technology in supporting life-saving services, and how IT skills can make a difference.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Women in Tech: Career Journeys & Insights
In collaboration with UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology (CWIT), join Bri Bellavati (COO, SmartLogic), Anna Mykhailova (Director of Technology, Kalamuna), and Rachel Sax (Consultant, W4Sight) for a candid discussion on building successful careers in technology. This panel will cover career journeys, job-hunting strategies, and perspectives on today’s tech industry. The session will begin with guided questions and conclude with an open Q&A.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Soft Skills: Knowing Your Audience
Join Rahul K. Razdan ’05, information systems (Principal IT Architect, Qualcomm), Patricia Grant (Chief Information Officer, Tenable), Shaneen Trotman (Director of People and Culture, Precise Software Solutions, Inc.), and Mohammed Sohail Chaudhry (Chief Information Officer, Precise Software Solutions, Inc.)for a conversation on the importance of soft skills in the workplace. Soft skills are personal traits and abilities not typically taught in the classroom and are essential for navigating job interviews, building professional relationships, and succeeding as a full-time employee. This session is designed for undergraduate and graduate students entering today’s competitive job market, offering practical advice on knowing your audience and standing out as a strong candidate.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Gaming for Good: Career Paths and Community Impact
Are you interested in a career in gaming? Join us for a special event cohosted with the UMBC Game Developers Club, where industry leaders will share their insights and experiences. You’ll hear from Marc Almanzor, who uses gaming to drive nonprofit fundraising; Tronster Hartley, a senior developer at Firaxis Games known for his work on Civilization and XCOM; Tony Li, founder of Pixel Crushers and creator of narrative AI tools; and Ryan Griffin, an artist at Bit Reactor and president of the Baltimore IGDA. This panel will give you a behind-the-scenes look at different career paths in gaming, from development and art to AI and community impact. Don’t miss this chance to explore where your passion for games could take you.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Careers at the Intersection of Technology and Social Good
Join Chad Capellman – Director of Business Development, Anna Mykailova – Director of Technology, Jeff Hebert (he/him) – Senior WordPress Lead, and Sean Lehane (he/him) – Associate Director of Projects for an engaging session on careers at mission-driven tech companies. Kalamuna partners with socially impactful organizations to tackle pressing challenges, blending digital expertise with purpose-driven work. Learn how technology, strategy, and design can come together to create meaningful solutions, and hear advice for students who want to leverage their skills to make a positive impact in the world. This session is perfect for students passionate about using technology to drive social good.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Sharing the Stack: What 20 Years in Development Can Teach You
Join us for a special discussion with Scott Stroz, MySQL Developer Advocate at Oracle, who brings over 20 years of experience as a developer across multiple languages. Throughout his career, MySQL has been the one constant in his toolkit, and he’s passionate about sharing his knowledge to help the next generation of technologists learn from his journey. This is a great opportunity for UMBC Information Systems students to gain insights from an industry expert and deepen their understanding of one of the most widely used database systems in the world.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Careers in Public Sector Technology with Precise Solutions
Join Roman Zhelenko (Senior Director, Business Development & Capture), Arun Sanna (Solutions/Enterprise Architect), John Nguyen (Senior Business Analyst), and Harinder Singh (Senior Cloud Engineer) from Precise Solutions for an engaging session on technology careers that make an impact. For over a decade, Precise Solutions has delivered performance excellence, agility, and innovation to advance public sector missions. As a trusted advisor to government technology leaders, the company drives modernization, safeguards systems, and enables effective mission delivery through strategic consulting, digital transformation, cloud implementation, and data analytics.

Learn about career paths in public sector technology and get insider advice on how to launch your career right out of college. Precise Solutions was founded by Dr. Zhensen Huang, M.S. ’00, Ph.D. ’04, Information Systems.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Connecting Innovation and Impact: Career Pathways at AT&T
In collaboration with the Fort Meade Alliance and ISSA, join us for our next Fall 2025 Career Talk featuring technology professionals from AT&T’s government sector on Tuesday, November 18 at 12 p.m. in ITE 459!

Hear from Rachael Cangelosi, Rob Collins, Candace Reigel, and April Martinez, with Joe Samek moderating the discussion, as they share their experiences working at the intersection of engineering, program management, and national security.

This panel will dive into how to build a rewarding career in STEM—from finding mentors and navigating challenges to applying your classroom knowledge in the real world. Students will gain insight into how engineers and program managers at AT&T use their technical expertise to solve complex problems that matter.

Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for your next career step, this is a great chance to learn directly from industry professionals who have been where you are now.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.

Mission-Driven Technology: Careers and Impact at RealmOne
Professionals from RealmOne will share how their team advances national security through cutting-edge work in cybersecurity, data science, and software development. Learn how RealmOne blends innovation and mission focus to tackle some of today’s most complex defense challenges, and discover what career paths exist for students passionate about using technology for impact.
Watch a recording of the event. The link will open in Box.