From Here to Career
Coffee & Chat with HFA Alumni
From Here to Career: Coffee & Chat with HFA Alumni
Thursday, October 8
3-4:30 p.m.
South College Commons
About the Event
What might your career look like after graduating from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA)?
Join us Thursday, October 8, from 3-4:30 p.m. in South College Commons for a homecoming networking event, “From Here to Career,” that connects students with established alumni who can provide a road map for what comes next!
Distinguished HFA alumni will be there to discuss finding meaningful work after graduation.
As you prepare to navigate the professional world, tap into the expertise of alumni who are established in their careers, learn from their experience and advice, and build networks.
Featured Alumni
Jean Canosa Albano
Jean Canosa Albano is the Deputy Director of the Springfield City Library, serving in that position for ten years. Her long career at the Library includes many other roles, complemented by a strong commitment to the Greater Springfield community. She has served as a Trustee at the Wilbraham Public Library, an Outreach Advisory Board member for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, a member and vice-chair of the Massachusetts State Advisory Council for Libraries, Policy Council Community Representative and Board of Directors Member for HCS Head Start, Board Member for Art for the Soul Gallery, Public Relations Committee Member for Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and is the current Vice President of Springfield Public Forum. Bilingual, Jean has long served English- and Spanish-speaking members of the Springfield City Library community, advocating for library services for non-English-speakers. She has been honored as a Massachusetts Literacy Champion, a BusinessWest Woman of Impact, a 2026 Age of Excellence Honoree, and as this year’s University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Library & Information Services’ Alumna of the Year award. She is a member of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Spanish Language Honor Society, and Beta Phi Mu, the honor society which recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement in library and information studies. A proud resident of Springfield, Massachusetts, Jean loves inspiring others to get involved in their communities; is committed to mentoring people; thrives when connecting people to resources and to each other; and is a huge Springfield Thunderbirds hockey fan, never missing an opportunity to ring her cowbell.
Christy Anderson
Christy Anderson earned her M.A. in Art History from UMass Amherst and is a professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Toronto. A scholar of Renaissance art and architecture, her research also explores maritime spaces, materials, and the built environment. She has taught at institutions including Yale, MIT, and Oxford and served as editor-in-chief of The Art Bulletin. Through her scholarship, teaching, and mentorship, Christy is committed to helping students connect the study of art and architecture with the wider world.
Laura Bailey
In 2003, Laura Bailey received a BA in Theater and English with minors in Psychology and Political Science. After receiving a Master’s degree in film, she went on to work in production in a variety of roles. She is currently a Script Supervisor with credits in film and television.
Emily Brewster
Emily Brewster graduated from UMass Amherst in 1999 with a degree in linguistics and philosophy. She’s a Senior Editor and lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, where she covers all kinds of vocabulary, from prepositions to politics to slang. In addition to defining, she writes regularly about grammar, usage, and language change at Merriam-Webster.com, and speaks to audiences about lexicography and language in person and as a regular guest on New England Public Media. She's also a mother of two and co-owner of The Rendezvous, a pub and entertainment venue in Turners Falls, Mass.
Kim Carlino
Kim Carlino is a painter, public artist, curator, and podcast host of Artist & Place. She graduated from UMass with her BFA in Art. Carlino has won numerous awards and grants and has exhibited her work in galleries and museums throughout North America. Carlino was the 2024 Honorary US Mission to the UAE Sponsored artist for the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival. Carlino was a member on the team of artists that installed the 25 year Drawing Retrospective of Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawings at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA in 2008. Kim has been bringing vitality and bold vision to public art since 2014 creating both public and privately commissioned murals and projects across North America for companies like Google, Turning Art, and Isenberg Projects.
Edward Clifford
Edward Clifford graduated from UMass Amherst in 2019 with his BA in English. He is currently the managing editor of the Massachusetts Review and is a third-year student in the MFA program.
Mai Cortes
A Cambridge, MA native and resident of New York for over 25 years, Mai Cortes is excited to continue working as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors and now on the Executive Committee as Vice President – Leadership and Development, she is looking to develop and grow our volunteer leadership talent with new and seasoned alumni relationships. Being a woman of color with a career in IT at a University, it gives her a perspective for students who may not see others that look like them in this role and she is a firm believer and advocate for strengthening career development to the student body. Mai believes students at all ages can always use guidance and support for career paths new and old. Mai is proud to have had such formative years at UMass, over 25 years ago, and is looking forward to mentoring students in the future, with any knowledge she can bring to the table.
Alexandra Groff
Alexandra Groff is a seasoned fundraising and arts administration professional with over a decade of leadership experience across cultural institutions in Western Massachusetts. She currently serves as Director of Development at the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, where she leads major gift strategy, annual campaigns, and signature events such as the Fine Arts Center Gala. Previously, Alexandra held senior development roles at the Williams College Museum of Art, Jacob’s Pillow Dance, and other organizations, focusing on strategic philanthropy, capital campaigns, and donor engagement. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Arts Management (BDIC) and Art History and holds a Master’s in Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy from Bay Path University.
Rick Guimond
Rick Guimond began his professional dance training at UMass Amherst, and graduated magna cum laude in 1975. Over the course of twenty-five years Rick performed with many modern dance company including HARRY-Dance and Other Works by Senta Driver, Molissa Fenley and Dancers, The New England Opera Company, NYU Calliope Dancers, The Elinor Coleman Dance Ensemble and The Contemporary Dancers of Winnipeg, Canada. For 20 years Rick was resident choreographer of the 200-voice New York City Gay Mens Chorus. He also directed his own dance company, Guimond Dance Associates, and was a founding partner of Kidrich Corporation, makers of dance books, games and videos. Rick currently teaches dance to thousands of students in New York City public schools.
Erin Hayes
Erin Hayes is an award-winning producer, filmmaker, and co-founder of MediaBoss, a Massachusetts-based creative agency and production company. A UMass Amherst graduate (BA English) and former journalist and television producer, Erin has spent more than 20 years building a career around visual storytelling, producing work for brands, institutions, municipalities, and entertainment clients. She is currently taking her latest feature film, Townie, through the film festival circuit and preparing to begin production on a new documentary project. Erin is always happy to talk with students about producing, documentary filmmaking, running a creative business, building a career in media, and the many decidedly non-linear paths that can get you there.
Seth Kaye
Seth Kaye is a multiple-award-winning, nationally and internationally published documentary wedding photographer. He has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Wedding Photographers in the U.S., one of the Top 20 Photographers in Boston, and among the Best Wedding Photojournalists in New England.
With a background in photojournalism and a degree in fine arts photography, Seth brings an unobtrusive, respectful approach to photography. His documentary style creates authentic visual narratives that focus on real moments and candid emotions.
Robert LaRussa
Robert S. LaRussa is a Washington D.C.-based international trade and national-security attorney who worked for two decades at the global law firm Shearman & Sterling and now runs his own law and consulting business. Prior to practicing at Shearman, Mr. LaRussa spent eight years in the Clinton Administration as an international trade official, including as Commerce Undersecretary for International Trade, one of the country’s highest-ranking international trade positions. He held two earlier positions in the Clinton Administration, as Assistant Secretary of Commerce in charge of administering US trade laws, and as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the US Government’s global export promotion network. Prior to that, he was an international trade counsel in the US House of Representatives; he is an attorney and former journalist and a UMASS graduate of the History Department. Over the course of his career, he has negotiated numerous international trade agreements for the United States and for private parties. He worked on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a Commerce Department official, the Uruguay Round of international trade talks as a congressional attorney and negotiated trade and antidumping agreements with Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, China, and Brazil, among others. Mr. LaRussa teaches seminars on international trade and national security at UMASS, is a member of the HFA Dean's Advisory Council, and regularly counsels students on how to pursue policy positions in government and the private sector.
Bill Noland
Bill Noland grew up in Amherst as his father was a Professor of English at UMass from 1965–2004. Bill received a BA in Psychology from UMass Amherst in 1986 and an MBA from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management in 1992. He has worked in Human Resources for several nonprofit organizations in Boston and spent 17 years in the financial services industry where he became a subject matter expert in the Advent line of software products and their implementation and application in financial advisory firms. Bill retired in 2021 but has turned his attention to music, playing in a variety of local bands, and to writing an award-winning series of historically inspired supernatural thrillers, Uncommon Bonds.
Madeleine Noland
Madeleine Noland is the President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee Inc. A 20-year industry veteran who is widely respected for her consensus-building leadership style, she chaired the technology group that oversees the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standard before being named ATSC President in May 2019. Previously, she chaired various ATSC 3.0-related specialist groups, ad hoc groups and implementation teams since 2012.
Noland began her career in the television industry in 2004 with Backchannelmedia Inc., an interactive television technology developer. It was during her work there that she first became involved in ATSC projects. In 2012, she moved on to product and project management roles at Telvue Corp. before joining LG Electronics CTO’s office in 2013. Noland represented LG in a variety of industry organizations for over six years.
Most recently, Madeleine was awarded the prestigious 2022 David Sarnoff Medal by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) in a ceremony held in Hollywood, California. She has also received TV NewsCheck’s “2019 Futurist” Women in Technology Award and was named one of 2018’s “Powerful Women in Consumer Technology” by Dealerscope magazine. In 2016, while the Chair of TG-3, she received the ATSC’s highest technical honor, the Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award recognizing her leadership related to the development of ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV.
Credited on three U.S. patents for television technology, Noland is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – Broadcast Technology Society. Noland graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts. She enjoys travel, and she plays keyboards in a band called “Brave Pursuit.”
Michael Partridge
Michael Partridge (B.A. English, Honors '92) has served in a number of roles leading product communications, corporate branding and communications, and investor relations at Vertex Pharmaceuticals over the last 20 years. He is currently Vertex's Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and is responsible for Vertex's global investor relations program and is a member of the Company's management committee. He has been honored twice by Institutional Investor as Best Investor Relations Professional in the biotechnology sector. Prior to Vertex, Mr. Partridge spent four years at Decision Resources, a privately owned consulting and advisory firm for the healthcare, pharmaceutical and financial industries. His work on a report projecting the rapid evolution in HIV therapeutic development and treatment led him to his initial role at Vertex.
Peter Sokolowski
Peter Sokolowski joined Merriam-Webster in 1994 as the company's first French-language editor and has since written definitions for many of the company's dictionaries. He is active as a writer, podcaster, and speaker on dictionaries and language, and was named among TIME’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2013. Peter serves as pronouncer for spelling bees worldwide and as a judge for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He is also a freelance musician and a jazz radio host at New England Public Media. His forthcoming book is entitled By Definition: The Surprising History of the English Dictionary, from St. Martin's Press.