Career Conversations

Sharan Jhangiani is the Head of Product at Yoodli, an AI powered communication coach. Yoodli helps you ace your next presentation or interview by providing private and judgment-free analytics on your filler words, eye contact, body language and more. Yoodli (www.yoodli.ai) is being rolled out to 300k+ Toastmasters members globally, has raised $7M+ in funding, and been featured across media outlets such as WSJ and Inc.

Previously, he was the first Machine Learning hire at Productiv, building out infrastructure and then features powered by Machine Learning. Before that, he was at the University of Washington, where he studied data science and started DubHacks Next, a community / incubator for people who build.

VeenaSravani Pillalamarri, ’18, ’21, is a double Husky who earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration at the UW’s Seattle campus. As an undergraduate student, she served as a Peer Advisor at the UAA and President of a health program organization on campus. She also enjoyed volunteering and was a student educator at multiple schools through the UW Pipeline Project. During her Master’s degree, Veena served as a Student Ambassador representing the MHA program and as Vice President of the MHA Student Association. Currently, Veena is a strategist at Premera Blue Cross, exploring the healthcare industry and working towards her passion for improving access to healthcare resources. Outside of work, Veena enjoys reading, baking new desserts and traveling as much as possible.

Nayoung Miller Won is a strategic life & career coach living in Seattle, Washington in the United States. While she currently works in tech as a program manager, her past includes working as a career advisor and admissions committee member at higher education institutions (University of Washington, National University of Singapore, UPenn Wharton School). She started her career at Deloitte’s Detroit office and most recently worked as a Customer Success Manager at Amazon and Karat. She has pivoted careers multiple times since graduating from college, and is a marketer and educator by training (B.B.A University of Michigan, M.S.Ed. University of Pennsylvania).

A globetrotter at heart, she has lived and worked in many parts of the world including Seattle, Singapore, Korea, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A few years ago, Nayoung founded thekokki.com to formalize her passion project driven by her faith. In her spare time you’ll find her golfing at a local course, exploring cities on a bike or supporting small businesses on Yelp.

Nidhi Kumar is a proud University of Washington School of Law alum, holding a Master in Jurisprudence earned in 2021. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science—Pre-Law and Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. Currently, Nidhi is a J.D. Candidate at Seattle University School of Law, balancing her studies in the evening program with full-time work as a Law Clerk at Simmons Sweeney Freimund Smith Tardif PLLC. Dedicated to giving back, she actively contributes to the UW community as a member of the UWAA GOLD Council, a mentor through the Huskies@Work Program, a nominating committee member of the UWAA Board of Trustees, and as a District Dawg in the 43rd Legislative District.

Karen Zukaitis is a Financial Coach and Financial Education Expert with 18 years of experience here at WSECU and Credit Union Development Educator since 2010. She speaks to members, schools and public groups about financial challenges, financial wellness and other money issues. Backed by a significant amount of industry experience, she is skilled at helping members work through difficult situations and avoid financial crisis. Karen was awarded a gubernatorial appointment to the Financial Education Public Private Partnership (FEPPP) and has served that board for over 13 years.

Karen’s passion for financial education and creating financial curriculum for young adults is inspiring. Combining fun and engagement with empowering information is a talent that she and her team bring to every workshop and event. You won’t want to miss an opportunity to experience that.

Anders Dowell is a versatile professional dedicated to bridging the gap between strategic leadership and practical execution. Drawing from an MBA in Leadership from the University of Washington Bothell and a BA in Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from Western Washington University, Anders excels in program management, data analysis, and customer service. His career highlights include orchestrating engaging experiences and driving innovative solutions in both academic and corporate environments.

Known for his resourcefulness and collaborative spirit, Anders brings a unique blend of analytical expertise and creative problem-solving to his work. His approach is shaped by a blend of analytical rigor and creative insight, reflecting his commitment to continuous improvement and making a positive difference in the world.

Beyond his professional achievements, Anders finds inspiration in biking, community and exploring creative pursuits, which enrich his perspective and fuel his drive to innovate.

Stacy Nguyen is a Seattle area-based Vietnamese American illustrator, visual designer and writer whose work explores the ways race, Vietnameseness and gender intersect within the lens of popular culture. Her work strongly features themes revolving around women and femininity. Stacy owns and runs Stacy Nguyen Creative, a branding and communications consulting business with a client roster that is primarily BIPOC-led community-based organizations and nonprofits whose work centers around equity, racial justice and economic justice

Nidhi Kumar is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2021 from the UW School of Law with her Master in Jurisprudence. She earned her B.A. in Political Science—Pre-Law and Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, and is a current J.D. Candidate in Seattle University School of Laws’ evening program, while serving full-time on the Seconded Amazon Legal Team at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP, continuously building and exploring her passion for the law.

Nidhi serves as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council, a mentor through the Huskies@Work Program, and a District Dawg in the 43rd Legislative District, empowered by the mission of giving back to the UW Community—providing opportunity, comradery, and a voice to current students.

Salomé Valencia-Bohné, MA, MSW, LSWAIC (she/her/ella) was born and raised in Yakima, WA. In 2019. She graduated from the University of Washington’s MSW program with a concentration in health and mental health. Dedicated to investing in the clinical social work field, Salomé is a member of many clinical social work and Latino societies, provides psychotherapy through an anti-oppression lens and is a strong activist within her community. She is the owner of The Rivers Wellness & Advocacy Foundation, host of the Clinically Growing Together podcast and owner of the Financial Peace & Prosperity program.

Originally from Peru, Karla moved to the states as a kid but since then has lived in two other continents before returning to WA and setting down roots. Karla is a passionate traveler and community advocate. She was previously working at a local philanthropy where she led local and international teams to rapidly deliver functional prototypes across a wide spectrum of tech and conservation products. Currently, Karla is working as a product manager delivering quality donor tissue to those in need. Karla is a graduate from the UW and in her spare time loves to explore the PNW with her family, friends, and soon, first child.

Megan Kennedy is the director of the UW Resilience Lab. As a leader and facilitator, Kennedy aims to build healthy and compassionate learning communities. From engaging stakeholders in vision-setting to partnering with students, staff and instructors, her approach to leadership centers on collaborative relationships. She believes that building high-quality wellness and educational programs requires teamwork at every level. Currently, Kennedy is developing and evaluating systems-based approaches to well-being that combines applied research, education and collaborative programming across three University of Washington campuses. This includes partnering with academic departments, student wellness groups and community-based organizations seeking to deepen their capacity for mindfulness and resilience. Kennedy earned her master’s degree in applied behavioral science from Bastyr University and is a licensed therapist with over a decade of experience in public and private practice.

Gina Topp (she/her) is a proud alumna of the University of Washington, graduating in 2017, 2021 and 2023. She earned a B.S. in biology, a J.D. and an LLM Masters in tax law. During her time at the University of Washington, Gina particularly enjoyed participating in an externship with the Washington State Legislature, where she fell in love with public policy. Gina served the people of King County as the legal counsel and policy advisor to the King County Executive. She recently started her own law firm. Aside from work, Gina enjoys all sports, particularly tennis and cherishes her role as a new mom.

As a member of the UW alumni community, Gina is passionate about the idea that together, across campuses and across the globe, the University of Washington community can make this world a better place.

Certified executive coach Catherine Bachy (she/her) brings over fifteen years’ experience as an advisor and coach to leaders and teams in both corporate and public sector settings. She has shared her expertise as a leadership coach, strategic facilitator and instructor as part of POD’s University Consulting Alliance and quarterly courses since 2015.

Catherine is known for her ability to capture and communicate insights and visual metaphors that help her clients find clarity, map their future state, see their work in new ways and move beyond roadblocks into the territory of solutions and achievements. Catherine is also gifted in creating safe space for important and sometimes difficult conversations to take place. She is skilled at noticing the deeper dynamics of what is going on and enabling others to respond in ways that produce more satisfying results.

Her key clients include leaders who want to help their teams become high-performing while creating a positive work environment and managing conflict and stress along the way.

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.

Dr. Helen Chung (she/her) is Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in the School of Psychology, Family, and Community at Seattle Pacific University, where she teaches graduate courses in organizational behavior, diversity, leadership, and values in the workplace. Her research interests include leadership, diversity and inclusion, employee resource groups, subjective time and the role of narrative in organizations. She is also co-owner and principal of Pathways Coaching and Consulting and works with individuals and teams in the areas of leadership capacity, career transitions and organizational effectiveness. She has coached numerous leaders in a variety of organizations and industries, including serving as a leadership coach with the Center for Strategic Leadership and Thinking at the University of Washington. Helen’s work as an educator and coach is driven by her passion to build learning organizations and communities where individuals’ gifts and differences are integrated into the broader culture.

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.

Rosemary E. Simmons, Ph.D. (she/her) is a first-generation, Pell recipient college student who had the privilege of being employed as a licensed psychologist in higher education for over 30 years. She specializes in providing mentoring, training and psychotherapy for young adults and early career professionals. She is honored that she was hired as the inaugural counseling center director for UW Bothell. During her tenure at UW Bothell, she worked closely with the students to assist in the development and opening of the Student Diversity Center, Violence Prevention & Advocacy Program, Health and Wellness Resource Center and United Way Benefits Hub focused on one-stop services for low-income college students. She worked at UW Bothell for more than seven years before transitioning to semi-retirement at the end of 2021. Rosemary is currently a resident of Kitsap County and provides psychotherapy at Front Street Clinic in Silverdale and consultation and training to university staff, faculty and administrators across the country. She spends her time hiking Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, kayaking, reading, cooking, baking and laughing with friends and family, a laugh that startles babies. After all, toddlers should not be the only ones who have belly laughs!

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.

Aleenah Ansari (she/her) is equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver and journalist at heart who’s rooted in the stories of people behind code and user interfaces. In her current role as a writer and video producer for Microsoft Inside Track, she creates blogs and videos about the experts who build, deploy and manage the tools used by 190,000+ employees at Microsoft. Her stories cover everything from Microsoft’s security training and underwater datacenter to the Yammer community used to support visa-dependent employees. Her writing has also been featured in GLAAD, Kulfi, CNBC, The Seattle Times and more. Outside of her day job, you can find her helping early-in-career professionals and entrepreneurs feel more confident telling stories about their identity and work, hosting webinars on storytelling and personal branding and planning her next trip to NYC.

Learn more at Aleenah Ansari’s homepage.

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.

Yejin Lee (she/her) is a New York-based Korean-American equity & justice coach and consultant with over 12 years of experience in the NYC nonprofit sector as an organizer, fundraiser, staff advocate and organizational design aficionado. Her primary mission as a coach is to support the liberation of people of color by guiding them in finding values-driven pathways for their careers and lives and by building their capacity to strategize around and survive inequitable experiences within institutions. Her secondary mission is to reduce the harm experienced by people of color within institutions and she does this through her leadership coaching services & organizational consulting practice. Yejin received her BA from Boston College in History, American Studies and African Diaspora Studies, has been trained by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond in Undoing Racism and has completed an equity-informed mediation basics training from Resolutions Northwest.

Learn more at Yejin Lee’s homepage.

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.

Elizabeth Atcheson (she/her)  is a Seattle-based career coach who works with adults of all ages who are looking for jobs or changing careers. In addition to individual work with clients, she gives a variety of affordable workshops, including Level Up Your LinkedIn Profile, Combatting Ageism in the Job Market, Propel Your Professional Growth and her popular monthly workshop, Tools for Transition.

Prior to becoming a career coach, Elizabeth built a 25-year marketing career, first in San Francisco and later in Seattle. She held roles in marketing, marketing communications, marketing strategy, account management and B2B sales in a variety of for-profit and non-for-profit enterprises.

Elizabeth earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She has two adult daughters and two baby grandsons on whom she lavishes attention.

Learn more at Blue Bridge Career Coaching.

Michaela Gormley (she/her) is a proud alum of the University of Washington, graduating in 2009 from the Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She recently started a new role in tech sales after 10+ years in marketing. She served as a member of the UWAA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council for two years, including one year leading the diversity, equity and inclusion subcommittee.

As a proud member of the UW Alumni community and as a first-generation college student herself, Michaela is passionate about increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of higher education. She is excited to be back for the second round of UWAA Career Conversations and is grateful to be part of a resource that helps others achieve their personal and professional goals.

In her free time, Michaela is an avid fan of Husky Athletics and has been a football season ticket holder since graduation. She loves spending time in the sunshine of Eastern Washington with her family and friends and prides herself on being a cool aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.