Speakers

Russell Holloway is Associate Dean, Corporate and Industry Relations in the Pratt School of engineering, a position he has held since 2000. He did his undergraduate work at Talladega College (Alabama), graduating in 1970, and graduate work at Michigan State and Duke Universities, receiving his Masters from Duke in 1997. Russell spent 26 years in information technology, working in government, manufacturing, and retail. Prior to joining the dean’s staff at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering he was Director of Information Processing for Roses Discount Stores (Henderson, NC).

Duke University co-hosted the inaugural SEBECC along with the University of Virginia. Russell was a key player in planning and organizing that event.

Cassandre Jude Epps works for BD as a Customer Service Supervisor for over 8 years. She has 20 years of leadership, customer service, performance improvement and training. Currently she is responsible for the supervision of 13 staff at BD and recently selected by BD PEPFAR Program to travel to Uganda-2012 to teach Leadership Development Classes to lab techs. During weekends Cassandre works as a Therapist/Counselor at Glenwood Life Counseling Center.

In previous years, Cassandre has worked for T.Rowe Price, The American Red Cross, McCormick, The New Your City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.

Her areas of expertise include Customer Service leadership, Employee Training and development, Lean Leader Certification, BD University Leader-Teacher-train associates in coaching, performance improvement, and resolving conflict and developing your career.

She obtained her BA in Psychology and Biology at St. Johns University, Queens NY, and her Masters in Organizational Counseling, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland.

Cassandre is married and has a child. She is fluent in French and plays on a woman's volleyball league.

Debby Hagwood is the Manager of Human Resources at American Type Culture Collection, (ATCC), a global biological repository located in Manassas, VA. She has been with ATCC for more than 7 years and her primary focus is compensation, employee relations, and management training and development.

Debby has over 30 years of Human Resources experience at both private and not-for-profit businesses. The majority of her experience has been that of a Generalist and Manager, including positions of Vice President of Human Resources at Prince William Health System, Senior Regional HR Manager at PRA International and Director of Human Resources at several health care employers throughout the US.

Debby has a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University, VA.

George Kafes is a Sr. Corporate Human Resources Recruiter at Biogen Idec, Inc. and has nearly 14 years in the field of professional recruitment. He possesses extensive, hands-on, recruiting experience and has worked at/with every major Biogen Idec U.S. location including the new manufacturing facility near Copenhagen, Denmark. George is currently focused on leading recruitment efforts for the Global Quality, Global Supply Chain, Global Engineering and U.S. Manufacturing Operations at Biogen Idec. Prior to joining Biogen Idec, George spent 6 years working as a head-hunter working for reputable firms such as Spherion Corporation and Healthcare Recruiters International. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a BSED and currently lives in Raleigh, NC. George is passionate about hiring 'the-best-of-the best' talent who will, in turn, continue making important contributions within the life changing Biopharmaceutical industry.

With fifteen years of experience in recruiting and the staffing industry, Kirsten brings industry based experience to the Industry Relations team at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. Before joining Duke Engineering, Kirsten managed the company-wide intern program for Micron Technology; a US based Semiconductor Company, had a brief stint in the temporary staffing industry with Kelly Staffing Services, and held various recruiting and account management roles within CompHealth, a physician recruitment and staffing firm. Kirsten has experience working alongside all levels of management and leadership to build and grow programs in each of the industry sectors she has worked. Her primary focus at Duke is to provide industry facing outreach to connect industry with Duke Engineering students and to develop programs for internships and sponsorships. She also coordinates special projects for the Master of Engineering Management Program and works closely with the Duke University Career Center to give oversight and support to special events, programs and workshops for Duke Engineering students.

Tori Brent is Manager of University Relations and Employer Branding for Edwards Lifesciences, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring. She has been working at Edwards Lifesciences since 2004 and has more than 13 years of human resources and recruiting experience. In her current role, she is the primary liaison between universities and Edwards Lifesciences in the pursuit to hire the best university talent for the company. Brent facilitates the company’s new graduate programs, including unique university summer and internship programs. Previously, she was a human resources business partner consulting with various business units focused on manufacturing, R&D and supply chain functions.

Prior to working for Edwards Lifesciences, Brent worked for Cisco Systems, a worldwide leader in internet networking, in the recruiting and HR Generalist functions. She was also a HR Generalist for Pulse Engineering, a worldwide leader in electronic component design and manufacturing.

Brent has a Recreation, Resort Management B.S. degree from California State University, Chico