Meet the Staff

Diane Hart

Employer Relations Specialist
dlhart@niu.edu
815-753-7159

B.S., Business Management, Emphasis in Human Resources

Diane joined Career Services in 1999. She coordinates the all-majors internship fair, as well as the intern of the month and intern of the year scholarship programs. She advises students that "it's never too early to begin developing soft skills like communication."

Wes Jones

Office Support Specialist
wjones2@niu.edu
815-753-1655

B.S., Recording Industry Management
A.A.S. Web Design

Wes joined Career Services in 2022. He assists students with Huskies Get Hired and the daily operations of Career Services.

Caroline Kosmel

Student Relations Specialist
ckosmel@niu.edu
815-753-8341

Caroline joined Career Services in 2001. She likes to travel and explore new places, even thinking she might work as a flight attendant someday. Now, she helps students explore potential careers. Her primary role is internship administration.

Jan Wylde

Employer Relations Specialist
jwylde2@niu.edu
815-753-8346

Jan works with employers to help them post jobs/internships and set up interviews with students. She joined Career Services in 2006 and encourages students to finish their degrees: "A bachelor's degree opens up a whole new level of opportunities for you."

Melanie Griegoliet

Coordinator of Professional Development and Training
mgriegoliet@niu.edu
815-753-1650

M.A., Leadership
B.A., Organizational Communication

Melanie works with the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator course (UNIV 301) in both fall and spring semesters. She began working at NIU in 2020 in Orientation and First Year Programs and joined Career Services in 2022. As a first-generation college student herself, she highly encourages all students to get involved and take advantage of NIU’s academic and cultural resources to bolster your NIU experience that could possibly lead you to discovering lifelong passions or even potential career endeavors.

Edward Heard

Assistant Director (Career Counselor)
edwardheard@niu.edu
815-753-8347

Psy.D., Clinical Psychology
Th.M., Theology
B.S., Journalism

Edward began working at NIU in 2004. He focuses on promoting student success and performs strategic outreach to diverse campus communities. He advises students to be flexible as their path evolves: "It's natural to redefine your goals. Be prepared for change."

Teri Schmidgall

Career Counselor
schmidgall@niu.edu
815-753-7201

M.A., Community Counseling
B.A., History and Secondary Education

Teri joined Career Services in 2007. She helps students plan their life and career goals. She encourages students to be open to the unexpected: "Your career path won't be a straight line. There will be detours and obstacles; think of them as opportunities."

Iris Seeley

Career Counselor
iseeley@niu.edu

Ph.D. Human Resource Development
M.S. Library and Information Science
M.A.A.E. Photography
B.S. Psychology and Art

Iris joined Career Services in 2023 with 20 years of college career counseling experience. “Career success and fulfillment are a cornerstone of a good life, as they provide the means for financial support, personal growth and achievement opportunities. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to guide students through a process that has a significant positive impact on their lives."

Oluwatoyosi "Toyo" Afolabi

Oluwatoyosi is a second-year master of public health student at NIU. She began working as a graduate assistant for the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator Course (UNIV 301) in the fall 2022 semester. As a strong proponent of health and well-being, she loves encouraging students to find the balance between studying and other things in their lives, while creating a strong career pathway for themselves.

Nicholas Duka

Nicholas currently works as a graduate teaching assistant for the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator course (UNIV 301), a role he began in the fall of 2022. As a graduate student here at NIU, Nicholas is working towards his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. He is currently completing his internship and will graduate in the spring of 2024. Part of what Nicholas enjoys most about being a Braven TA is witnessing the opportunities the course offers for first-generation college students.

Karla Jacobo

Karla works as a teaching assistant for the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator course (UNIV 301) during the fall and spring semesters. She is currently in her second year of the M.S.Ed counseling program and is on the school counseling track. She loves working with Braven and Career Services to connect students to professional development resources. She enjoys being able to help encourage and empower students to become strong future leaders.

Chloe Pimental

Chloe is a second-year master of public health student at NIU. She began working as a graduate assistant for the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator Course (UNIV 301) in the fall 2022 semester. She is passionate about Braven’s mission to empower college students from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education and support students in discovering their career paths.