Our Staff

Jodyi Wren has been named as interim executive director of the Greene Center for Career Education and Connections and interim assistant vice provost for career education initiatives. Jodyi currently serves as director, advising & career communities, and has led the career education advising and communities services and programs to support our students and young alumni in designing their lives. Jodyi assumes this position immediately and will serve until a permanent executive director is hired, likely in late summer or fall 2022.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Grew up in Idaho

Education: Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, Masters of Science in Higher Education Student Affairs

Role in the office: I lead our career education advising and communities services and programs to help our students and young alumni design their lives. Special initiatives include early student engagement, Handler Scholars, and first-generation college student engagement.

Most random job: Cleaning reusable baby car seats for a hospital program.

Fun fact: I’ll never turn down chocolate!!

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: Rochester, NY

Education: BA in Economics from Hamilton College, MsEd in Counselor Education from SUNY Brockport, ABD PhD in Organizational Leadership from Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Role in the office: I help students find and use their voice along their path to discovering what and who they want to become. Career is not a destination, but a path. I help to link students with resources, networks, and opportunities along their career journey.

Most random job: My first, and most random job was as a summer camp counselor/lifeguard for many years!

Fun fact: I spend most of my time at my boys sporting events. You can find me at wrestling matches, soccer or lacrosse games on almost any evening of the week.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: Born and raised in Rochester, NY – lived in suburbs of Greece, West Irondequoit, and Fairport (current)

Education: Associate’s of Science in Liberal Arts, General Studies (Monroe Community College); Bachelor’s of Science in Development Sociology (Cornell University); Master’s of Science in Education in Counselor Education (The College at Brockport)

Role in the office: As the Assistant Director for Alumni Engagement & Career Support, my primary role is working with graduate students in the College of Arts, Sciences & Engineering within the GEPA office as well as the Greene Center. This is approached in many ways: individual and group meetings, programs and events, classroom presentations, and through email conversations. My goal is to help graduate students with locating and utilizing resources, tools and people to explore and establish connections and opportunities in industries and professions of interest to reach their short-term and long-term goals. Through academic department and student services relationships, I hope to create partnerships to help students succeed in their career development.

Most random job: My first job I had was through a high school co-op class; I worked for an entrepreneurial business owner who needed help with keeping his records organized (both physical files and Excel spreadsheets). I inputted data from receipts he gave me to help him keep track of his finances, as well as moving his paperwork around so he could better track his transactions in his home office. From this first job, I learned a lot about how I really enjoy keeping things organized and helping others.

Fun fact: At the age of 32, I discovered how to snap my fingers – I was not able to do so my entire life until then (even after so many attempts)! I still struggle with whistling; I wonder how long that will take me…

Places I’ve lived: NY, KY, PA and MI

Education: B.A. in Religion/Philosophy (minor in Psychology and History), MDiv from ATS in Kentucky.

Role in the office: I listen to students exploring and sharing their thoughts, ideas, plans and questions regarding their career hopes and dreams. I meet with students both individually and in groups developing incentives and ways to explore “What I want to do and how do I get there,” in fun and memorable ways.

Most random job: Worked 7 years through college in libraries and served as a newspaper paste up artist in adverting – back when that was a thing!

Fun fact: I love music, play 6 instruments and have written over 100 songs/musical pieces.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Branford CT, Simsbury CT, Ann Arbor MI, Washington DC, Schenectady NY, Boston MA

Education: Union College – BS in Psychology, Suffolk University Law School – JD

Role in the office: I work with students to provide career counseling, advice, and insight. I really appreciate how dedicated UR students are to their academics and career goals and hope to work together with my students to help them tell their story. My favorite part of this job is how quick the days go by, you are all doing great things and I learn so much from you.

Most random job: I once spent a summer interning in the Coronary Care Unit of a local hospital in Michigan. I interviewed patients for a national study to determine if they had a near death experience before or after their operative surgeries!

Fun fact: I ran the Boston Marathon…in 2003 and tell most people I meet bc it was the first and last time that will ever happen.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: Rochester, NY, Queens, NY, Brooklyn, NY

Education: Master of Science in Human Development

Role in the office: I’m a creator at heart. I like to create new things but also improve existing things. I see my role in the office as not only a person who brings new ideas and perspectives but also a Relationship Builder, Connector, and Conversationalist.

Most random job: Recreation Assistant for the City of Rochester

Fun fact: My personality type is INFJ (The rarest in the world for men)

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Halifax, NS; Montreal, QC; Calgary, AB; Toronto, ON; Buffalo, NY

Education: MA in Religion and Culture; PhD in Religious Studies (ABD)

Role in the office: I help students to navigate their university and career paths by connecting them with the right courses, internships, and job opportunities. In this process, I encourage students to explore their interests and discover the subjects and potential careers that resonate (or perhaps, just as importantly, do not!) with them. Although I focus on law, policy, education, and advocacy, I am happy to meet with any UR student.

First job: My first job, that lasted throughout my high school years, was babysitting for a witch. An actual witch. Yes, she had a black cat.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Rochesterian born and raised

Education: Bachelors of Science in Anthropology with a minor in Interdisciplinary Social Research Methods from SUNY Brockport

Role in the office: Here at The Greene Center, I help students along their journey; cultivating their passions and pursuing their career goals. I feel privileged to be listening ear to each student’s story. Our experiences are what set us apart. My favorite part of my role is helping students incorporate their story and passions into their career goals.

Most random job: I once worked as a Sr. Psych Tech on an Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at URMC. I have fond memories of sprinting after escaped patients down to the Genesee in the summer heat.

Fun fact: I’m all about female empowerment. My party trick is beating guys in push-up competitions.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: Rochester, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, Cambridge, MA

Education: BHA- Psychology and Trumpet Performance/Carnegie Mellon University; M.Ed.- Human Development and Education with a Concentration in Arts and Learning, Harvard University

Role in the office: I aim to help students, especially in creative majors, articulate their talents, skills, and passions. In the Greene Center, we encourage self-reflection to construct interesting, meaningful, and fulfilling lives. I like to approach career advising with levity and curiosity to make the job search/exploration feel more human and accessible.

Most random job: My most random job was playing Amy Winehouse tunes on piano for a drag brunch.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY

Education: BA in Childhood Education + Middle School Extension, MA in Curriculum & Instruction, Erie BOCES Certification for Secondary Education

Role in the office: Career Advisor, specifically working with students within the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

First job: WKIDS employee at Wegmans in high school.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Central NYS (Richfield Springs) and all around the Rochester area

Education: UR — BA in Psychology, MA in Education (Higher Ed Counseling)

Role in the office: In addition to my Advisor role, I’m also an Instructor for CASC 104 (Designing Your Life) and for the Internship for Credit part of our office. My position is a joint position between the Greene Center and Writing Speaking and Argument program where I’m an Instructor for WRTG27x (Communicating Your Professional Identity).

Most random job: Not sure how random this is, but, my student job at the UR was in the ‘Slide Room’ off of the Art/Music Library. I spent my days staring at a light table getting slides ready for faculty to use in the their lectures.

Fun fact: I like memes and animals and my dream job would be to have a wild life refuge.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: North Carolina, Virginia, New Zealand, and New York

Education: B.S. in Geology – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and M.A. in Public Administration – James Madison University

Role in the office: I lead our Alumni and Employer Engagement team to connect students to mentorship, internship, and job opportunities. I build relationships with leading companies in the U.S. and around the world.

First job: My first summer job was working on an Army Corp. of Engineer’s boat drilling to collect sand samples offshore of NC’s Outer Banks.

Mindy Peet is the new Volunteer Program Director for the Greene Center! Stay tuned for more details on her in the future!

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Rochester, NY

Education: BA in Psychology and an MS in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Affairs – University of Rochester

Role in the office: The versatility of my role at the Greene Center allows me to work with students, employers, and alumni. I really enjoy supervising and collaborating with our Peer Career Advisor team, managing the Career Clothing Closet, and planning events, programs, and other student-centered experiences in conjunction with my colleagues.

First job: I worked for five years at Wegmans in various roles.

Fun fact: I love spending time outside of work with my sweet but mischievous toy poodle puppy, Minnie! :o)

Brittney recently joined our team, and we will have more information shortly!

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: Jacksonville, FL, Windermere, FL, Cortland, NY, Geneseo, NY

Education: B.A. in New Media Design from the State University of New York at Cortland

Most random job: Seasonal Worker for the County Highway Department

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Places I’ve lived: I grew up in Norwich, NY, and lived in both Cortland and Syracuse, NY prior to moving to Rochester.

Education: Foundations in Design Thinking and Advanced Design Thinking – IDEO, Masters Degree – Higher Education – Syracuse University, Bachelors Degree -Human Development and Theater – Binghamton University

Role in the office: I work with all of our data streams, from getting information into platforms like Handshake and the Meliora Collective to investigating the outcomes of our graduates. I also head operations for the Greene Center (space, human capital, virtual operations) and budgeting for the department. At my heart is always a focus on customer experience for the Greene Center, and love feedback on how we can serve folks better!

Most random job: After graduating with my Masters Degree I worked for 3 months at JoAnn Fabrics at the fabric cutting counter (making my costume designer heart sing!)

Fun fact: I love to travel and tend to pick up accents and dialects and mannerisms from wherever I travel, so you can tell if I’ve recently seen family in the southern US, been hanging out in a Spanish speaking country, or returned from a trip to Europe or Asia. I also have my own company as a wedding officiant, with a focus on inclusive ceremonies for non-traditional, non-binary and creative clients.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Places I’ve lived: Grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, lived in Rochester, NY and Dallas, TX.

Education: B.A. Geological Sciences at the University of Rochester

Role in the office: I’m the go-to guy for everything technical related within the office and for how students interact with the Greene Center digitally.