Supporting students’ future: Meet Mendoza’s new external engagement team

The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business has formed a new External Engagement team to ensure that its graduate students have the professional networks necessary to lead in a complex world. This includes students in the Notre Dame MBA, Specialized Master’s, Executive MBA and Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration programs. 

“Our team is dedicated to equipping Mendoza graduate students with the tools, connections and confidence to thrive in an ever-changing business landscape,” said  Megan Piersma, senior director of Career Success and External Engagement. 

The team focuses on expanded internship pipelines, high-impact employer partnerships and lifelong alumni engagement, ensuring that a Notre Dame graduate business degree carries maximum value in the global marketplace. 

External Engagement serves as a bridge between the classroom and the boardroom, providing:

• Access to new opportunities: Deepening relationships with top-tier employers to expand access to internships and full-time roles.
• Strategic mentorship: Strengthening connections between students and the Notre Dame alumni network, creating a cycle in which alumni success directly supports student achievement.
• Market-aligned career support: Dedicating focused expertise to understanding evolving employer needs so students are prepared to meet the demands of modern business.

The External Engagement team includes:

Christina Frank, CEcD, Director of External Engagement

With national expertise in ecosystem-building and engagement strategy, Frank leads this new team. An accomplished economic development leader, she previously served as executive vice president of Cornerstone Alliance and is the founder of FLEX: Female Leadership Excellence. She also holds a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation. Frank manages the full employer and alumni engagement portfolios to drive measurable student outcomes. 

Kristie Herron (MBA ‘22), Associate Director of Alumni Engagement for MBA and EMBA 

Herron focuses on the connection between the Notre Dame MBA and Executive MBA students and the College’s global alumni. She brings experience in higher education and industry projects as well as relationship management to ensure that the Notre Dame family remains active participants in the student experience. 

Mason Mishler (MNA ‘25), Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement for Specialized Masters and EMNA 

Mishler has extensive experience in nonprofit community engagement, program coordination and research operations. His goal is to foster a lifelong connection to the University that begins the moment students step on campus. 

Athena Tripodis-Kulwicki, SHRM-TASC, Associate Director of Employer Engagement 

With a background in human resources and talent strategy, Tripodis-Kulwicki is responsible for cultivating high-impact partnerships with corporations seeking the blend of skill and integrity that Mendoza graduates provide. She brings a recruiter’s perspective to higher education, focusing on opportunities that drive student success, while also benefiting employers by providing a reliable pipeline of well-prepared candidates who meet their changing hiring needs. 

Mary Cooper (ND ‘24), Assistant Director of Employer Engagement 

Cooper plays a critical role in expanding the pipelines for internships and full-time jobs, ensuring that Mendoza is a "first-choice" school for top recruiters across industries. “Through the work of this newly formed External Engagement team, Mendoza graduate students will continue to be invited to join many of the world’s top employers, build purposeful lifelong careers and have new ways to pay it forward to the next generation of Mendoza students,” said Piersma.