Justice Margaret O’Mara Frossard (ret.) was named Director of Professionalism and Career Strategy and is now working directly with staff in the Career Services Office (CSO) to assist students and graduates in their job searches.
Frossard has been director of Professionalism and Engagement since April 2011. During that time she has reached out to the legal community establishing the first law school sponsored Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentorship Program in the state approved by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. In connection with that program she has been meeting with graduates to help pair them with more experienced attorneys. She most recently established an Alumni Job Placement Advisory Board that is reviewing and sharing résumés of new graduates to assist with their job searches.
“The end game is to place our graduates in jobs,” Frossard said. “I have had success in getting graduates placed. It requires intense person-to-person networking.”
Frossard is excited to have many of those placed come back to assist with her efforts.
“When I tell a 3L or a recent graduate that I have someone who they should talk to, I need to know that they have a good writing sample, a cover letter and a résumé ready,” Frossard said. “That is a major emphasis now, for anyone who is searching for a job. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be ready.”
When Dean John E. Corkery announced Frossard’s new responsibilities effective Jan. 1, 2013, he also appointed Chanté Spann the new CSO director. She is handling the operations of the office and implementation of policy. Spann had been an associate director in the office since March 2010.
Spann also announced two new staff members Shannon Schaab and Carol L. Wolniakowski.
Schaab, associate director of CSO, supervises the On-Campus Interviewing Program and conducts employer outreach. She will also teach Lawyering Skills I and Lawyering Skills II.
“This is my first opportunity to combine two passions: law and counseling,” Schaab said.
Schaab received a JD from DePaul University where she graduated Order of the Coif. She is completing a master’s degree in Social Services Administration at the University of Chicago.
Wolniakowski, career planning specialist, is looking forward to networking with recent alumni and helping students navigate the job market.
“I’m amazed at the credentials I see from John Marshall students,” Wolniakowski said, of the experience John Marshall students have accrued while still in law school. “It’s impressive.”
Wolniakowski received a JD from Loyola University Chicago.
The CSO Office is also staffed by Associate Directors Sahar Dar, Tiffany Farber and Kim Isemann; Employer Outreach Coordinator Nello Gamberdino II; Career Planning Specialist Stacia Goldstein; Career Services Coordinator Dennis Mazur; and Office Manager Sue Monette.