Meet the Team

Mandy Connelly is the Director of the Graham Office of Career Management, where she brings a decade of expertise to support student career development and employer engagement. Since beginning in her field, she has been dedicated to preparing students and professionals to achieve strong career outcomes, helping them become hire-ready for internships, post-graduation roles, and new opportunities.

A passionate advocate for student success, Mandy holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastern Kentucky University. Her career in higher education began there, where she served as the Assistant Director for Career Readiness & Outreach and taught a course in major and career exploration. She later held the role of Human Resources & Talent Manager for the University of Kentucky Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement.

Mandy holds the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) through the Association of Talent Development. She currently serves as President of the Kentucky Association of Colleges & Employers (KACE) and has served on the board of the Kentucky Career Development Association (KCDA). Beyond her work in higher education career services, she also carries her love of professional development forward by volunteering with programs to help women in recovery or those facing other economic hardships prepare to reenter the workforce and achieve career goals they may not have thought possible.

Raven Gibson joins Gatton with nearly a decade of experience as a social services professional providing case management and counseling in multiple settings. She is excited about preparing students to confidently step into the world of work with increased clarity on who they are and what they are working towards. Her primary goal is to be the career advisor she needed as an undergraduate student. Raven earned her Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and a Masters in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Career Counselor (CCC).

Hayley Hollenberg utilizes her love of recruitment and networking in her role of Assistant Director of Employer Engagement in the Graham Office of Career Management.  In her role, she fosters relationships with employers in hopes of connecting Gatton students with their next employment opportunity.  Previously, Hayley served as an Admissions Counselor at Berea College, where her work centered around college access.  Hayley graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2018 with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minors in Sociology, Communication & Public Advocacy.  She received her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University in 2021.

Employers, you are welcome to schedule an appointment with Hayley using the button on the right.  Students, please schedule your appointments through Handshake.

As Office Manager, Denise brings the Graham team a wealth of industry experience in customer service and administrative support across multiple organizations, including Kentucky State University, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, and Olympia Church of Christ, in her home state of Washington. She holds an Associate of Technical Arts degree in Information Processing Management from Puget Sound Community College.

Jason is one of our Career Coaching Interns who coaches our students with resume building, interview preparation and more!

Cate is one of our Career Coaching Interns who coaches our students with resume building, interview preparation and more!

Shonta Phelps is the Director of Student Leadership Development in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. As a Gallup Strengths Certified Coach and an experienced educator, she plays a pivotal role in empowering students to unlock their full potential and excel in their personal and professional lives. With a passion for student development, Shonta coordinates student involvement activities and leads various leadership programs, including the Gatton Ambassador program and Women Business Leaders (WBL). She also serves as an instructor for the Global Scholars and Social Enterprise Scholars Honors Pathways. Through these initiatives, Shonta is able to use her coaching and facilitation experience to help students develop a stronger sense of their personal leadership style. In Gatton, Shonta focuses on creating experiential learning opportunities that enables students to grow and refine their leadership and professional skills, preparing them for success in their future careers.

Shonta brings a wealth of experience in higher education, spanning almost 18 years across diverse areas such as undergraduate recruitment, enrollment management, academic advising, residence life, student support services, and leadership development. As a first-generation college graduate herself, she deeply understands the transformative power of education and considers it a blessing to fulfill her calling in this role.

Shonta holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky and a Masters in Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. Through her role in the Graham Office of Career Management, she is excited to continue her mission of fostering a generation of confident, skilled, and motivated leaders who will thrive in their future endeavors.

Josh is a Gallup CliftonStrengths®, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)®, Strong Interest Inventory (SII)®, and Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF)® certified student development practitioner. Those letters simply mean he’s highly trained in (and really geeks out to!) the art and science of learning-to-launch navigation and current hiring practices.

He anchors his work to three objectives that both challenge and equip students to get into purposeful professional alignment: LEARN WHO YOU ARE (exploration), PLAN WHERE YOU’LL GO (goal-setting and development), and GET WHERE YOU’RE GOING (hire readiness).

Josh is a founding Director of UK/Gatton’s Business Goes Global (BGG) summer education abroad program, in Paris, France, which focuses on professional-readiness through the lenses of globalization and international business. BGG is UK’s first ed-abroad program to fuse coursework and a hands-on micro-internship into one cohesive experience.

Whether across campus, in the classroom, or abroad, Josh inspires students to up their get-hired game, take charge of their future, and design a life that’s aligned with how they define success.

Yasmin is our Marketing & Communications Intern. She manages our LinkedIn, website, and all things included in general office marketing!

As a Systems Administrator Intern, Gavin works on updating our website and Handshake, data analysis and tracking tools, as well as technical support!