Join GS alumni working in Human Resources and Recruiting as they discuss their career paths, their time at Columbia, and their best advice for those pursuing jobs in these industries.
A Zoom link will be sent to registrants 24 hours prior to the event.
Featuring:
Brian Deonarine '20GS Senior Regional Recruiter at Healthtrust WorkForce Solutions is a native New Yorker hailing for the East New York area of Brooklyn. After his first stint in Higher Education ended unceremoniously, Brian took some time away from academia to grow and discover himself on a personal and professional level. Brian rediscovered his goal to achieve a degree in higher education while at Kingsborough Community College where after a year he transferred to GS. He graduated GS in 2020 with a degree in American History. He relocated to South Florida in 2021 to accept a role as an Associate Recruiter at Healthtrust Workforce Solutions, a subsidiary of Hospital Corporation of America, where he places healthcare providers in positions where they can benefit the communities HCA services. In 2022, he was promoted to Regional Recruiter for the Kansas City, Nashville, TN and Richmond VA regions. As of 2023, Brian was promoted to Senior Regional Recruiter at Healthtrust WorkForce Solutions where he looks to continue to make an impact on the staffing needs for the regions he is dedicated too. Outside of work, Brian recently purchased his first property and enjoys weekend trips to Homegoods as he continues to furnish his new home.
Elle Littlefield '12GS Founder of Careerwell LLC is a passionate career educator out to democratize career information at scale in order to break down barriers to employment, promote career growth, and reduce career stress. She is the founder and CEO of CareerWell, a double bottom line company that teaches candidates how to master their job search and bring their whole, best selves to their careers. She has spent more than twenty years building uniquely deep expertise in the talent space; as an in-house recruiting leader, management consultant advising Fortune 500 Chief HR Officers and training their recruiting teams, candidate coach helping professionals make major career shifts, and featured speaker at conferences and leading universities. Mrs. Littlefield received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University, where she graduated cum laude. She currently serves on the STEAM-focused alumni programming committee for the Columbia Alumni Association, the university-wide association across all 17 schools, and the Valeur-Jensen Denmark Race Committee at Stamford Yacht Club. She is a 2022 graduate of HAYVN’s Launch accelerator program serving female founders nationally, and she actively gathers area founders to exchange insight and support.
Dirk Vanderlaan '14GS Recruiter and Columbia GS Admissions graduated from GS in 2014, and initially planned for a career in government. Seeing an opening on the GS Admissions team piqued his interest in recruiting, and he worked as a GS Admissions Manager until 2018. Moving back to California, he worked on various recruiting teams at Google and Tesla supporting technical roles, manufacturing, and starting the Tesla Veterans Recruiting Program. In 2023 he returned part-time to the GS Admissions team and helps recruitment at various Bay Area community colleges.
