John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Center for Career & Professional Development is to assist students and alumni in finding success in the career of their choosing through career exploration, skill development, gaining practical experience, and building a professional network. We work to ensure that each student or alumni we serve approaches his or her professional life with confidence, a sense of purpose and public service, and the knowledge and experience that will propel him or her to success!

OUR TEAM

Will Simpkins, Director
wsimpkins@jjay.cuny.edu
Will Simpkins is the Director of the Center for Career & Professional Development at John Jay College of Criminal Justice with responsibility for overseeing career services for all undergraduate students and alumni. He has spent the last 10 years working in college student services with particular focuses in public service and internships. He has an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Maryland and a BA in English from Virginia Tech.

Premwati Sukhan, Associate Director / Internships & Cooperative Education
psukhan@jjay.cuny.edu

Argenis Rodriguez, Associate Director/COPE Program Director
arrodriguez@jjay.cuny.edu
Argenis Rodriguez is the Associate Director/ COPE Program Director in the Center for Career & Professional Development at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is responsible for providing qualifying low income students with employment services, assistance accessing social services, and on-campus support. He has worked both in the nonprofit sector and Higher Education field and holds a M.A. in Education Administration from the University at Albany (SUNY) and a MPA in Public Affairs and Administration from Metropolitan College of New York.

Mary Ann Triest, Assistant Director for MPA Career Services
mtriest@jjay.cuny.edu
Mary Ann Triest is the Assistant Director for MPA Career Services and provides targeted career services to current graduate students in public administration and alumni of the program at John Jay College. She has spent the last 2.5 years as a career counselor working with students on each step of their career plan at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. She holds a MA in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA degree in Asian Studies and Child Development from Tufts University.

Zay La fleur John, Career Counselor
zjohn@jjay.cuny.edu
Zay John joined the Center for Career & Professional Development as a Career Counselor in 2009. For two years prior, she was the Employment Specialist for College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment (COPE) program at Research Foundation, John Jay College campus. She has worked in other sectors of higher education including academic advising. Zay earned her MPA in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Baruch College School of Public Affairs.

Barbara Young, Career Counselor
bayoung@jjay.cuny.edu
Barbara Young's previous career was with a federal agency, the Veterans Administration, where she served as Health Information Manager for the New York and Maryland Health Care Systems. This entailed participation in hiring panels which led to her appointment by Central Office as the VA Recruiter of allied health staff for the Northeast. In 2008 she joined CDS where she counsels students/alumni relative to their career paths/options, their employment application documents and graduate school planning. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College/CUNY.

Leticia Randle, COPE Employment Specialist
lrandle@jjay.cuny.edu
Leticia Randle is the Employment Specialist for the COPE Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She works to deliver comprehensive professional development employment services to Program Participants. She holds a M.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Virginia State University.

Carolynn Todd, COPE Counselor
ctodd@jjay.cuny.edu
Carolyn Todd is the Counselor for the COPE Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She provides guidance and available resources to program participants. She holds a BSW, MSW, and MBA from Adelphi University.

Crystal Farmer, Office Manager
cfarmer@jjay.cuny.edu
Crystal Farmer serves as the Office Manager for the Center for Career & Professional Development.  In this capacity, she handles all the logistics for event planning and management.  Ms. Farmer has worked in the Office of Student Activities which has been renamed the “Office of Student Life” and in the Office of Graduate Admissions. She has been employed with CUNY since 1996. 

Linda Reals, Consultant/Financial Fluency Program
lreals@jjay.cuny.edu 
Linda Reals is the Financial Fluency Program Consultant in the Center for Career & Professional Development at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  The goal of the Financial Fluency Program is to educate students on issues relating to personal finance.  The program offers group seminars and one-on-one office hours on topics ranging from budgeting, banking, credit & debt management, insurance, savings, investments and more.  Linda has been involved in Financial Fluency education for over 8 years at her alma-mater, Barnard College and for scholarship foundations.

Besty Gonzalez, Receptionist/Careers Resources Coordinator
bgonzalez@jjay.cuny.edu
Betsy Gonzalez is the Receptionist/Career Resources Coordinator for the Center for Career & Professional Development. She manages the front desk and reception area and assists students with information. Betsy previously worked for the John Jay Department of Information Technology Helpdesk and has been employed at John Jay since 2007.

Kenneth Edusei, Career Resources Assistant
kedusei@jjay.cuny.edu
Kenneth Edusei is the Career Resources Assistant at the Center for Career & Professional Development. He maintains the John Jay Careers Online database. He holds a B.A in Philosophy Honors and a B.S. in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College.

Tiffany Craig, Internship Program Assistant
interncooped@jjay.cuny.edu
Tiffany Craig is the Internship Program Assistant. She is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She supports the internship program in various capacities including assisting with internship workshops, liaise between the internship program and internship locations, and manage the internship database.

LaRhonda Saunders, COPE Administrative Assistant
larhonda.saunders@jjay.cuny.edu
LaRhonda Saunders is a current John Jay College student pursuing a bachelor's degree in forensic psychology. Working together with COPE, LaRhonda assesses the needs of students and provides them with various resources to continue their education.