As Senior Director of Career Services at Empowered UCLA Extension, Mark uses his passions for teaching and coaching in order to help others achieve their goals.

Mark has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies related to helping their employees improve their career planning and management skills. Former employers include University of Minnesota, University of Evansville, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and Capella University.

Mark holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota in Higher Education Administration.

He provides this quote for inspiration as you continue your educational and professional adventure:

"Seize this very minute; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power magic in it." - Wolfgang von Goethe

Over the past eighteen years, Val has provided career and business coaching and training to professionals and entrepreneurs in a wide variety of industries. She’s done this within her own business, and in the outplacement industry, where she served as a senior career advisor to executives in transition.

As an adjunct professor, Val also supervises the coaching work of graduate students in the Professional Life Coaching program at the Adler Graduate School, Richfield, Minnesota, and provides career and business startup advising.

Val holds a Master's degree in human development from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and is a Licensed Psychologist (Emeritus) in the State of Minnesota. She received the designation of Certified Professional Co-Active Coach from The Coaches Training Institute, of San Rafael, California. Val has been featured as a career and life coaching expert in national media on PBS Health Diary, and in Women's Day magazine, Utne Reader magazine and in other media outlets.

Val enjoys helping people bring out the best in themselves. Her style of career coaching focuses on a person’s strengths, talents and future possibilities, not past mistakes. She likes to assist others in moving their professional lives forward by identifying opportunities and creating solutions to overcome obstacles. Val is an excellent listener, motivator and strategist. She enjoys the creativity of working with students to pinpoint action steps toward achieving favorable career outcomes, whether the aim is employment or self-employment.

Val likes these quotes about work:

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” ~ Aristotle

“What if we invested more time and attention to our own experimentation? We could focus our efforts on discovering solutions that work uniquely for us.” ~ Margaret Wheatley

As a Master Certified Coach, Nancy has spent 17 years coaching clients to business and personal success. As founder of a personal coaching firm she is passionate about guiding other entrepreneurs and career changers to identify what makes them “tick’ and to be excited to get out of bed every morning to start living.

Nancy has a degree in Education and a Masters in Medical Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has worked and supervised students in Employee Assistance Programs, Medical and Educational Settings. She received her Coaching Certificate from The Coaches Training Institute and was one of the first coaches in Minnesota to receive the designation of Master Certified Coach.

A seasoned consultant and trainer, Nancy has developed and facilitated over 50 workshop topics and is a licensed MBTI administrator and qualified to administer DISC and Strongs Interest Inventories. She is known for her intense curiosity and her compassionate yet straight forward coaching style. “I am fascinated with people’s stories, especially the ones not yet written,” says Nancy.

Nancy's advice for anyone in transition is to keep moving. Even if you do one new thing a day, stay in motion and stay open to possibility.

Her favorite quote about change:

“Every one of us is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life…onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another…Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is." - Barbara Kingsolver