The Board of Regents is pleased to present a KUDOS award to Joe Hayes, Assistant Director of Employer Relations within the Academic and Career Development Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Joe has served ACDC for four years, having come to the office with prior knowledge of career advising and career centers. His rich experience coupled with his desire to learn new skills and share new insights has made him a strong team member and a valuable asset to the ACDC team.
At UNO, Joe’s main responsibility is to build and maintain strong relationships with the many employers interested in hiring UNO students. Recently, he created a system in which those employers can easily schedule quick conversations with him online, and he always makes himself readily available for calls, questions and meetings. His responsiveness is one of the many reasons these potential employers appreciate working with Joe.
In summer 2018, Joe was selected to create and lead a Washington D.C. enrichment program for students interning in the D.C. area. This program serves not only students at UNO but from the entire University of Nebraska system; UNK, UNL and UNMC. This responsibility was assumed on top of his current role as Assistant Director of Employer Relations, requiring him to briefly relocate to the D.C. area over the summer. His ability to accept that added responsibility, while maintaining a high quality of service to UNO, was exceptional.
Joe must be adaptable, especially when coordinating employers and career fairs. Employers often have last minute changes in their plans, and it’s Joe’s job to ensure those changes have no impact on the student experience. These events can determine the success of student’s career, and as such, it’s critical that Joe is able to work under pressure. He’s always ready to step in for a colleague in career advising when needed, prepared to support and cover the busy advising loads in the ACDC office.
Please join me in thanking Joe for his commitment to UNO, its students and their future career plans.