Career Day
Career Day 2024
March 15th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
On Campus
Contact Kristie (Figone) Ishoo ‘05 at kishoo@stfrancishs.org if you have any questions.
Without a doubt, St. Francis cultivates successful, impactful and capable alumnae – women who are changing their world.
Who better to inspire Troubies than their Troubie sisters who are already working in myriad careers?! We are so excited to host this event on campus this year. Students are sure to gain some insights, have some questions answered and begin building their Troubie network for college and career success!
Alumnae are encouraged to participate. Current students will attend sessions of their choice based on career interest/exploration. Ideally, each session will have a couple of alums who work in a similar career field. The sessions will last about 45 minutes with each alum taking 10-15 minutes to summarize their career and leaving time for student questions at the end.
Jasmine Bernal ‘07
Clinical Operations Leader, Genentech
Jasmine has been working in clinical research for over 7 years now and absolutely loves it. She is working within ophthalmology but has experience in gynecological oncology too. A career in clinical research is full of a variety of opportunities!
Lauren Koumelis ‘17
Executive Assistant, Microsoft
I graduated from St.Francis in 2017, and made my way down to San Diego. I attended USD and graduated in 2021. I now work at the Silicon Valley Microsoft Campus as a business administrator and executive assistant and to a VP of cloud and AI engineering and his team of 300 software engineers.
Sara-Kate Pirnik ‘16
Senior Associate, ISN Software Corporation
Sara-Kate Pirnik has been with ISN for almost three years. ISN is a software corporation that allows its clients to pre-qualify contractors before they perform work. Sara-Kate currently works with ISN’s oil and gas clients.
Ellie (Chiappe) Sharkey ‘17
Account Management, Lockton Insurance Brokers
I wish I knew about the global insurance industry when I was a Troubie. Few high school and college students pursue global risk management as a career path. The industry is growing quickly, and we need more empowered associates to step in to an aging and historically male-dominated field. At Lockton I work at the forefront of global business. I advise multinational clients concerning their unique global risk. Our students are the future of global business. They have the whole world ahead of them, I hope it is as boundless and borderless as the world of global risk management.
Jennifer O’Brien Cooley ‘89
Partner, Mark III Asset Management
Jennifer has worked in commercial real estate appraisal, management, construction and development for over 30 years. Currently working with her family to develop new industrial property in California, in the past Jennifer has also served at the President of Mark III Construction, Inc. and been active in strategic planning and financial operations.
Carrie Malas
Field Engineer, Mark III Construction
Carrie has 3 years of experience as an electrician. She began her journey in the industry by attending iTap, a Sacramento-based electrical training school, to prepare for the Electrical Journeyman Test. Since completing her schooling and joining Mark III, Carrie has grown from an electrical trainee to electrical manufacturing lead, and now she is training as a field engineer for multi-trade projects. Her leadership aptitude, paired with her technical knowledge and work ethic has made her successful during her career.
Makayla Oei
Director of Pre-Construction, Mark III Construction
Makayla has over 16 years of experience within the construction industry. She began her career as a project assistant for a mechanical contractor. During this time, she took classes towards her Construction Management Certificate Classes at the UC Davis Extension Campus. In 2015, Makayla made the move to Mark III and is currently the director of preconstruction for the manufacturing innovation segment of the company. She is skilled in growing contractor relationships, virtual construction and manufacturing efforts, in addition to delivering projects on-time and within budget.
Somer Lowery ‘94
Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Growth Public Schools
Somer Lowery was born and raised in Sacramento and attended Catholic schools from Kindergarten through college! She’s lived in Los Angeles, New York and the Caribbean. A Theater Arts Major at Loyola Marymount University, she has taken her unique skill set and put it to use in the education start-up field to carve out paths and roles that add value to organizations and bring joy to her life! She has also pursued and supported others in entrepreneurial endeavors.
Madison Steele ‘11
Coordinator of Learning Experiences, National Constitution Center
Madison Steele is a public history professional working in civic education. She received her BA in History from Temple University and began working in Philadelphia’s historic district after graduation. She has enjoyed working in non traditional education settings leading tours of the Betsy Ross House, Independence Hall, the U.S. Mint, and more. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Learning Experiences at the National Constitution Center.
Reanna Ursin ‘95
Executive Director, Malone Schools Online Network
Joining MSON as Executive Director in 2022, Reanna is an educator, scholar, and diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioner. She came to MSON from the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia where she taught high school English and experiential courses, served as liaison to the Governor’s Honors Program, and developed cross-divisional professional development programming. In 2017 she was awarded the Hawkins Family Professorship for Excellence in English, and in 2019 she was selected as the S.T.A.R. Teacher at the Westminster Schools.
Helen Pierson ‘74
Chief Executive Officer, Medic Ambulance Service
Helen Pierson is the CEO of Medic Ambulance Service Inc., with 34 years in the industry. She’s part of the second generation of the family that founded the company in 1979 in Solano County. The company has since expanded to include a significant footprint in Sacramento County.
Pierson focuses first on the Medic Ambulance team’s ability to serve people who need first-responder care. That’s evident by the various accolades Medic and members of the Medic team have garnered over the years.
Sandra (Pierson) Whaley ‘00
VP Communications, Medic Ambulance Service
After SF I graduated from CSU, Sacramento in 2004 and was working in the Billing Office for Medic. In 2006 I was transferred to our Dispatch Center and then became the Supervisor, then Manager and now VP-Communications. I am an EMD certified dispatcher and call reviewer. I helped our dispatch center achieve International Accreditation through the Internation Academy of Emergency Dispatch as an Accredited Center of Excellence. Which we have recertified for the 2nd time this past year.
Alexa Dameri ‘16
Executive Producer
Alexa Dameri is a creative in the film and television
industry with a background in business. She graduated from
Chapman University in California with a B.S. in Business
Administration and Entrepreneurship and a Minor in Media.
Maura Knowles ‘86
Actor-Singer-Writer
As a proud SFHS Alum, my high school memories are filled with love, inspiration, growth and development including lifelong friendships. It is an honor to speak on Career Day. Now onto my professional bio.
Maura Megan Knowles, Actor/Singer/Writer, created her first original half hour musical-comedy series, Insult to Injury, inspired by her own near death experience, turning to her Irish American comedy roots. She is currently working on a feature.
Sydney Altobell ‘16
Software Engineer, NVIDIA Corporation
Sydney Altobell is a Software Engineer at NVIDIA living in
the Bay Area. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2020
with a B.S in Mathematics & Computer Science, B.A. in Italian
Studies and a minor in Mathematics. In her role at NVIDIA, she
works across teams to develop full-stack internal applications,
which aid in accelerating GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) driver
development and increasing overall quality. Her skills include
User Interface (UI)/ User Experience (UX) design, frontend
development, and data analytics.
Julia Cannon ‘17
Water Resource Engineer, MKN
I graduated June 2022 from Cal Poly with my Masters in Civil & Environmental Engineering with an emphasis on water resources. While at Cal Poly I was involved with Engineers Without Borders, serving as the project manager for a water distribution project in La Rinconada, Nicaragua. This not only got me interested in water engineering, but helped me to understand the social and ethical impacts of the infrastructure we design. It ultimately made me realize that I could make a more sustainable and holistic impact by working at a local scale.
Kristin Dills ‘05
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
Kristin Dills is a Sr. Mechanical Engineer with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a MAS in Medical Device Engineering from UCSD, and over 10 years of experience with the entire product development cycle. She is part of teams that create and produce products from conception and R&D all the way through to final packaging in manufacturing. She has been fascinated with medical applications of mechanical engineering since before leaving high school and loves to problem solve and create.
Audrey Dyte ‘13
Civil Engineer, Mead & Hunt
I am an engineer designing flood protection infrastructure and other water resource projects in the Sacramento area. I provide construction services and planning services to help protect Sacramento from flooding!
Mary Gonsalves Kinney ‘96
Fashion Stylist, MGK STYLE
Mary Gonsalves Kinney is the CEO and Founder of her fashion styling company MGK STYLE with clients in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, New York and D.C. Mary has been noted as the top stylist in the region and boasts a client list that is high profile, diverse and based almost entirely on referral. Her client list consists of some of the top executives and founders in the country from Global 500 technological companies, producers and directors of film, elected officials, actors, athletes, and high profile professionals in a wide variety of industries.
Laura Lewis-Walcott P’25
Stylist
I have over 20 yrs of experience working in various sales & marketing positions in high tech. Recently I decided to leave the high tech industry to pursue my love of design & fashion. I have many years of retail experience at Nordstrom and currently work as a stylist and marketing consultant for a local boutique in East Sac. I graduated from Carondelet High School in the Bay Area in 1989 and have a son who is a junior at Jesuit and my daughter (Kate Lewis) is a sophomore at SFHS.
Victoria Valdez ‘19
Receptionist / Accounts Payable Clerk, AKT Investments, INC
My name is Victoria Valdez and I am from the St. Francis class of 2019. After graduating from St. Francis, I went on to get my AA-Transfer degree from the Los Rios CCD. I am now a student at CSUS in their School Business. As of right now, I am currently interning as a Receptionist/Accounts Payable clerk for AKT Investments, INC here in Sacramento, California.
Kaitlyn (Tinsley) Wolf ‘11
Actuarial Consultant, IMA Financial Group
Following graduation at St. Francis, I received a BA in Mathematics (Probability/Statistics concentration) with a minor in Finance. As an Actuarial Consultant, I work with employers of various sizes and industries to establish robust benefit offerings for their employees. I work in tandem with my clients’ Human Resource, Finance, and Executive Leadership teams to set budgets, analyze medical trends, and implement strategic initiatives to improve organizational wellbeing.
Allison Kustic ‘17
Legislative Aide, California State Assembly
Allison graduated from St. Francis in 2017 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with minors in Ecology & Environmental Sciences and Pre-Law, from Dominican University of California in 2020. She is currently earning her Masters of Public Policy and Administration at Sac State. Allison is a Legislative Aide for Assemblymember Rodriguez and covers Energy, Water, Natural Resources, Transportation, and Housing issues for her office, among others. Allison is an amateur road cyclist, avid reader, enthusiastic baker, and has a serious case of wanderlust.
Mary Mumper ‘11
Project Coordinator, UC Davis
Mary Mumper is the project coordinator for Aggie Square, in the office of Government and Community Relations at UC Davis, where she previously served as an administrative assistant for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Industry Alliances at the University of California, Davis Health from 2018 to 2021. Prior to her work with the University, she served in Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr’s administration, in various positions including executive assistant in the Governor’s Washington D.C.
Sarah (Ellingson) McMurray ‘97
Certified Child Life Specialist, Sutter Medical Center
I have the privilege to work with children and their families during hospitalization with the goal of promoting optimal coping while minimizing emotional trauma. Through modalities of diagnosis education, therapeutic medical play, sibling support, bereavement/legacy building, and even a robust facility dog program, a child life specialist provides a holistic approach to supporting families throughout their hospital experience.
Laurie (Alameida) Menchaca ‘86
Deputy Commissioner, CA Dept. of Insurance
Laurie has been with the Department of Insurance since 2016 and has more than 29 years of experience working in state government, primarily in senior-level administrative leadership positions. Prior to joining the Department of Insurance, Laurie served as the Assistant Division Chief of Human Resources at CalPERS, where she partnered with board and executive leadership to create and sustain a myriad of organization-wide staff recruitment, retention, and development initiatives.
Katie Schembri ‘14
Employee Experience Coordinator (HR), AMPAC Fine Chemicals
I have been working professionally since 2018. I started at Loyola Marymount University, moved into tech sales in San Francisco, was a remote Executive assistant to a CEO, worked as a recruiting coordinator and now work in person at AMPAC in human resources.
Eleni Crush ‘06
Senior Technology Support Specialist, San Juan Unified School District
I’ve been working in IT since 2010 in a variety of different roles, both private and public sectors. I started out working at Apple as a Genius for 5 years in New York City. Since relocating back to Sacramento in 2015 I’ve been working in IT with the San Juan Unified school district. I’m passionate about working with both technology and education and love that my job lets me be involved with both.
Theresa (Ross) Wiebold ‘08
Engineering Program Manager, Cisco
Theresa Wiebold graduated from St. Francis in 2008 and went on to graduate from Gonzaga University and was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army. After serving and deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Theresa went back to school to obtain her Master’s degree in Cybersecurity from George Washington University and pivoted to a career at Cisco in the Security & Trust Organization. Theresa manages a program that conducts penetration testing for internal Cisco clients, strengthening product security and enabling go-to-market efforts.
Claire Blocker ‘00
Principal Designer & Co-Owner, Parc Studio Interior Design
Claire Blocker is the principal and co-founder of Parc Studio, a full-service, boutique interior design team serving California. She is committed to developing customized designs for her clients, and works closely with them to create timeless spaces that will inspire. Claire takes great pleasure in being involved with every studio project and developing personal relationships with each client. Through a unique combination of international education and experience focused in California, Claire offers a sharp eye and dynamic vision to each project.
Rebecca (Isbill) Ward ‘98
Principal Designer, Rebecca Ward Design
Rebecca Ward is CEO and Principal Designer at one of Sacramento’s leading interior design firms for modern living. She is an award winning, certified interior designer offering a worry-free experience to her clients. Specializing in fresh, contemporary spaces; her focus is to bring purpose, beauty and inspiration to every interior. She received her BA in Interior design from CSU, Sacramento and founded her company, Rebecca Ward Design, in 2007 to enable her to fully pursue her passion for design.
Brigget Barrios ‘08
Attorney, Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi LLP
Brigget graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Spanish after three years of studies. She then attended University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law before graduating in December 2014. She passed the February 2015 bar exam and has been a practicing attorney in both public and private practice since that time.
Kelly Doyle ‘09
Attorney, Somach Simmons & Dunn
I represent public and private clients in various natural resource matters. Before becoming an environmental attorney, I was a litigator at the Childrens Law Center of California where I protected the interests of foster care children. I received my law degree from McGeorge School of Law in 2020 and my bachelors in liberal arts from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in 2013.
Victoria Alonso ‘09
Associate Digital Marketing Manager, Social Media, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
Hi, my name is Victoria and I’m passionate about Digital Marketing! I currently work for Ghirardelli Chocolate Company where I manage social media and digital campaigns. After I graduated from St. Francis, I went to USC to study International Relations and Business. When I graduated, I tried out many career paths but landed in a Marketing role and loved it. I worked for a Real Estate company, a PR agency, and another candy company and grew my skills. I ended up at Disney Interactive as a Social Content Strategist, which was a dream come true!
Ria Flores ‘03
Marketing Specialist, Stanford University Alumni Association
Ria Flores graduated from St. Francis in 2013 and earned her B.A. in Communications from UC Davis in 2017. She is a marketing specialist at Stanford University where she manages strategic marketing initiatives at the alumni association. In her role, Ria develops and executes integrated marketing plans that focus on digital marketing channels, such as email and social media, to reach Stanford alumni around the world. In addition to her role, she assists in program planning, mentors college students, and is a member of the Stanford Workplace 3.0 committee.
Cecilia (Romo) Divin ‘99
Physician, Mercy Medical Group
Dr. Divin is currently working as a family medicine physician in an outpatient setting for Mercy Medical Group.
Nina Sanfilippo ‘16
Graduate Student of Physician Assistant Studies, Touro University
After graduating from St. Francis, I went on to earn a bachelor of science degree from UC Davis in Cognitive Science, the study of the mind and brain. For the past two years, I have worked as a medical assistant in a family medicine office preparing to apply to graduate school to become a Physician Assistant (PA). I was recently accepted to Touro University and will shortly be starting my career as a PA.
Andrea Soares ‘09
Physician/Cardiology Fellow, UC Davis Medical Center
I graduated from SFHS in 2009 and attended UCLA where I majored in molecular biology. After this, I attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis and completed by residency there as well. I am boarded in Internal Medicine and work as an attending in the IM department here and will be starting at Sutter in March. Most of the time, however, I work full time as a cardiology fellow at UC Davis and am in my second year. After next year, I will be the second female interventional cardiology fellow ever at UC Davis.
Sarah Haney ‘98
Chief Development Officer, Sacramento SPCA
Sarah Haney is the Chief Development Officer of the Sacramento SPCA. Sarah joined the SSPCA in 2017 as Director of Development. She has built a strong professional team and has effectively led the organization’s annual fundraising efforts. She was a driving force in the successful completion of the capital campaign for the Zoe K. McCrea Animal Health Center.
Jennifer Stolo P’15&’21
Former Make-A-Wish President & CEO/ Current Founder of You Got This! JS Consulting
Jennifer’s storied career spans nearly 30 years in executive nonprofit management with experience in education, foster care, learning disabilities and differences, oral health care, and children with critical illnesses. She has led large statewide initiatives and multi-million-dollar campaigns for California Boys Town and the California Dental Association Foundation.
Mary (Geary) Ellingson ‘67
Retired RN
After two years at Gonzaga University, I transferred to UCD where I completed my Psychology degree in the summer of 1970. I then moved to NC where my husband attended Duke graduate school in PT. I worked for the university on a cancer research project. The first of my 4 children was born there. I became a full time mom and volunteer for the next 17 years. I returned to college life at CSUS where I obtained my BSN in 1999. I had a practice in pediatrics with Sutter for 15 years.
Molly Pirnik ‘18
Perioperative (OR) Nurse, Baylor Scott and White
Hello! My name is Molly Pirnik and I graduated from St. Francis in 2018 (the year of the turtle). After enjoying all St. Francis had to offer me I pursued Nursing at Baylor University and just graduated this past May with my BSN. I have been working as a nurse for the past 10 months and have had the best experience and would love to share about all that working in healthcare has taught me and how a nursing program works!
Alumna from the Class of 2010
Special Agent, FBI
Attend this panel to hear this alumna’s story.
Angie Andrews ‘08
Public Information Officer, Stockton Unified School District Department of Public Safety
Angie Andrews is born and raised in Elk Grove, California. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She has a passion for public service, having begun her career as an EMT and transitioned into law enforcement. Over the past 7 years, she has advanced through the following ranks; Patrol, School Resource Officer, G.R.E.A.T. Officer, Field Training Officer, Detective, and currently holds the rank of Public Information Officer.
Carmyndee Fields ‘13
Public Safety Dispatcher, California Highway Patrol
I have worked as a 911 dispatcher for coming up on 10 years. I have my bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Sac State. I love to travel; I’ve been to 34 states and 10 countries. I use my degree to prioritize my well-being working in such a fast-paced, high-stakes job.
Julie Soto ‘06
Author, Freelance
Julie is an author, playwright, and actress. Her musical Generation Me won the 2017 New York Musical Festival’s Best Musical award, as well as Best Book for her script. Her first novel comes out July 11, 2023, from Forever Books in the U.S. and HarperCollins in the U.K. Sold at auction in a two-book deal, FORGET ME NOT is a romantic comedy about an up-and-coming wedding planner and a grumpy, tattooed florist that must work together on a celebrity wedding while hiding the fact that they’re exes. Julie set the book in Sacramento with plenty of nods to local businesses and neighborhoods.
Lindsey Matzoll ‘05
Senior Manager, Tax Operations, ResMed
I graduated from the University of San Diego in 2010 with my Bachelors degree in Accounting and Masters in Taxation. From there, I began my career at PwC where I gained experience preparing and reviewing corporate income tax returns as well as auditing tax provisions for publicly traded and privately held companies. In 2017, I was given the opportunity to join the tax team at ResMed, a publicly traded medical device company. Since then, I have grown into the role of managing the global tax provision with a focus on process improvement.
Ciara Pedroncelli ‘08
Manager, Gilbert CPAs
Ciara serves as a manager in the audit department of Gilbert CPAs. She primarily performs audits and reviews of nonprofits and employee benefit plans, as well as having public company auditing experience. Ciara focuses on providing assurance, performing research over accounting guidance and providing consulting services that enable clients to solve problems and grow in line with their strategic visions. Ciara graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga with a bachelor of science in accounting and a minor in theology and religious studies.
Tatiana DiMugno ‘13
Mixed Animal Veterinarian, Meadow Vista Veterinary Clinic
After graduating from Saint Francis, I completed a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Minnesota, then moved on to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine for my doctorate degree. Today I have the pleasure to treat the medical and surgical conditions of a diverse group of animal species from small domestic animals to large farm animals and even some wildlife. No day is ever the same! I’m looking forward to helping students learn if a career in vet med is for them!
Rosea Pagliaroli ‘99
Regional Technician Director, VCA Animal Hospitals
Rosea graduated from Carrington College, in 2001 and received her RVT licensing very shortly after that. She started working at a veterinary hospital in Sacramento and held multiple positions including Assistant Director of PetNursing until 2010. She then moved to VCA and was promoted to Technician Supervisor in 2014. Rosea later began working with the VCA Career Development Team in 2019 working to train Technicians and assistants and sharing skills and knowledge with other VCA hospitals in Northern California.
Amalia Griego ‘91
Development Officer
Amalia is a dentist turned non profit professional. After operating her own business and practicing dentistry for seventeen years, she decided to follow her passion and jumped into the Nonprofit fundraising world.
Amy (Watson) Krause ‘90
Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Centene Corporation
Amy has been practicing law for 20+ years almost exclusively in the field of health care. Her work has spanned the public and private sectors, and from traditional lawyer functions to public policy, to advocacy, to management. She currently oversees legal operations in seven western states for a Fortune 25 company. Amy graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Political Science, and from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles with a Juris Doctor.