ACDA Board Member Introductions - 2010

Sandy Somers, President, has a master’s degree in Community Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing and used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) in her thesis to examine personality type and work satisfaction. Fueled by her lifelong interest in career development she transitioned from healthcare to career coaching. She completed the Career Development Facilitator curriculum through the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and is credentialed as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). Sandy currently works in Career Services at Arizona State University, Tempe campus and is a career coach in private practice.

Mary Fachman, President-elect, holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Iowa with a concentration in Human Resources Management. Her career has spanned elementary and higher education as well as human resources management in the private sector. She was director of a federal job training program at Iowa Valley Community College, Placement Director at the Anderson Schools of Management at University of New Mexico and currently works as a career advisor in Career Services at Arizona State University, Tempe campus. Mary’s ultimate career goal is to be a best-selling author, demonstrating that career development does indeed take place across the life span. She has written three novels just waiting to be published.

Karen E. Lamb, (Kaye) is the Assistant Director of Career Advising and Curriculum for Arizona State University Career Services on the Tempe campus. She is also the Past President of the Arizona Career Development Association (ACDA) and an active member of University Career Women.

Before coming to Arizona State University, Kaye was the Director of Career Services at Elgin Community College (ECC) and two-time President of the ECC Chapter, American Association for Women in Community College (AAWCC). She also worked as a consultant for Women Employed where she served as the head writer of a career development curriculum, Strategies for Success. The Strategies for Success manual was designed to assist instructors and service providers who work with adult learners in the process of choosing a career, changing careers, or selecting an educational concentration.

Kaye holds a BA in Speech Communication from Valparaiso University (IN), a MA in Communication Education and Training from the University of Maryland, and a MS in Industrial Relations from Loyola University of Chicago. She is certified as a Global Career Development Facilitator and is an active member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the National Career Development Association (NCDA).

Joyce Donahue, past president ACDA, and currently serves as Policy Committee chair. Joyce is currently employed as the Career Development Coordinator in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering Career Center at Arizona State University. She was previously employed at the Business Career Center in the W. P. Carey School of Business.  Joyce has worked at ASU since 1996 as an academic advisor, internship coordinator and career coach. Prior to moving to Arizona, Joyce worked as a community college counselor in New Jersey. In her “former life”, she worked for Eastern Airlines – as a reservations agent, supervisor, trainer and sales coach.  It was the experience of a hostile corporate takeover that led her to graduate school and the world of Career Development Professionals.

Joyce has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA; a Master of Education Counseling Psychology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies Counseling Psychology from Ottawa University, Phoenix, AZ. Joyce is a National Certified Counselor and a National Certified Career Counselor. She is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers and holds Master Career Counselor membership status with the National Career Development Association. Joyce has served on the ACDA Executive Board since 1996.

Maryjo Douglas Zunk, MA, MBA, past President ACDA and currently serves as Treasurer. Maryjo has been a career consultant and specialist and academic advisor with Arizona State University for the 12 years she’s been in the Phoenix Valley. As a member of ACDA since 1996 she has served as Secretary, Treasurer, Membership and Program Chair. Maryjo has combined her counseling and business education, presentation and management experience, creative talents, and service-orientation to assist graduates, students and job seekers in transition successfully achieve their goals.

Sue Simmerman, Membership Chair, Sue is currently Assistant Director for Experiential Education with ASU Career Services (Tempe campus).  In this capacity she works with students, internship coordinators, and employers to connect students with internship opportunities. In addition to working as a Career Services professional for 20 years with four other universities, she is also an experienced corporate trainer who has designed and presented training sessions on a variety of topics including team building, personality differences in the workplace, business writing, generational differences, and facilitation skills. Sue earned a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from Eastern Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Grand Valley State University.

Diana Potapenko, Secretary, has become an expert in the career transition
industry with several years of experience in helping individuals find the
right educational opportunities, make informed career choices, and efficiently
job search. As a Maricopa Community Colleges representative for the Maricopa Workforce Connection One-Stop Career Centers in the valley, she assists clients in finding and obtaining government training dollars and conducts workshops such as, Financial Aid, Career Pathways, and Career Search Tools. Diana is also a speaker for the City of Phoenix, Community and Economic Development Department. Her topics include resume writing, effectively using the internet to job search, and social networking. In pursuing her passion for the study of history, she also teaches Western Civilization courses at Mesa Community College as an adjunct professor.

Virginia Chomiak, past VP ACDA-Southern Region and currently serves as the Communications/Technology Chair and ACDA webmaster.  Virginia managed the Career Center at Pima Community College’s Downtown campus for five years specializing in Career Information Systems. Virginia is currently working as a Curriculum Coordinator for Pima Community College. Virginia was recently certified as a Career Development Facilitator Instructor (CDFI), and is a member of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and the NCDA CDF Instructor Registry. Virginia is a native Southern Arizonan and graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Home Economics and a Master of Public Administration specializing in Public Management. Virginia has served on the ACDA Executive Board since 2005.