Joseph Catrino: Director
Joseph (Joe) Catrino, Director of Career Development, joined Trinity in 2015 as senior associate
director of marketing in the Division of Enrollment and Student Success. He
played a critical role in Trinity’s enrollment success and has fundamentally
transformed the division’s strategies around marketing, outreach, and strategic
communications. In addition, Joe teaches in the first-year seminar program,
taking on an advising load of students, mentoring student interns, and working
to develop Trinity’s new design thinking initiatives.
Prior to joining
Trinity College, Catrino spent nine years at Quinnipiac University. Four and a
half of those years as the assistant dean for career development in the School
of Communications. In this role, he oversaw and managed career development and
career advising for more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students in the
School of Communications. During that time, he successfully increased the
student job placement rate from 82% to 92%. One of his key responsibilities was
also to manage and supervise the academic component of the School’s internship
program.
Joe has a long
history of teaching, writing, and serving on professional boards. Since 2007,
he’s taught at Quinnipiac and the University of Hartford. His course topics
range from Social Media to Media Career Development; Personal Branding;
Business and Professional Communication; and Sports, Media, and Society. He
serves on the Board of Directors of the Cooperative Education and Internship
Association (CEIA) as vice president of professional development and previously
held the position of vice president of marketing and communications for two
years and is a frequent presenter at regional and national career-related
conferences. His most recent publication, “A New Approach: How to Prepare
Students to Exceed Expectations in Internships” for the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, highlights his passion for
helping students thrive through experiential learning.
Joe holds an MBA
from Quinnipiac University, an M.A. in communication from the University of
Hartford, and a B.A. in history and communications/public relations from Marist
College.
Joseph.Catrino@trincoll.edu
Severn Sandt: Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships and Outreach
Severn Sandt, Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships and Outreach, serves as the principal liaison between Career Development and employers from a variety of industries and sectors. In concert with companies and organizations across the nation, she generates internship and full-time opportunities for Trinity students, enabling them to lay strong foundations for their professional lives.
Severn comes to Trinity with over 20 years of experience in journalism and television production. A graduate of Boston University, she joined ABC News as a Production Assistant, advancing to Coordinating Producer on such programs as PrimeTime Live, The Century with Peter Jennings, and Hopkins 24/7. At ESPN/ABC Sports, she moved into finance and operational roles, overseeing teams covering the PGA Tour, the X Games, Thoroughbred horse racing events including the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup, national and international figure skating championships, and two NFL Super Bowls. She is the winner of two Emmy Awards.
Outside of Trinity, Severn is an outdoor adventure seeker, with rafting the Grand Canyon, kayaking and snorkeling Belize’s Blue Hole, and hiking the Canadian Rockies among her favorite trips to date. Beyond these, listening to the BSO on the lawn at Tanglewood, getting lost in the galleries of the Met , and wandering the paths of Elizabeth Park are some more placid endeavors that bring her great joy.
Severn.Sandt@trincoll.edu
Victoria Sandoval: Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships & Outreach
Victoria Sandoval, Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships and Outreach, builds partnerships with employers from a multitude of industries. Together with these companies, she helps generate internship and full-time opportunities for Trinity students, preparing them for their professional endeavors. Victoria also coordinates the Center’s social media feeds and on-campus marketing efforts.
Before joining Career Development, Victoria worked in human resources at Accion International, based in Washington, DC. She focused primarily on recruiting and staffing, and managed internship and entry level openings within the company. In her free time, Victoria enjoys exploring new restaurants, being outdoors and salsa dancing. She travels internationally whenever she has the chance and relishes whipping up new recipes from cookbooks and food blogs (or sometimes, creating her own).
Victoria received her B.A. in journalism with a minor in human services from Northeastern University.
Victoria.Sandoval@trincoll.edu
Heather Hodge: Assistant Director, Career and Personal Preparation
Heather arrived at Trinity in 2010 from Career Development and Placement at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. While there, she worked with both undergraduates and a number of graduate programs, including Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Education and Athletic Training. Here at Trinity, she advises all students and alumni and also serves as the adviser for IDP students, pre-professional advising (pre-health and pre-law), standardized testing prep, and graduate school preparation. In addition, she develops, implements and evaluates the Center for Student Success and Career Development's Summit to Wall Street finance preparation program. Outside of Trinity, Heather enjoys
spending time with her family, shopping and traveling.
Heather.Hodge@trincoll.edu
Kevin Finefrock: Assistant Director, Career and Personal Preparation
Kevin
comes to Trinity with extensive experience in non-profit educational
institutions. He has developed innovative, interactive programs at a
variety of regional museums, including the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
in Concord, New Hampshire, Mystic Seaport, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe
Center. In addition, he has taught and mentored in both public and
private schools from the elementary to the college level, including as an
undergraduate career fellow in Connecticut College's Career-Enhancing Life
Skills department. Prior to arriving at Trinity, Kevin also worked on
issues related to social justice, from refugee resettlement in Northern New
England to educational equity through the Breakthrough Collaborative.
Kevin
earned his B.A. in history and government from Connecticut College, as well as
a certificate from the college's Holleran Center for Community Action and
Public Policy. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of
Connecticut and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation there.
He is also the co-founder of the digital history website Virtual Hartford.
Outside
of his professional life, Kevin is an avid genealogist and enjoys singing,
playing a number of musical instruments, and watching science fiction and
political dramas. He is excited to help students connect their learning
in the liberal arts with the world outside of the college.
Kevin.Finefrock@trincoll.edu
Emily Merritt: Assistant Director, Career & Personal Preparation
Emily joined the Center for Student Success and
Career Development at Trinity College in spring 2018. Her role includes
supporting the career growth and development of students and alumni through
program implementation, resource development, and 1-1 career coaching. At the
CSSCD she oversees the Career Development Interns. Emily strives to offer
customized, student-led appointments to motivate individuals, provide a
sounding board for ideas, and connect students to career resources. She strives
to create a safe and inclusive environment where students can share their goals
without judgment. Her objective is to not only help students achieve success
after graduation but to support them in developing the career competencies
necessary to adapt to the changing nature of the world of work.
Prior to starting at Trinity, Emily worked for
four years as a Career Consultant at UConn. While at UConn, she presented at
the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers on developing a career
coaching activities toolkit and at National Career Development Association on
Personalized Career Plans. Emily and her colleagues were the recipients of the
2016 National Association of Colleges and Employers Member's Choice Award.
Emily earned her Master's Degree in higher education at Boston College. She
attended the University of Vermont as an undergraduate and majored in
Sociology.