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Career Services at Bren

As your personal career coaches, we help make your environmental career goals a reality—empowering you with skills, resources, and connections to land your ideal job and excel throughout your career.

Explore initial career placement data for our master’s and PhD graduates:

300+

1-ON-1 ADVISING TOUCHPOINTS

Number of individual student and alumni advising touchpoints from the career team in 2023-24, including meetings, electronic document reviews, and more

97%

HIGHLY RANK CAREER SERVICES

Percentage of MESM, MEDS, and PhD students who ranked career services as “Excellent” or “Good” in 2023-24 (76% “Excellent” and 21% “Good”)

82% 

STAY CONNECTED

Percentage of Bren alumni who are signed up for BrenConnect, our exclusive networking and career resources platform

 

As your career team, we're fully dedicated to your professional success at Bren and beyond.

At Bren, prioritizing your career development isn’t just an available perk—it’s a way of life steeped into our ethos as a professional program and community of change-makers serious about solving environmental problems.

From day one of orientation, to graduation and beyond, we prepare you to enter or re-enter the workforce and thrive in a competitive, ever-changing job market. We’re here to guide you every step of the way with personalized advising, workshops, online resources, job/internships opportunities, alumni connections, and more.

You’re our hope for a sustainable future, and we’ve got your back.

Meet Your Career Team

As the Career Development and Alumni Relations Team, we have a combined 50+ years of collective career advising, higher education, and recruiting experience. Throughout your student and alumni years, we passionately support you in developing lifelong career skills and maximizing your impact on the world as we solve environmental problems together.

  • Dave Parker

    David

    Dave started the Career Development Program in 1998, using his recruiting, consulting, and corporate experience to establish the vision that’s guided students to meaningful careers ever since. Having worked with every class, Dave brings a wealth of contacts and wisdom to his advising. He is also the best-selling author of Slam Dunk Job Search.

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    David Parker

    Executive Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations

  • Amanda Asquith-Caya (she.her.hers) serves as the Director of Career Development and Program Services as the Bren school.

    Amanda

    Amanda brings experience in career development, employer relations, alumni engagement, and leadership to her role on the career team at Bren, where she empowers MESM, MEDS, and PhD students in achieving positive career outcomes.

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    Amanda Asquith-Caya

    Director of Career Advancement and Program Services

  • Monica Illes

    Monica

    With her writing and teaching skillsets, Monica leads workshops and provides detailed 1-on-1 resume/CV/cover letter advising while also crafting Career & Alumni Team communications and managing career guidance content for students and alumni on BrenConnect.

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    Monica Illes

    Career Development and Alumni Relations Program Manager

  • Miya Scheble

    Miya

    Miya manages the Master of Environmental Data Science (MEDS) Career Development Program, combining her career development, marketing, and branding experience with her education in environmental science to advise students on how to compellingly market their skills to employers.

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    Miya Scheble

    MEDS Career Development Program Manager

  • Daisy Martinez

    Daisy

    Daisy coordinates career and alumni services and events, including overseeing job and internship postings on BrenConnect and helping host career talks for Bren students. She also manages the MESM Summer Internship Fellowship (SIF) program and provides administrative support to keep things running smoothly.

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    Daisy Martinez

    Career Development and Alumni Relations Coordinator 

The Bren Career Edge

Rather than using cookie-cutter techniques, applying to hundreds of postings online, or relying on existing channels to find jobs, we focus on teaching career development techniques that will help you strategically define, pursue, and refine your unique career goals not only as a student but also as an alum.

Our teaching begins with Bren-specific workshops and online resources, and we build on this foundation through personalized 1-on-1 advising to coach you through your specific goals. Our approach includes a strong emphasis on creating individual connections within Bren’s tightknit alumni network and beyond (which we’ll teach you how to do), helping you build relationships to draw on and give back to throughout your career. 

Learn more about the career development benefits of Bren’s program:

Personalized 1-on-1 guidance for your unique career journey

We get to know you, your interests, and your dreams, and we support you every step of the way. With an open-door advising policy, we pride ourselves on providing a high level of customer service.

Practical training for lifelong career development skills    

Through career workshops, career talks and panels, and an annual mingling practicum—along with weekly career guidance emails, 1-on-1 advising, and 24/7 online resources—we prepare you to network, land jobs (and a summer internship if you’re in the MESM program), and grow throughout your career.

A foundation in viewing, thinking, and doing things differently

Behind everything we teach is a goal to help you develop the right mindsets—such as writing your resume for the jobs you want, not those you’ve done; building a network that transforms you from an outsider to an insider; finding ways to stand out in the interview process; and confidently negotiating offers in a more natural and comfortable way. You’ll not only get results, but you’ll also be nimble, marketable, and strategic during future job hunts, life transitions, and industry changes.

Group of five students making peace signs and smiling

New Bren students are all smiles during the team-building activities led by the career team at orientation each year.


Strong alumni and employer connections 

Thanks to Bren’s highly engaged alumni and industry connections, we have a strong network of people who can support your career. This network helps Bren students land rewarding initial post-Bren jobs and summer internships (for MESM students in between their 2 years), facilitates alumni transitions between roles, and provides connections willing to share insights and expertise not only while you’re a student but into your alumni years.

A team with a robust blend of professional insights

With our combined expertise, we translate our insights from recruiting, corporate training, and career advising into innovative “Bren approaches”—such as our 3-tiered job search strategy for success in any economy and our attention-grabbing cover letter format that’s easy to tailor to different positions.

Support after Bren

It doesn’t stop after you leave! The Bren career team directly supports our grads during the months after graduation as you start the next chapter of your career. And, as an alum, you retain 24/7 access to our Bren-specific online career resources and networking tools, including 100+ articles, a robust alumni database, job announcements, and more via BrenConnect.

 

Matt Panopio stands with green hillside in background

Career training is one of the many reasons why the Bren School ranks among the nation’s top. I benefited most from the career team’s personalized feedback on my cover letters, which improved them into highly focused, results-driven documents that landed me multiple interviews during my internship and job search. I would not be in my current job without the Bren career team!

– Matt Panopio, Program Manager, Energy & Sustainable Operations at Amazon (MESM 2019)

Woman leaning against tree holding acoustic guitar

Bren's career team sets you up for success. From in-person consultations to helping you build your network, their coaching is a main reason why Bren students excel. Looking back, my first internship (WWF, Vienna), first job (Environmental Investigation Agency in DC), and entire career trajectory are due to the tools I learned, connections I built, and career advising I got at Bren.

– Anne Middleton, Executive Director at ECOLIFE Conservation (MESM 2008)


BrenConnect

BrenConnect links you to hundreds of alumni and jobs.

Your go-to resource for career development and networking, BrenConnect is a one-stop platform for current students and alumni to stay connected and access career resources. More than 80% of Bren’s 1,900+ alumni are BrenConnect users, meaning you can find and connect with fellow Bren change-makers working on environmental solutions in all industries, from global NGOs and Fortune 500 companies to government agencies and alumni-owned businesses. 

BrenConnect was also recognized as a finalist for a Salesforce Higher Education Overall Excellence in Innovation Award and as a case study in alumni networking platforms. Ultimately, BrenConnect enhances career advising and networking opportunities for students and alumni, helping strengthen the connections within and impact of the Bren community.

Six people link arm in arm smiling


BrenConnect offers:

Environmental job and internship listings shared by alumni, staff, students, and employers (3-10+ commonly posted each weekday, especially during peak search seasons). Wondering how to get your foot in the door? Alumni often include inside info and/or offers to speak with anyone interested.

Powerful alumni finder and search tool to query Bren grads by location, sector, specific employer, or name. Looking for a job with a certain public agency in a certain city? Find a Bren alum who can open that door.

Bren-specific career resources available 24/7, including how-to guides and examples covering our tried-and-true steps for networking, searching for jobs and internships, applying, interviewing, negotiating salary, and more.

Your personal BrenConnect profile, which you can update throughout your career to make your job and contact information available to fellow classmates and alumni looking to connect, collaborate, or catch up.

Bren Grads Change the World

  • Colleen McCamy (MEDS 2023), Associate Data Scientist – Silicon Valley Clean Energy

    Colleen McCamy, MEDS 2023

    Colleen McCamy (MEDS 2023) worked at Silicon Valley Clean Energy before (and during!) her time at Bren but transitioned to her Associate Data Scientist role after graduating and having a conversation about how she could contribute her new MEDS skills.

  • Woman and man stand on a suspended footbridge crossing a wooded area.

    Taylor Heisley-Cook and David Mun, MESM 2019

    For their Eco-E Project, three MESM students co-founded The Hurd Co., a company aimed at eliminating hemp waste in the creation of fabrics. UCSB Alumni interviews MESM 2019 grads Taylor Heisley-Cook and David Mun.

  • Man places head next to model of "neanderthal man" at museum

    Adam Jorge, MESM 2015

    From studying agricultural pollution to working as a coordinator for the Clean Water Act, Adam Jorge talks about the journey to an EPA career.

  • Woman stands in front of landscape with windmills and water

    Roxanne Diaz, MESM 2018

    Roxanne Diaz used the power of networking to land a dream job in the Netherlands working on global freshwater issues with the World Fish Migration Foundation.

Bren Alumni Solve Environmental Problems in Every Sector

Employers never stop raving about Bren graduates—we have a reputation for preparing students who excel as employees. As a Bren student and future alum, you’ll be inspired by the careers of our network alumni—and you’ll be able to connect with them via BrenConnect to talk internships, job opportunities, and career advice.

Non-Profit

The Nature Conservancy
Conservation International
World Wildlife Fund
Natural Resources Defense Council
Environmental Defense Fund

Corporate

Levi Strauss & Co.
Tesla 
Google
Patagonia
The Walt Disney Company 

Public Agency

Environmental Protection Agency
NOAA
US Forest Service
US Fish and Wildlife Service
California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Research/Think Tank

Center for Ocean Solutions 
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Resources for the Future 
Natural Reserve System
Public Policy Institute of California

Consulting

AECOM 
ICF
Rincon Consultants 
Woodard & Curran
WSP

Entrepreneurship

Bren-founded companies:
The Hurd Co. 
EVmatch
Beni
Virga Labs
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
 

As an environmental professional, I can attest that Bren School students are more prepared for the workforce than students from any other school I’ve seen, their cover letters are on point and personalized, their resumes relevant to the position sought, and their interviews strong and compelling.

— Mitchel Morrison, Environmental Scientist/Planner, Envicom Corporation & Ventura County Programs Representative, AEP Channel Counties Chapter

Two students designing an educational game on paper

How will you solve environmental problems?

Request more information, get to know the Bren School, and start planning your application today.

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