Don Bell
Assistant Director, Center for Career Development, UConn School of Law

Don Bell currently serves as Vice Chair of the East Hartford Town Council, a diverse community of approximately 51,000 residents. Don was elected in November 2019 as part of the largest council change in a generation, and is the chair of the Budget Committee and newly established Community Engagement Committee. Don also serves as Assistant Director for Career Development at the University of Connecticut School of Law, leading efforts to collaborate with the public sector and counsel students that seek to start their career in public service.

Prior to this position, Don was the Director of the Black Talent Initiative at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. In this role, Don worked to increase diversity and inclusion among policymaking staff in Congress. Don worked in the United States Senate as a postgraduate legal fellow to Senator Chris Murphy, judiciary staffer in the personal office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, and associate counsel then counsel to the US Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. As a Senate staffer, Don was elected president of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus (SBLSC). During his term, he conducted a groundbreaking census of Black Senate staffers and led a movement to make Congress more representative of America.

This work drew national attention to the pervasive lack of diversity among Congressional staffers and the urgent need to increase representation for all communities. Don’s work and commentaries have been recognized by the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, ABC News and other local and national outlets.

Don is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law and graduated from the University of Connecticut as an Honors Scholar. As a licensed attorney in Connecticut, he has served as a Delegate to the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) House of Delegates, member of the CBA Diversity & Inclusion Committee, member of the CBA Rule of Law Committee, and member of the Board of Directors of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association.

Mik Matwiejczuk
MScM, CPRW, Assistant Director, Assessment and Technology | Data Analytic, Business Career Development Office, UConn, School of Business & Kathy Hendrickson, Director, Business Career Development Office, UConn, School of Business

Mik Matwiejczuk is the Assistant Director of Career Technology & Assessment | Data Analytics with the University of Connecticut, School of Business. In this role, he oversees the development of career research surveys and delivery of outcome statistics and data analysis related to employment and student career-related interests. In addition, Mr. Matwiejczuk expands on building and furthering employer relations for the talent acquisition needs of a variety of fortune 500 employers within investment banking, finance, manufacturing, engineering, consulting retail, entertainment, and specialty industries for UConn and the School of Business.

Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, School of Business. Mr. Matwiejczuk worked with the State Department of Transportation within the Bureau of Engineering and Construction on business-related transactions of real estate interest for highly complex State and Federal large-scale engineering projects. In addition, Mr. Matwiejczuk has worked as an Investment Accountant for large-scale institutional investors and hedge fund firms with Fund of Fund’s interests, and a variety of MBS and ABS investment markets working with some of the world’s largest banks on investment transactions. Lastly, he brings industry experience with the State Department of Labor working with employment firms and assisting jobseekers from a multitude of career industries with extensive working experience in manufacturing and insurance industries.

Mr. Matwiejczuk has recently graduated with UConn’s Human Resources Management graduate certificate in 2021. In addition, he is a graduate of the Master’s in business management program from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he has traveled and studied in Barcelona Spain, and Shanghai, China for International Business Management. He has also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hartford in Politics and Government and attended the Junior Statesmen of America program at Yale University taking coursework in law, economics, communication, and government.

Kathy Hendrickson
Director of the UConn School of Business

Kathy is the Director of the UConn School of Business Undergraduate Career Development Team. In this role, Kathy focuses on the tenets of the core mission of the Business Career Team.

Kathy and her team develop collaborative partnerships with targeted global, national, and regional employers/alumni to connect students to actionable career information and viable job opportunities. As part of this commitment, she initiates and facilitates corporate recruiting, and develops and maintains employer relationships.

Kathy’s role focuses on providing opportunities for students to have meaningful experiences that enable them to develop self-awareness and self-sufficiency as they explore and pursue career options. In this role, she works to provide space and agency for students to find their unique voices and connect to future employers who align with their goals.

Kathy is a member of the Career Collective, NACE, CEIA, NCWIT, and Military and Veterans Coalition. Kathy is committed to community service through the Hebron Food Bank, the Anti-Human Trafficking coalition, and multiple military service organizations.

Kathy has a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Organizational Studies and an Associate of Science in Business Management. Kathy is a Career Collective Mastermind scholar in career services.

Mark Turek
University Talent Manager, The Hartford

Mark is the Manager of University Relations at The Hartford, a 210+ year old property & casualty insurance company based in Hartford, CT. With over 15 years of recruitment experience, 7 focused in Early Career, Mark is specialized in developing programs and strategies to attract students of various levels on the opportunities within the insurance industry. His team is manages university relationship development throughout the US, recruitment, DE&I strategy, talent acquisition consultation, and program execution. Mark is a 2004 graduate of UConn with a degree in Economics, and resides in Connecticut.

Leah DeLorenzo
University Talent Consultant, The Hartford

Leah is a Consultant on the University Relations team at The Hartford. Leah has six years of recruiting experience, specializing in the insurance industry and now recruiting for early career and internship opportunities across the country. Leah has proven experience in building recruitment programs, relationship development, DE&I Strategy, and coaching and development. Leah is a 2014 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in Accounting, and a 2015 Master’s in Accounting graduate, also from the University of Connecticut.

Kaitlyn Speaker
Program Coordinator, MS in Financial Technology (MS FinTech), University of Connecticut, School of Business

Kaitlyn is the Program Coordinator for the University of Connecticut’s Master’s in FinTech program and has worked closely as part of the FinTech leadership team to successfully launch this new Specialized Master’s Program. Kaitlyn’s passion for international affairs, background in higher education and practical experience make her a great fit for this role as the University strives to be the top FinTech program in the U.S. Kaitlyn earned a Political Science and Economics degree from UMass Amherst as a member of the Commonwealth Honors College while gaining higher education experience in the Athletic Department as an Educational Assistant and Academic Tutor. Kaitlyn expanded her passion for international affairs while studying abroad in Amman, Jordan with two years of intensive Arabic language study. Kaitlyn then joined AmeriCorps VISTA as an Inclusive Communities Coordinator where she organized public forums focused on inclusive community development. She continued her experience at the University of Miami in the Office of Civic and Community Engagement as a Research and Program Consultant where she solidified her passion for higher education with a focus in research and data analytics.