Dr. Kafui Kouakou
Dr. Kafui Kouakou serves as Vice Provost for Experiential Education and Career Development at Mercy University, where he leads the Career and Professional Development Office and the Work-Based Experience (WBE) project. With 20 years of progressive experience in experiential education, career development, academic affairs, and student affairs, Dr. Kouakou brings a wealth of expertise to his role.
Before joining Mercy University, Dr. Kouakou was Assistant Vice President for Career Development and Experiential Learning at Quinnipiac University. There, he oversaw the university’s career and experiential education ecosystem, spearheading a transition from a decentralized career services model to a centrally coordinated framework. This transformation embedded career readiness across academic units and resulted in high-impact initiatives such as the creation of physical and virtual career and experiential learning labs, a university-wide career development map, and expanded employer engagement strategies. He also led Career Week and Career Month programming, implemented new technologies, and developed a comprehensive experiential learning framework to enhance student outcomes.
Previously, Dr. Kouakou served as Dean of the School for Public Purpose and Professional Advancement at Albion College, providing strategic oversight for multiple experiential learning institutes and centers. At Albion, he advanced assessment practices, launched new experiential learning programs, and introduced certificates and digital badges to help students demonstrate career-ready skills and competencies.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Kouakou held leadership roles at the City University of New York, directing flagship experiential learning programs such as CUNY Cultural Corps and CUNY Service Corps, and co-managing the Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs. He has also taught courses in business, economics, mathematics, and physical education at several institutions, including the CUNY School for Professional Studies.
Dr. Kouakou earned his doctorate in higher education administration from Northeastern University, where his research focused on experiential learning. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in business administration and mathematics from York College–CUNY, and a master’s degree in economics from Brooklyn College.
Outside of his professional life, Dr. Kouakou is passionate about soccer and enjoys traveling the world.
Lyn Leis
Director, Career Education
Lyn Leis is a 17-year career development professional with significant experience in team leadership, program development, experiential learning, and career in curriculum. She practices holistic and equity-minded career counseling that is grounded in anti-racist, intersectional, and liberation-based frameworks. A first-generation college graduate and Westchester native, Lyn is committed to helping Mercy College students discover, develop, and pursue their career paths. As Director of Career Education, Lyn oversees the career coaching, programming, curricular, and educational services, and initiatives from the Career Team at Mercy College. Her mission is to provide student-centered service with focus on equity, inclusion, and belonging. She wants and needs student feedback, so please reach out to her at any time!
Lyn is a past Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group for NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) and the Past President of NYSCEEA (New York State Cooperative and Experiential Education Association). She holds a BA in French Language and Comparative Literature from SUNY Binghamton, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Manhattanville College, a Professional Certificate in Career Planning and Development from New York University and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer. She holds a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida MUMA College of Business.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sara Shepherd (Employer Relations)
Director, Employer Relations
Contact Sara about students in the Schools of Liberal Arts & School of Business
Sara Shepherd currently serves as the Interim Director of Employer Relations at Mercy College. Her primary focus is to create, develop, and maintain relationships with employers who have interest in hiring Mercy College students.
Sara has also served as Associate Director of Career and Professional Development where she focused on marketing, system maintenance, and working with students in the School of Liberal Arts. Sara’s first role at Mercy College was Assistant Director for Career and Professional Development. Her primary goal in this role was to develop and implement a dynamic, integrated, and comprehensive suite of career programs and services for current undergraduate students.
Prior to working at Mercy College, Sara was an Employment Manager at a social service agency where she handled hiring procedures and performed human resource functions agency wide. Sara holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specializing in Marketing from Mercy College.
Gaylen Ronde (Employer Relations)
Associate Director, Employer Relations
Contact Gaylen about students in the Schools of: Nursing, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Gaylen Ronde serves as the Associate Director of Employer Relations for the Career and Professional Development Department. She works with the Human Services, Government, Law and Education as well as the Healthcare and Wellness Career Communities. In this capacity, she is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with employers while working with our Career Educators to inform and align students with internship, volunteer, part-time and full-time work opportunities. Gaylen is committed to diverse, equitable and inclusive approaches to employment and relationship building.
Prior to her work at Mercy College, Gaylen earned a BA in Spanish Language and Literature from SUNY Stony Brook University. She has 3 years’ experience previously working as a HR professional for a non-profit social services organization. During her time as a HR Recruiter, she was able to initiate relationships with communities in Westchester County, successfully expanding operations to two additional residences purposed to provide services for individuals with Developmental Disabilities.
2022, marks her 5th year of employment with Mercy College and degree date for her Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Mercy.
Mariana Ayerbe
Deputy Director, Career Education
As the Deputy Director, Career Education Mariana is responsible for career curriculum development for course offerings, programmatic and resource development, and implementation and assessment. Mariana acts as a project manager for Mercy University’s EPIC career in curriculum program, ensuring smooth implementation and operation each semester. She also drives the collection and analysis of data every year to understand where Mercy graduates go within six months of graduating from the university.
Previous to her current role, Mariana’s main responsibility was to assist in the development and delivery of career programming and career resources for the Manhattan students. She also led the Career Explorer Career Community and was in charge of data collection and analysis for the department, including the First Destination Survey. Mariana has 13 years of experience in career and professional development and 4 years of experience in campus recruiting.
Mariana holds a Master’s degree from NYU in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, a Certificate in Career Planning and Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pace University.
Samantha Karpiloff
Associate Director
Samantha is an energetic and creative member of the career team with experience in higher education, human resources, and business. As an Associate Director at the Dobbs Ferry campus, she coaches students in the Business & Accounting career community and helps prepare them for their professional lives during and after college.
Samantha joined the Mercy career team in November 2019 as Career Specialist, where she provided administrative and operational support. She then moved into an Assistant Director role, supporting marketing and data efforts. In her current position, Samantha leads the career team’s marketing strategy, which includes crafting and overseeing their marketing plan and creating content for their channels.
Prior to Mercy, Samantha gained experience in human resources and business development at a mid-sized consulting firm in Connecticut. This background, coupled with the love she discovered for career development during an undergraduate internship, motivates her to bring her best every day for the variety of students she has the pleasure of working with.Samantha earned a B.A. in Psychology from Manhattanville University, and loves to get outdoors and travel the USA. She lives in beautiful Putnam County, New York with her husband.
Career Paths
Business and AccountingDrew Georges
Associate Director
Born in Brooklyn to parents of Haitian descent, Drew Georges continues to champion and embody his learnings around community, inclusivity, innovation and the New York Hustle — despite residing across the water in NJ :)
Professionally, Drew has a diverse background across industries like Tech (Google and Poshmark), Entrepreneurship (Solomon Rubik’s Consulting Group – Career Readiness for College Students) and Higher Education (CUNY Baruch College, Urban Male Leadership Academy Scholars Program). Drew is enthused to continue immersing himself in spaces preparing and guiding college students for post-grad careers. Particularly, spaces with cutting-edge initiatives like Career in Curriculum and spaces intentionally designed for first time and second chance students.
Excitedly, Drew now sits as Associate Director of Career and Professional Development for the Business and Accounting community and is committed to learning from and guiding students into their respective fulfilling careers.
A few more personal anecdotes — I enjoy shopping, hip-hop podcasts, current events news podcasts, and reading up on business/start-ups. Some of my favorite food includes Haitian food, Jamaican food, and Mexican food. Thanks to the Mercy team for the warm welcome. Let’s connect.
Career Paths
Business and AccountingSharon Okaine
Assistant Director
Sharon Okaine is a dedicated Assistant Director that joined the Career & Professional Development team in January 2022. She provides career coaching to all students and leads the Healthcare & Wellness career community. Alongside this, Sharon hires, trains, and manages student employees for the team.
After graduating from the University of Sussex (UK) with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance, Sharon has worked for various corporate and not-for-profit organizations within administrative support and counseling positions. She recently graduated with a Master’s in Higher Education Administration, with a focus in career development and counseling.
Sharon is passionate about working with a wide variety of students, and looks forward to providing others with the right tools to establish their careers, no matter who they are or where they come from.
Career Paths
Healthcare and WellnessShakeisha Ravenell
Associate Director
Shakeisha was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and prides herself on helping young people in her community gain the skills they need to land their dream career or start their own business. She now serves as the Mercy University Bronx Campus Associate Director of Career and Professional Development, where she is excited to continue serving the Bronx Community.
Shakeisha has over 10 years of experience in the field of Career Development, coaching students on enhancing resumes, cover letters, interview skills, leadership skills, networking, e-mail etiquette, and LinkedIn profiles. In addition to her experience as a Career Development Expert she has an entrepreneurial spirit which pushed her to start her own business in 2019. She spent 4 years building e-commerce websites and coaching aspiring entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. Shakeisha explains that running a business helped her to build upon her social media, email marketing and program design skills.
In addition to career development and entrepreneurship Shakeisha has a passion for teaching. She held Adjunct Professor positions at CUNY Brooklyn College and Metropolitan College of New York where she taught Public Speaking, Sociology, and Freshman Seminar. Shakeisha has her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Business Management from Delaware State University and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from CUNY Brooklyn College.
Outside of her professional life Shakeisha enjoys spending time with her husband, baby boy, family and friends. One would also call her an explorer since she has traveled to 14 countries and a host of cities throughout the United States. Some of her most memorable experiences have been in Egypt, Dubai, London, Cape Verde, Portugal, and New Orleans (not necessarily in that order).
Career Paths
Healthcare and WellnessMatt Walz
Career Counselor
Matt Walz is a dedicated and conscientious Career Counselor at Mercy University. Matt is excited to help students on their career journeys by helping them discover more about themselves. He aims to collaborate with students to transform their passions into fulfilling careers. He is always looking forward to learning from students as he hopes they learn from him.
Matt received his Bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University where he found his love for education. He previously worked at a middle school, primarily working with students with disabilities and English language learners. He is committed to ensuring all students receive equitable opportunities no matter their background—which pushed him toward a counseling career.
Outside of his professional life, Matt’s love for the outdoors and exploration fuels his ever-growing list of travel destinations. He also enjoys reading on his e-reader so feel free to send him suggestions for his next read!
