Featured Speakers

Mary Scott is the founder and Managing Consultant of Scott Resource Group [SRG], a recruitment consulting and research firm specializing in university relations and strategic recruitment issues.  Drawing on extensive practitioner experience in the corporate, academic and research arenas, she provides consulting services to major corporations nationwide. 

Prior to forming the firm, Mary served as Director, Corporate Staffing, at Aetna   She has additional recruitment experience as Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of St. Joseph, her undergraduate alma mater, and holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut [Go Huskies!!]. 

Mary will be speaking on Monday, April 7, at 9:15 AM.

Internship Expectations versus Reality: Students Speak Out on their Experiences

Mary will lead us through a research-based current state assessment of the internship experience – from the students’ perspective. Using data analysis that compares interns’ expectations with their reality, we’ll explore their satisfiers and dissatisfiers – and the impact on conversion to full-time joiners. And she’ll include some historical findings to illustrate what has changed since COVID – and what remains the same, as students weigh in on their experiences. Expect to be surprised!  

Graham Donald is one of North America’s leading experts on attracting, recruiting, and engaging students and graduates.

He founded Brainstorm Strategy Group in 2003 where he supports major employers’ and colleges’ success through research, training, and strategic consulting. His clients include KPMG, PwC, Rutgers University, University of Toronto, Deloitte, GE, McGill University, HSBC, Kraft, and many others.

He is an engaging speaker who is invited to speak at national and international conferences on topics related to attracting and engaging future generations. He is also the lead trainer for the Employer Engagement Academy and Campus Recruitment Forum programs.

Previously, he was Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE). He has also held leadership roles at Workopolis, Simply Hired, and Day Communications.

He received both his BA and MBA from the University of Toronto.

Graham will be speaking on Tuesday, April 8, at 9:15 AM.

Changing Lenses: Understanding the Employers’ Perspective of Student Recruitment

Whether you work directly with employers or are more focused on supporting students as they transition into co-ops or internships, the better you understand the employer’s perspective, the better you can meet your goals and support student success.

In this keynote, we’ll dive into the evolving landscape of on-campus recruiting and uncover the practical and strategic challenges employers face in engaging with students and institutions. What are the expectations versus realities when recruiting students? Where do institutions sometimes misinterpret employers’ needs, and what assumptions could be hurting rather than helping their connections? 

This session will explore why employers do what they do, how they select “partner” institutions, and what pressures drive their actions. We’ll discuss both the strengths institutions bring to the table and the common challenges they face in fostering lasting employer relationships.