The Career Planning Center's (CPC) search for a new Associate Director of Employer Relations ended last Friday when Todd Herrmann '85 accepted the position.
Herrmann will start the job on October 1. Currently the Assistant Director of Employer Relations at Colby College, he expressed enthusiasm about his new position.
"I have not slept a wink since I found out I got the job," Herrmann said. "I am so excited—I've been thinking about this since I graduated."
The search process, which Director of Career Planning Tim Diehl described as "thorough, but swiftly paced," began last July when it became clear that the former Associate Director of Employer Relations Chad Mills '95 would not be returning.
"We initiated the search very quickly and ran a search that was open to the public and obviously we were encouraging of Bowdoin alumni applying for the position," Diehl said.
By late August, the initial search committee, which consisted of Diehl, Director of Alumni Relations Rodie Lloyd and Associate Director of Career Planning Dighton Spooner, had narrowed the pool to three candidates, who came to campus during Orientation for a round of student and faculty interviews.
Student interviewer Tobi Olasunkanmi '12 had lunch with all three candidates and said that Herrmann was his "clear favorite."
"What stood out to me about Todd was how student-focused he was, and how he gave ideas that weren't hypothetical, they were concrete, he had steps," Olasukanmi said. "He was the only person that I could see myself actually going to meet."
Student interviewer Adit Basheer '11 commented on the "candid" atmosphere of his lunch with Herrmann, noting, "it was pretty easy to facilitate conversation, just talking about Bowdoin...[Herrmann] has a lot of Bowdoin connections, which at the end of the day, I think helps."
Herrmann himself noted the value of his alumni connections.
"My father was in the Class of 1955," said Herrmann. "I have contacts all the way up through the '90s and into a couple years ago to call on; I think we can turn most of these relationships I have into very productive relationships for the CPC."
On the topic of student involvement in the search process, Diehl said that while student enthusiasm for a candidate was not a "required component" for employment, "the Bowdoin student input and the input of everyone else who interviewed was universally in support of Todd, so it was not a hard decision."
In his new position, Herrmann's responsibilities will include advising students, maintaining the alumni network and the Bowdoin Career Advisory Network, and building relationships with organizations to open up internship and employment opportunities for students.
"Really my first order of business is to get to know the student body and get a feeling for the types of experiences that they want," said Herrmann. "I know, given my associations, that I can find opportunities for them."
This student-focused approach will help the CPC to "optimize the plan we've rolled out over the past few years," Diehl said. "We want to continue to work collaboratively with clubs and organizations where there is a critical shared interest—clubs like the Bowdoin Finance Society, the Green Global Initiatives Group, Bowdoin Outing Club—to design customized programs for them."
Last year, Herrmann received the Colby Service Award, which the senior class presents to a member of the administration who has been an exceptionally positive influence on the lives of students.
"The amount of connection he's had to students in such a short time is really impressive," Diehl said.
Herrmann, who said he fondly remembers "going to hockey games, being part of the [Bowdoin] community, playing Colby and kicking their butts," added that he "wants to be thoroughly involved in student life."