Staff

Chalvonna Smith Teachey is responsible for the overall strategic direction of SEAS Career Services. She believes that the most effective career services infuse professional development with the student experience. Chalvonna strives to create collaborative talent pipelines by connecting students to corporate, non-profit, government, and academic professional opportunities through hands-on employer engagement. Prior to her role at The George Washington University, Chalvonna worked at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in employer relations and event management.

Chalvonna graduated in 2014 with an M.S. in Management from the University of Maryland, University College, and in 2008 with a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in Rhetoric from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is currently a doctorate student at GW’s School of Education and Human Development in Human & Organizational Learning researching the legitimation of algorithmic bias.

Amber Samuels, MS, LGPC (DC), NCC, CCC is the Career Services Fellow at GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Randolph-Macon College and a Master of Science degree in Counseling & Human Development from Radford University. Amber is a Certified Career Counselor (CCC), a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC), and an MBTI-Certified Practitioner. She is currently a PhD candidate at GWU’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Amber is interested in both clinical practice and higher education and would ultimately like to practice and train the future generation of mental health counselors.

Prior to her role at The George Washington University, Amber provided counseling in various settings. She also worked as a Professor of Record at Radford University and taught 3 sections of an undergraduate career decision course, COED 260: Seminar in Career Development. She also enjoyed working directly with students as a Career Counselor at Radford University’s Career Center. Amber currently participates in various associations including the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), the Association for Adult Development and Aging (AADA), and Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ).

I am an experienced Human Resources Business Partner with a demonstrated history of working in the Industrial, Marketing Research, Retail industries, and Education industries for Latin American and American firms.
With a background in organizational transformation, acting as a close partner to senior leaders to develop a Human Resources agenda. For the last ten years, I have leveraged expertise in Recruitment, Talent Management, Leadership, Employee Relations, and employee performance and development.
Strong human resources professional and community advocate with a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. Currently, I am pursuing a Master’s in Human Resources Management at George Washington Business School.
With this extensive experience, I wish to provide relevant guidance and support to SEAS students in their career and professional development journey.

Yiqi Ma is the SEAS Career Services Ambassador at the GW’s School of Engineering & Applied Science(SEAS). She is currently a student in EMSE department focusing on Economics, Finance & Cost Engineering in Engineering Management. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Material Science and Engineering from Hunan University, China. Yiqi finds herself passionate about helping others pursue their career goals and is always ready to use her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to move forward.

Jessica Palermo is the Senior Career Counselor at GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). She is a Certified Career Counselor which is only awarded to those who have an advanced education in counseling or a closely related field and experience working within the field of career counseling. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Criminal Justice, along with a Master of Arts from American University in International Peace & Conflict Resolution and a Master of Science from the University of the District of Columbia in Counseling. Jessica has been working in Higher Education for several years. Before, joining GW in 2022, Jessica worked at American Public University System as an Academic Advisor for the Schools of Business and Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM), before transitioning over to the university’s Career Services Department where Jessica was a Career Coach for the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) industries. Jessica is passionate about assisting others with their career goals. She is excited to offer encouragement and support to help individuals with their career development.

Phanindra Vantipalli is a Master’s student at George Washington University, currently enrolled in Computer Science at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is an international student from India who graduated with a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronics in 2020. Before joining George Washington University, he worked as a Systems Engineer for Infosys Ltd.

Phanindra is also an active volunteer who designed several successful social campaigns. He worked with the organization – Rotaract during his undergraduate studies and also won the Best Rotaract President of the year 2020 in the Rotary International District 3020. Phanindra is always keen to learn and intends to start an organization in the distant future that will create positive impacts around the globe.

Nina Burris is a third-year student at the George Washington University Law School. Originally from Augusta, GA, she graduated from Emory University in 2018 with a double major in music history and English literature. Nina has previously worked in arts journalism, digital marketing, and youth orchestra management, as well as in several administrative assistant roles at Emory. An active musician, she is a member of University Singers here at GW as well as the Cathedral Choral Society and DC Sacred Harp Singers. In addition to singing, Nina enjoys playing the piano, reading, and writing as both an academic and a creative pursuit.

A Forte Fellow and an MBA candidate at the GW school of Business with a demonstrated history of working in Student Counseling, Marketing, Human Resource and Real Estate roles. A leader and an entrepreneur passionate about business practices and motivating younger people in attaining goals and aspirations. I am adventurous, fun and love to interact and learn form and share with different individuals. It is a pleasure being a part of the SEAS team, leveraging on my skill sets and competences to give utmost support in optimizing student career services and experience

Linda is a first year professional psychology doctoral student at GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. A recent DMV resident, Linda grew up in New York City where she has spent the bulk of her academic career. She graduated in 2020 with her bachelor’s from Brooklyn College, where she was able to conduct research in the Culture and Child Development Lab. There she helped collect data, code audio transcriptions, and aid with writing. She has since presented at the New England Psychological Association conference and has been a co-author on a paper revolving around toddler friendships through a cultural lens. She has recently graduated from Stony Brook University with her Masters in Psychology. There she assisted in EEG capping and administering self-referent encoding tasks in the Temperament Lab. Linda also has experiences at mental health centers and worked for 2 years as a pharmacy technician. In her free time, she loves to paint, travel, take long walks, and go trinket shopping.