Emily McCarthy
Emily McCarthy is the Interim Executive Director of Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD) effective August 1, 2024. SECD inspires and prepares all graduates to create lives of opportunity aligned with their purpose and values. Emily was previously SECD’s Senior Director of Career Development.
Emily served as the Director of Career Development and Student Employment at Northern Arizona University (NAU) from 2013-2020, where she rebuilt the Career Development function and oversaw the creation of a campus-wide student employment program. NAU’s approach to student employment, grounded in the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies, won an inaugural Career Leadership Collective Innovation Award in 2019. Emily was a mid-career convert to Higher Education, after a successful private sector and non-profit career in Northern Virginia with Computer Sciences Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the MITRE Corporation. Emily implemented organization-wide career paths and performance management programs as a Learning and Development specialist, and helped federal agencies design optimal workforce structures and manage large scale organizational change.
Emily holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Richmond, a M.A. in Human Performance Systems, and Graduate Certificate in Organization Development from Marymount University, and a Graduate Certificate in Career and Workforce Development from The George Washington University. Emily was a Fellow with the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy in 2023.
What do you love most about your work at U of A?
Finding a career that aligns with one's strengths, interests, and values is so important. I love that I get to oversee programs that help students start this journey!
What is your favorite thing about Tucson?
The sunsets.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
Bear Down Gym – I don't get out much!
What do you like to do outside of work?
Travel throughout the state, country, and world! Spend time with my family, friends, and pets. Visit the cat cafes in Tucson. Find cooler spots in the summer.
Share one piece of advice for current or prospective U of A students.
It is totally okay to not have your life or career figured out yet. Most people's journeys are circuitous!