Kathy Schwarzbach

A native Houstonian, Kathy Schwarzbach graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA in Accounting. She began her career at Deloitte and then managed the financial reporting teams at several publicly-held energy companies. A decision to stay home with her young children ultimately led to a 20-year career as a business administrator for three Catholic schools in Houston, including Cristo Rey Jesuit where she worked with CareerSpring Founder, Paul Posoli. Kathy is passionate about education in general and first gen students in particular. She is excited to bring her experience in finance and HR to serve behind the scenes in support of the CareerSpring mission.

Marcus Felder

Marcus Felder is a Principal in Portfolio Operations and a member of the Portfolio Talent and Organizational Performance team. He leads several strategic hiring programs across Blackstone’s portfolio companies, including Veterans Hiring, Refugee Hiring and Blackstone Career Pathways™ which aims to broaden the high-quality talent networks from which Blackstone companies recruit, develop and advance talent to help them build more representative workforces and inclusive cultures. He also works with the participating companies on broader recruitment, inclusion and advancement efforts.

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2020, Marcus worked at the Posse Foundation as a program director in the Posse New York office and as the director of the Posse Veterans Program where he managed relationships with the leadership of top-tier US colleges and universities, military installations, non-profit organizations, and industry-leading companies. He also worked at the City University of New York (CUNY) as a program coordinator in the University Office of K-16 Initiatives and as a founding staff member of the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College where he developed and managed college access, transition and success programs for New York City high school students and CUNY community college students.

Marcus holds a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University, and a Master of Science in Education from Baruch College.

Amber Kennelly

Amber Kennelly is the chief human resources officer (CHRO) for William Blair. Amber leads William Blair’s human resources team globally. She is accountable for people-centric and business-oriented human resources strategy development, programs, and processes across the firm, including their diversity and equity programs. Before joining William Blair, Amber served as CHRO for HUB International, an insurance brokerage company headquartered in Chicago, with more than 15,000 employees and 500 offices. She drove all core human resources strategies, programs, and processes.

Previously, Amber delivered impactful strategies and programs at Allstate Insurance Company for 12 years before joining HUB. In her last role at Allstate, she was the vice president of total compensation and an officer of the company. In a previous role with Allstate, Amber served as vice president of human resources for Esurance, an independently operated subsidiary located in San Francisco. She also led the executive compensation, executive development, leadership development, and executive talent acquisition functions for the company. Amber’s earlier career included eight years at two leading retained executive search firms, and positions at Deloitte & Touche as an audit professional and Jones Lang LaSalle as an assistant controller.

Amber holds an M.B.A. from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Science with honors in accountancy from the University of Illinois. She has also earned designations as a CPA and Certified Compensation Professional. Amber lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, two sons, and daughter.

Champ Warren

Champ Warren is a Managing Director and senior partner on one of the largest Private Banking teams in the Southwest region of Merrill Lynch. Champ has thirty-one years of experience specializing in wealth management, corporate finance and business succession planning. He has been recognized by The Financial Times, Forbes, and Barron’s as one of America’s top wealth management advisors. Prior to joining the Private Bank, he co-managed the firm’s Business Finance Group in Houston. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Champ worked as a banker in the Middle Market Lending Group of First City Bank (now JPMorgan Chase & Co).

Champ is a founding member of the Merrill Lynch National Advisor Growth Network and a national representative on the Merrill Lynch Advisory Council to Management. He has received several accolades including Barron’s Top 50 Private Wealth Advisory Teams in America. He was also recognized by the Chairman of Bank of America as a Global Diversity and Inclusion Award Winner. Champ’s community and charitable efforts have supported organizations such as KIPP Texas Public Schools, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Cristo Rey Jesuit Houston, and many more.

Champs holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.

Peter Tumminello

Most recently, Peter Tumminello was group president of Commercial Businesses for Southern Company Gas (formerly AGL Resources). In this role, he was responsible for all operations outside of the regulated entities, including wholesale services, retail energy, and all midstream businesses including pipeline investments and gas storage. Peter also serves on the Board of the Southern Company Gas Foundation and is a member of the company’s management council.

Prior to joining Southern Company Gas, Tumminello was Vice President of Energy Supply for Green Mountain Energy Company, and he worked for TPC Corp and ARCO Oil and Gas Company in capacities of energy marketing, storage and transportation, asset management, petroleum engineering, finance and planning, and project evaluation. With more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Tumminnello joined the executive management team of Sequent in August 2003 as Vice President of Asset Management and Origination and has held several positions that have increased his roles and leadership responsibilities throughout the organization. He is also an advisory board member for Cristo Rey Jesuit Houston.

Tumminello holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Kevin Reeves

Kevin Reeves is Vice President over Natural Gas and Power Origination for BP Energy Company. He has more than twenty years of energy industry experience, having previously worked for Enron North America, Reliant Energy, and American Electric Power.

Prior to embarking on a career in the private sector, Kevin served as a PATRIOT missile battery launcher platoon leader in Germany and Saudi Arabia during the First Gulf War. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Kevin is married to Kathryne Reeves and is the father of a daughter Camille (18) and a son Kevin Wiley (16). Kevin currently resides in New Albany, Ohio and is involved with several community and charitable organizations. He currently sits on the boards of KIPP Columbus, Rev1 Ventures and The Columbus Metropolitan Library. He is also a past president of the Columbus Academy Board of Trustees.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Deborah Mouton

Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally known writer, educator, activist, and Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, Texas. Formerly ranked the #2 Best Female Poet in the World, she was the founder of Houston VIP Slam – the longest running poetry slam venue in Houston, Texas. Currently, as the Executive Director of VIP Arts Houston, Deborah seeks to build more bridges that amplify the voices of artists in and around the nation.

Deborah’s work has appeared in Houston Noir by Akashic Press, Black Girl Magic by Haymarket Books, Fjords Journal, Crab Orchard Review, and on such platforms as NPR, BBC, ABC, Blavity, Upworthy, and TedX. A fellow with The Writer’s Hotel and The Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Incubator, D.E.E.P.’s collaborations with The Houston Ballet, The Houston Rockets, and the Houston Grand Opera have opened new doors for performance poetry. As a finalist for Texas State Poet Laureate, a Kennedy Center Citizen fellowship, and the prestigious Breadloaf Retreat, her work has been highlighted and studied in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany.

Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and African American Studies from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of St. Thomas.

Rob Metzger

Rob Metzger is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance, the Director of the Investment Banking Academy, and the Faculty Director of the Business Honors Programs at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his roles at Gies Business, he also serves as a Senior Advisor to Mission OG, a Philadelphia-based investment firm, and is a member of the Board of Directors of South Mountain Merger Corp., a special purpose acquisition corporation, and Payroc, LLC, a privately held payments processing business.

Previously, Rob was a Partner at William Blair & Company, L.L.C., where he held several leadership roles, such as the head of the Technology group and the head of the Financial Services Investment Banking Group. Prior to joining William Blair, Rob worked in the Investment Banking Division of ABN AMRO Incorporated, in the Financial Institutions Group at A.T. Kearney, Inc., and in the Audit and Audit Advisory Services at Price Waterhouse.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Aileen McCormick

Aileen McCormick is a retired healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in commercial and Medicaid managed care. She is a recognized leader in all operational aspects of managed care and has built and led teams of professionals with a particular emphasis on professional development. Aileen is experienced in implementing complex managed care programs in new states as well as expansion of programs in existing states, having served as the CEO of Amerigroup Texas and later the CEO of Amerigroup’s Western Region until her retirement in 2015.

Aileen has served on the boards of the University of St. Thomas Cameron School of Business and the Nature Discovery Center. She is currently the board chair of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, the President of the Mary Ann Wallace Scholarship Fund and a Board member of 180 Health Care Partners based in Nashville, TN. She has spent extensive time volunteering since her retirement, particularly at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston.

Aileen holds a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services from Montclair State University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from The University of St. Thomas.

Catherine Flax

Catherine is President of Private Markets, X Machina Capital Strategies, providing leadership coaching to executives in Financial Services, Fintech, Commodities, Professional Services and the Non-Profit sectors. Previously, she has held numerous executive leadership positions, including that of CEO at Pefin, Managing Director and Head of Commodity Derivatives, Foreign Exchange and Emerging Markets Sales and Trading for the Americas at BNP Paribas, and Chief Marketing Officer of J.P. Morgan. She brings decades of experience in business and strategic growth, innovation, talent development, regulatory affairs, diversity and inclusion, and more.

A leader in Financial Services, Catherine is currently on the Advisory Board of Jai Kisan (India), Darisami (Mauritius), Parameter Insights (Canada), and the Living Centerline Institute (US). A long-time champion of diversity, Catherine has also served on the J.P. Morgan Investment Banking Inclusive Leadership Council as well as on the J.P. Morgan Chase Diversity Council. Catherine has also worked with several non-profit organizations. She is currently on the board of Cristo Rey Brooklyn, as well as on the Wall Street Advisory council for the Texas A&M business school.

Catherine holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from Texas A&M University, and a Master’s in Economics from Brown University.

John England

John England is a senior partner in Deloitte’s oil and gas division, leading relationships with some of the organization’s largest clients. He previously served as the U.S. Oil & Gas leader for Deloitte LLP across all businesses, including consulting, risk and financial advisory, audit, and tax services. Prior to taking over his industry leadership role, John led the energy trading and risk management practice for Deloitte where he helped organizations solve challenges related to business model, risk management, and performance measurement.

John is a frequent author and speaker for energy industry topics and has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNBC, BNN, and Bloomberg Radio. John has also appeared before groups such as the American Petroleum Institute, American Gas Association, Edison Electric Institute, and Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants Energy Conference, among others. He currently serves on the National Petroleum Council as well as on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Texas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Houston Chapter of the World Affairs Council.

John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Stephen F. Austin University and is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas.

Bill Cartwright

Bill Cartwright is a former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player and Head Coach of the NBA Chicago Bulls. As a California native, Bill attended and played college basketball at the University of San Francisco. Eventually, Bill would go on to play 16 seasons with the NBA’s New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics, ultimately winning 3 NBA championships. Later, Bill became an NBA coach for various teams and won 2 more NBA championships. Bill is a passionate leader and always looks for ways to support nonprofit organizations, player development, coaching, sales, and entrepreneurship. Since April 2016, Bill has been working at his alma mater as their Director of University Initiatives.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master’s degree focused in Organizational Development and Human Resources, both from the University of San Francisco.

Supporting the next generation of FGLI leaders

The CareerSpring FORWARD Program is a short-term experiential internship opportunity.

About CareerSpring FORWARD

Bridging the gap from learning in the academic world to preparing for work in an internship can be challenging, especially for first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) students. This early career identification program helps participants discover their strengths and interests, explore potential career options that align with their goals, and inspire confidence in their abilities as they prepare for internships and full-time employment.

CareerSpring FORWARD welcomes a cohort of interns in the summer before their sophomore or junior year of college to participate in a three-week paid internship. They receive an introduction to the industry, shadowing opportunities, work on an industry-focused project, attend presentations and training by industry experts, and complete a capstone presentation at the end of the program.

For Employers

This unique program allows companies to partner with CareerSpring and our Network and to engage with the next generation of talent earlier in their college and career journey.

Your company can be a part of the solution by hosting a cohort of interns. This three-week program’s framework is developed in partnership with CareerSpring, and is easy to execute, scalable, replicable, and an overall valuable experience for all involved.

CareerSpring FORWARD creates a new pathway for undergraduate students to build career ready skills and prepare for the workforce. To learn more about CareerSpring FORWARD, please register your interest at the link below.

I'm Interested

For FGLI Students

CareerSpring FORWARD creates a new pathway for undergraduate students to build career ready skills and prepare for the workforce. Opportunities are available in accounting, technology, marketing, and non-profit sectors.

CareerSpring FORWARD interns receive the special opportunity to be aligned with a professional at their host company to receive mentoring and coaching to help map out their career journey.

This program is for rising FGLI sophomores or juniors. All majors are welcome, but an interest in the above sectors is preferred.

Applications for the CareerSpring FORWARD Summer 2025 cohorts will open in January 2025.

Our Impact in 2024

100%

of Employer Partners that hosted FORWARD Interns in 2024 would recommend the Program to other companies.

Top Three Value-Adds for Employer Partners:

Early talent exposure to their company or industry.
Contributed to their company’s diversity and inclusivity initiatives.
Offered a new opportunity for employee engagement.

98%

of FORWARD Interns agree that they now feel more confident applying for future internships after completing this program.

85%

of FORWARD Interns agreed that this was overall an “outstanding” internship experience.

95%

of FORWARD Interns agreed that they felt they acquired relevant industry skills through this program.

Hear from our CareerSpring FORWARD Partners

“I was really impressed with both the calibre of talent that they provided us with and their communication building up to the FORWARD program…Programs like this are so important in making careers in this space accessible to the majority. We had three students from the finance program, all of whom would be an asset to any firm looking to invest in junior talent. It was great to see them exploring areas of the business that they wouldn’t otherwise have considered or even heard of during their time with us. I would highly recommend the FORWARD program to any reputable firm looking to add value to their Early Careers offering.”

–

Sophie Jenner
Global Programme Manager – Early Careers, DWS

“It was an incredible experience for all involved from meeting the interns virtually to get to know them before their internships started to watching them present to board level executives on what they had learned about being part of the Hays family. Providing real-world experiences for young adults, especially in technology recruitment sector and within our work at Hays, is so important in today’s world for young professionals. The interns were given full access to work in our delivery centers, working alongside our recruiters and given a comprehensive understanding of the workforce. They were up for the challenge and wanted to learn as much as possible…They were a joy to have, curious, hardworking, and passionate about shaping their futures.”

–

David Blow
Vice President, U.S. Delivery, HAYS

“Our company is deeply committed to supporting young professionals, and this internship program was a testament to that commitment. The interns were not only given the opportunity to work on key initiatives but also received mentorship and guidance from our experienced staff. This hands-on approach allowed them to gain real-world insights and develop skills that will be crucial in their future careers. The success of the program was evident, as we decided to extend one of the internships through the rest of the summer. This extension allowed the intern to continue contributing to our key projects, further demonstrating the value and impact of the FORWARD program.”

–

Tara Palmerton
Director, Human Resources, Surgical Notes

“Our partnership with Career Spring on the early internship FORWARD program was a success. We were able to identify and recruit a talented pool of college students who brought fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to our team. The program provided invaluable hands-on experience for these students, while also contributing to our organization’s goals. Several of our Central Management Office departments benefited from the capstone presentation and were able to adapt and improve our strategy for engaging Gen Z talent. This collaborative effort has solidified our commitment to investing in the next generation of talent.”

–

Misti Whitley
Director of Corporate Relations & Career Services, Uplift Education

“I take internships very seriously, as someone who can claim a rare internship-to-fulltime position early on in my career. I believe that Internships change lives! The value of honesty, transparency, treating these young professionals like colleagues, I believe builds the kind of positive workplace environment that Gen Z craves. Love that CareerSpring is able to cater to the interns post-internship and act as a resource as they continue their summers and return to their respective schools. As a Latina and first-generation college graduate myself, I could relate to the interns on a multitude of levels. Although they’ve left, their imprint remains strong and I’m so genuinely inspired by their curiosity, their suggestions, and their ideas. We have even incorporated ideas from their Capstone Presentation of doing more Behind The Scenes on our social media!”

–

Elizabeth Sosa Baily
Public Relations Manager, Houstong Ballet

“College AIM was thrilled to participate in CareerSpring FORWARD and host four interns this summer. They worked together on a project to help us launch a new element of our program, which we’ll be unveiling in the months ahead. Data Analytics interns surveyed our community to collect critical baseline data, and then analyzed, contextualized and presented the data in ways that will truly shape our program. Once data was collected, marketing interns leveraged this data to create messaging for potential funders and the community at large. The work they did was meaningful to College AIM and provided real hands-on learning opportunities for the interns—it was a perfect win-win!”