Meet Our Team
Lisa Tison-Thomas, EdD
Career and Professional Development Program Consultant
Lisa Tison-Thomas brings extensive experience creating student-centered career and development programs in academia. Over the past decade, she has played a key role in designing and restructuring experiential learning programs to support students and organizations. She teaches career and professional development courses and workshops on the undergraduate and graduate levels at colleges and universities across Massachusetts. Her efforts in forming employer partnerships and designing learning opportunities span academia, industry, and government sectors. With a background that extends over a decade in educational administration and program development, Lisa has also held significant roles have been instrumental in designing and delivering experiential learning programs. She has also developed curricular that have prepared students for cooperative educational experiences which bridged the gap between academic learning and practical, workplace-ready skills.
Her research on higher education leadership reflects her deep insights into educational leadership and organizational development. Lisa’s career is marked by a commitment to enhancing student success through tailored educational strategies and strong industry partnerships, ensuring that educational programs keep pace with professional standards and workforce requirements. Lisa currently serves as an Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development at a Medical School in Massachusetts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, a Master of Science in Management from Emmanuelle College and a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University.
Joani LaMachia, EdD
Career and Professional Development Program Consultant
Joani LaMachia is a Senior Cooperative Education Faculty in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at a university in Boston, Massachusetts. She teaches the Professional Development for Co-Op Course for International Affairs and Asian Studies students. As an advisor she engages students in thoughtful preparation for work opportunities that align with their interests and academic studies. Her area of passion and interest is preparing students to engage actively in the world as global citizens, by drawing upon their academic and co-op experiences. She has been a Graduate Lecturer, teaching graduate-level courses in Education and Global Studies. She is a Faculty Co-Leader for her university’s Dialogue of Civilizations Program in Northern Ireland. In addition, she has accompanied Dialogue programs to the Balkans, Bali, Jordan and Egypt and traveled to Cambodia, Cuba and Ghana to do international co-op development.Joani has over thirty years of experience working within international education.
She has been awarded fellowships to China, Australia and Northern Ireland and has received a Massachusetts Department of Education Award for her Commitment and Dedication to Literacy Education. She coordinated the Conflict Resolution and Peace Building Consortium and Symposium at her university, bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policy analysts to engage in dialogue and reflection on peace building in divided societies and their role as global citizens. Her publications include Look Up, Gaining Insight and Direction through Experiential Learning, Ideas in Action – Participatory Health and Literacy Education with Adults and articles for Currents in Literacy. She holds a dual M.Ed. from Boston College in Education Administration and Pastoral Ministry, an M.A. from the University of Massachusetts in Bilingual Education and a Doctorate of Education Degree from Northeastern University in Higher Education Administration focused on Integrating Global Citizenship Learning in Undergraduate Education.
Laura Meyer, MEd
Career and Professional Development Program Consultant
Laura Meyer's experience in both academic and leadership roles has significantly impacted career services and educational programming. She holds the roles of Associate Director and Co-op Faculty, managing cooperative education programs across multiple campuses. Laura’s responsibilities include supervising a dynamic team, mentoring new staff, and maintaining high standards in curriculum development. Notably, she leads a career management for engineers course, contributing to the career readiness of countless engineering students.
Before her current tenure, Laura was the Director of Career Services at a university in Boston, where she spearheaded institutional effectiveness and student career preparation. Her achievements there include designing orientation seminars, leading graduation ceremonies, and directly teaching subjects such as Anatomy and Psychology. Laura’s approach is characterized by a deep commitment to student success, evident in her creation of internship programs and her active participation in student services management. In addition to her educational roles, Laura operates her own editing business, offering comprehensive editing services for academic documents and creative manuscripts. Laura has been recognized with awards for her mentoring excellence and has consistently been an advocate for educational innovation and effective career guidance. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Cedarville University and her Master of Education in Exercise Science from Cleveland State University.
Vanecia Harrison-Sanders, MSHR
Career and Professional Development Program Consultant
Vanecia Harrison-Sanders has carved a niche in enhancing career and professional development programs within higher education. Currently serving as the Director of Graduate Co-op at a university in Boston, she has pioneered significant advancements in experiential learning for science and data-driven programs, notably in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and environmental science. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership, growing her team fourfold within two years and spearheading the approval of transformative credit-bearing courses proven to increase revenue annually. It was her strategic vision that led to the creation of a co-op cohort program that achieved a 100% employment rate in sectors like Biotechnology and Engineering, reflecting her profound impact on student career success.
In her leadership roles, Vanecia has been instrumental in managing and expanding internship and co-op initiatives, enhancing student engagement and employer partnerships. Her efforts led to a significant increase in student traffic to career-related programs in just one year, a clear demonstration of her ability to drive educational and professional growth. Vanecia's expertise extends beyond program management to developing strategic partnerships and maintaining dynamic collaborations with faculty, staff, and industry leaders to enrich the educational landscape and ensure students' success in the global business environment. Vanecia holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, from Framingham State University and a Master of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from Emmanuel College.