Updated: Jan. 9, 2022 at 9:23 p.m.

Officials are looking to hire a new associate vice provost to oversee the Center for Career Services following the head’s departure last year.

Rachel Brown, the former associate vice provost for University career services, left GW in October before securing a job last month as a senior associate at Isaacson, Miller, an employment search firm, according to her LinkedIn profile. University spokesperson Crystal Nosal said the University expects to permanently fill the position in the spring, and officials retained Isaacson, Miller in October to assist with the search before the firm started advertising the position in December.

She said Georgette Edmondson-Wright, the associate vice provost for student success, is serving as an interim replacement for Brown. Nosal said the University’s schools and staff from the Center for Career Services, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement and Development and Alumni Relations are participating on the search committee for the position.

She added that students, faculty and staff will be allowed to meet with the finalists for the job.

“This is a high-priority position for the University,” Nosal said in an email. “The Provost’s Office, Division of Enrollment and Student Success, the search committee and Isaacson, Miller are committed to attracting an experienced, diverse and talented pool of candidates with the goal of filling this position as soon as possible.”

Brown could not be reached for comment.

Isaacson, Miller posted a job listing for candidates who will enhance career readiness and connect students to employers around the District.

“This is a pivotal moment for a visionary leader to drive innovation strategically and holistically and to further strengthen GW’s commitment to preparing every GW student to build a lifetime of opportunity and realize their full potential,” the listing reads.

The post states that the associate vice provost will serve as a “key leader” in guiding career education at GW.

“The AVP should bring a record of successful leadership, consensus-building and an ability to build sustaining and effective relationships with faculty, staff, alumni, University leadership and employers and should advance the close relationships with campus partners and career services offices across academic units,” the listing reads.

Jay Goff, the vice provost of enrollment and student success, said officials are “encouraged” by candidate interest levels in the open position. He said while officials were “sad” to see Brown leave the University, she was able to move back to Pennsylvania to live closer to her family.

“Rachel Brown did an excellent job in elevating the services and support programs in the Center for Career Services,” Goff said in an email.

During her nearly nine years at GW, Brown oversaw the center’s transition to virtual operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the center cut eight staff positions as part of University-wide staff layoffs to mitigate the pandemic’s financial impact.

Brown also supervised the implementation of Handshake – a professional networking service that connects students to jobs and internships – in 2017 after the University dropped GWork, GW’s previous in-house career management service.

More than 90 percent of the 2019 and 2020 graduating classes secured post-graduation plans within six months of leaving GW during her tenure.

This post was updated to include the following information:
This post was updated to include comments from University spokesperson Crystal Nosal and Jay Goff, the vice provost of student enrollment and student success.