Executive Director of the Career Center Gregory Victoryannounced on April 14 that he will be leaving Tufts in July to become the Fannie Mitchell executive director of the career center and assistant vice president of student affairs at Duke University.
Victory has occupied his current role at Tufts since July 2016. Donna Esposito, director of career development, will become the interim executive director of the Career Center starting June 1 and will also hold on to her old position.
Mary Pat McMahon, former Tufts dean of student affairs and current Duke University vice provost and vice president for student affairs,announced Victory’s new position at the university on April 21.
Victory explained that accepting the job at Duke will give him the opportunity to apply his career experiences to change Duke's Career Center.
“The opportunity to take what I have learned at Tufts and transform career services at Duke was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and a chance to move South (out of the snow belt) and to work again with Mary Pat McMahon were added bonuses," he wrote in an email to the Daily.
Victory expressed that one of his proudest accomplishments involved raising the visibility and capacity of the Career Center at Tufts.
“I am proud of the fact that we had a major culture shift in the way that the Tufts community talks about the Career Center," he said. "There is still work to do but we are serving students at a much higher level than ever before."
Victory also recognized that during his time at the center, career services increased its focus on employer engagement, adopted new career-oriented technologies such asHandshake, The Herd and Interstride, as well as expanded partnerships in alumni relations and the athletic department.
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Jim Glaser commended the innovations and leadership that Victory brought to the Career Center over the years.
“The Tufts Career Center made major strides under Greg's leadership. He not only brought vision and strategic thinking to the position, but he modeled for our students a way to comport oneself on the job market—with energy and integrity,” he said in Duke's announcement.
Esposito similarly described the impact that Victory had both at the Career Center and more broadly at Tufts.
"Greg has a clear commitment to social justice, inclusion and equity. His energy, enthusiasm and passion for the work of the Career Center and students have been a hallmark of his tenure,” she wrote in an email to the Daily.
Esposito explained that her goal in leading the Career Center will be to work from an already-established base of support.
“My philosophy is to meet people where they are and move forward from there," she said. "I will continue to provide leadership based on these perspectives, coupled with the hands-on experience of managing a professional team for many years, and a commitment to equity, inclusion and social justice."
Victory is confident that Esposito will continue to bring progress to the Career Center in her new role.
“Donna and I worked closely together during my time at Tufts and she will continue to build upon the great work of the career center team. Donna is beloved by students and staff and I know I am leaving the Career Center in very capable hands,” he said.
He explained that he will miss the Tufts community and its students.
“I have loved my time here due in large part to my amazing team at the Career Center ... and of course the amazing Tufts students," Victory said. "I will miss them dearly but will take their commitment to making the world a better place ... with me.”
He thanked the Career Center staff members for their continual excitement in the work that they do and for supporting his projects.
"I give credit to the amazing staff at the Career Center, who got on board with my sometimes crazy visions and continued to be energized by our work,” Victory said.
