Effie Eisses Hired as Director of the Career Services Center at WWU

Effie Eisses has been hired as director of the Career Services Center at Western Washington University. Eisses, hired following a national search, assumed her new role on April 8.

“Effie brings a broad set of experiences, both at Western and in private industry, to this role coupled with a passion for helping students gain, through their investment in higher education, the career development skills and experiences that prepare them to be successful and engaged career professionals. We welcome her dedication to the field and to Western and to helping this institution realize its vision of a college embedded career counseling model,” said Sara Wilson, executive director for Student Success Initiatives.

Western’s Career Services Center helps students relate their academic decisions to career goals, gain career-related experience, learn effective job search strategies and transition successfully to graduate/professional education or career employment after completing their studies at Western.

“I am very excited to be returning to my roots at WWU in the Career Services Center, to work with the CSC team, to advance the important work of supporting our students and alumni in attaining their career goals,” Eisses said. “I am also looking forward to working collaboratively with our stakeholders, both internal and external, to identify and implement programs and recourses that help with this important mission.”

Eisses has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from The University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in Education, Adult and Higher Education program, from Western. She has worked at Western for the past 15 years, most recently as manager of Recruitment and Outreach for WWU Extended Education. In that role, she created a robust outreach program to stakeholders throughout the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. She collaborated with and established connections with tribes, school districts and business and economic development leaders to identify programs that provide opportunities for Western students.

Prior to that, she was assistant director of MBA Career Services, where students awarded her as “The Most Helpful Staff Member” multiple years. At the invitation of the WWU College of Business and Economics dean, Eisses created and taught an undergraduate Business Professionalism and Career Preparation class. Earlier in her career, as Employer Relations Manager for Western’s Career Services, she created an advisory committee that included representatives from Microsoft, Boeing, the city of Bellingham, NOAA, and many other for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Before Western, Eisses worked in the field of human resources both in the private sector and as a consultant.

She is a current board member of the Brigid Collins Family Support Center; past board member of the Mount Baker Chapter, Society of Human Resources Management; a mentor for Global Giveback Initiative, 2012; past co-treasurer of the Sehome High School PTA, and volunteer at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Bellingham.