Alumni

DAVID COOLEY (CERT '08)

Director, Alumni Career Services

David Cooley (CERT ’08) has been the Director of Alumni Career Services in the Office of Alumni Relations since 2014, meeting with an average of 500 alumni each year. He joined the Office of Alumni Relations after 8 years as a highly-rated career coach to students in UCLA Anderson’s Full Time MBA program from 2006-2014. In June 2013, David received UCLA Anderson’s Abraham Ackerman Staff Excellence Award.

David provides individual career coaching, group career coaching, webinars and program delivery to UCLA Anderson alumni of all experience levels — in all stages of their career, including recent alumni and C-suite executives and all levels between — providing job search strategy, networking strategy, mock interviews, leadership development and 1:1 career management coaching and more to the 43,000 alumni of the MBA, MFE, MSBA and PhD alumni in the UCLA Anderson Alumni Network.

He holds a Master of Science in Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting from New York University (NYU), a Certification in General Management from UCLA Anderson School of Management's Executive Program and a certification in individual and organizational coaching from the Hudson Institute of Coaching. He holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

ELISSA HARRIS ('00)

Career Coach

With over a decade of experience in consulting and career management, Elissa brings a comprehensive wealth of knowledge and practical expertise to her career coaching business.    

Her commitment and passion for her work becomes immediately evident as she partners with you to establish an honest and collaborative relationship that will serve as a strong foundation upon which to identify and achieve your professional goals.

Through her private client coaching business and 13 years as a top rated career advisor in the Wharton MBA Career Management Office, Elissa has worked with hundreds of MBA students and alumni interested in pursuing careers in a variety of industries and functions, including consulting, consumer products/retail and healthcare.   Elissa also supports the Parker Career Management Center at UCLA Anderson by contributing content to the Parker Career Series and by analyzing survey data to enhance services provided to current students.

Whether her clients are seeking to make career transitions or enhance their current careers, Elissa provides actionable advice and constructive feedback along with accountability and support.  She prides herself on listening to, and collaborating with, her clients in devising a job search plan, conducting thoughtful self-assessment analysis, creating compelling resume/cover letters, identifying target firms, and preparing for networking and interviewing.    
   
Prior to her role at Wharton, Elissa worked as a Consultant with Lee Hecht Harrison delivering career transition workshops. She also was a Consultant in the People, Performance & Solutions division of Towers Perrin and participated in the Los Angeles office’s MBA recruiting efforts. She interned in brand management at Neutrogena Corporation, and began her career in Washington DC as a Consultant at the Advisory Board Company, a health care research and consulting firm.

Elissa holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BA with Honors in History from Washington University in St. Louis. While at UCLA Anderson, Elissa was selected as a Co-Director of Pre-Term, served as a committee member planning A-Days (admitted student weekend) and was a student admissions reader.