Colleges and universities are the bridges that connect students to their career paths by spanning the gap between the academic world and a career. Deborah was inspired to enter the academic arena to help students, particularly fashion students, create pathways to explore the fashion industry and help them with their career endeavors. Deborah completed her M.A. in College Student Development, with a focus on career development. She has combined her 15+ years in the fashion industry, along with her knowledge of higher education and student development, to help students foster meaningful and thoughtful career decisions – to be their bridge, connecting academics to careers – and helping them reach their own North Star. 

Deborah has worked for top designers and retail companies such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and Macy’s. The majority of her career has been in New York City focusing on fabric research and design. She has extensive professional experience in buying, sourcing fabrics/colors, and acquiring original artwork. Working with fabrics/colors/artwork is the beginning of any design process, so it placed her in a unique position of interacting and collaborating with many different divisions throughout the industry; design, sales, merchandising, and production. 

Most recently, Deborah was the VP of Merchandising for the Ballet Austin Guild, where she complied a team and set goals for the Merchandise Committee which helped fundraise and generate support for Ballet Austin. 

As the Merchandising Internship Director, she believes career advising is an important part of the Textile and Apparel academic program and plays a critical role in every student’s education. Excellent academic programs cannot accomplish one’s desired results without proper guidance and counseling for students to enter their desired profession. It is essential to provide sensitive and thoughtful support to students as they wrestle with the many choices that accompany career development. Career advising, therefore, fosters the development of the whole student: a self-directed, motivated, responsible decision-maker who pursues the successful completion of a degree and leads to a corresponding career. 

M.A. in College Student Development – St. Edward’s University 

B.A. in Fashion Merchandise – Stephens College 

Professional Associations 

Ballet Austin Guild 

NACE – National Association of Colleges and Employers 

NCDA – National Career Development Association