Leslie Mille rejoins the College of Business from the FSU Career Center, where she spent nine years as associate director and the last two years as interim director.
Photo by Kallen Lunt/College of Business Click to enlarge

The Florida State University College of Business embarks on a new school year with a rebranded student-services center and a familiar leader to further strengthen it. 

Leslie Mille, a student career services veteran who previously served almost seven years in a leadership position in the college, has assumed the role of the Christopher E. Iansiti Senior Director of Business Career Services, renamed from the Center for Professional Success and steadfast about helping undergraduate and graduate students launch or enhance fulfilling careers.  

She rejoins the college from the FSU Career Center, where she spent nine years as associate director and the last two years as interim director. 

“I’m thrilled to welcome Leslie back to the College of Business family,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the college. “As senior director of Business Career Services, she will play a pivotal role in shaping the professional trajectory of College of Business students.” 

The name change to Business Career Services aims to “unambiguously define the role of the center and make it very easy for students and employers to find and access our services,” Hartline said. 

Mille succeeds Luke Hopkins, who became assistant director of the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing. He remains a senior lecturer and the director of the James M. Seneff Honors Program.  

During Hopkins’ leadership as director, Hartline said, the career services team “took giant leaps forward in student professional development.” The team’s recent work has included the launch this fall of a Business Living-Learning Community, which aims to immediately connect incoming students to the college, and the addition of first-year experience programs such as Engage 100. 

Hartline noted that Mille leads a team that now boasts 12 members with the hiring of Renata Roldao, director of employer development, and Molly Donovan, graduate programs student success advisor. The team will continue to “provide comprehensive career and professional development resources, forge meaningful industry connections and foster a culture of lifelong career success," he said. 

‘The right leader at the right time’ 

From early 2007 to late 2013, Mille served as director of alumni relations and student engagement in the College of Business. She earned two FSU degrees: a bachelor’s in media communications and a master’s in higher education administration. She began pursuit of her master’s during her previous stint in the college. 

“When I heard Leslie was returning to the college, I was overjoyed: She is back home,” said Chris Iansiti, a College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame member and the benefactor and namesake of the Christopher E. Iansiti Endowed Directorship. “She is the right leader at the right time to lead the rebranded center and take it to the next level. Leslie’s dedication to student professional development combined with her leadership capabilities make her a perfect fit.” 

Mille expressed appreciation for the opportunity, saying: "I don't think I can convey in words how excited I am to be returning to the College of Business.” 

“This is such a special place, and it really feels like coming home,” she added. “I feel like I'm bringing with me all of these years of honing my craft in the career services profession and marrying that with my knowledge of the college." 

She outlined a vision for Business Career Services that includes: 

A strengthened emphasis on educating, coaching and connecting students to job opportunities and meaningful careers. “The current Business Career Services team is fantastic,” Mille said. “They're eager and energetic, and they genuinely care about our students. I'm excited to work with them and listen to their ideas, hear about how we can leverage our strengths and look for new opportunities to help our students flourish in an ever-changing global business world.” 

Enhanced and expanded relationships with employers. Mille said her team will further emphasize employer development “and demonstrate to new employers the value of an FSU College of Business education and why they should be recruiting our talent.” Among their other duties, Roldao and Donovan will focus on employer recruitment of graduate students and work to trumpet the college as a premier source of exceptional employees and future business leaders, she said. 

Constant outreach to students. Mille wants students to consider her team an essential part of their college experience, not merely a last-minute resource. “We want to show students why they should continually engage with us, why it’s important to do this throughout their time in the College of Business rather than waiting two weeks before graduation and panicking about not having a job,” she said. “We also want to make sure everyone in the college – faculty and staff members as well as students – knows what we do so that they can encourage students to use us as a constant resource.” 

New name ‘speaks to’ students 

Mille said she thinks the name change to Business Career Services will help. She especially appreciates the addition of “Business,” which tells business students it’s tailored to their career needs and aspirations. 

“It speaks to them,” she said. “It inspires students to think, ‘This is just for me,’ and it tells them we’re offering concierge career services.” 

Mille touted Business Career Services’ partnership with and her connections to the FSU Career Center, which she says will “bring career preparation efforts to new heights” with the recent addition of Rob Liddell as inaugural assistant vice president for Career Services. 

“I look forward to collaborating with Rob,” she said. “We’ll work together to shape a vision for the future of career services at FSU and to prepare students to sustain professional success and be career-ready leaders in a global environment.” 

In Business Career Services, students can meet with career coaches, who help students discover career paths and industries, develop résumés and cover letters, provide strategies and resources for job searches, navigate job boards, prepare for interviews, communicate with recruiters and employers, and evaluate and negotiate job offers. Also, the team will continue to specialize in internship preparation, employer connections, networking tips and interviewing skills.  

Mille envisions Business Career Services as a place where students want to regularly hang out, meet with career coaches and take advantage of the team’s services and expertise. 

Legacy Hall, the college’s future home, will provide the perfect space. Business Career Services, now located in a small suite in the Rovetta Business Building, will occupy a generous space on the first floor of the new building, scheduled to open in late 2025.  

“It’s going to be a showcase space,” Mille said. “It’s exciting to think about how we can make this a space that draws students and makes them excited about their career journey.” 

-- Pete Reinwald