PPD Team

Meet Your Career Advisors

Our team of industry-specific advisors covers the three largest majors at the Gabelli School of Business: accounting, finance, and marketing.

To make an appointment with one of the PPD team members, please make an appointment via The Hub.

We look forward to working with you.

Cynthia Bush
Director of Career Advising for Undergraduate Programs

[email protected]

Cynthia Bush joined the Gabelli School in 2015. During her career, she was at J.P. Morgan in various roles in the investment bank and sales and trading divisions. She later co-managed the analysts and associates at J.P. Morgan. She was also the global head of recruiting, training and mentoring at investment bank Houlihan Lokey. Under her leadership, the firm received for the first time a top ranking in Vault’s Best Banking Employer List and was named the Best Investment Banking Internship Program. Previously, Ms. Bush was at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Dartmouth College.

Eileen Casey
Associate Director of Career Advising

Industry Focus: Finance
[email protected]

Eileen Casey has over 20 years of experience in the alternative investment and asset management industries. She was a managing director and head of hedge fund research for AIG Global Investment Group. Ms. Casey was involved in all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing new managers, manager due diligence, risk management and portfolio construction. Previously, Ms. Casey was at Fischer, Francis, Trees & Watts, Inc. as the manager of their Client Services Group. Before that, she was with Neuberger & Berman and began her career with Arthur Andersen & Co as an auditor. Ms. Casey is a CFA charter holder. She received a BS in Accounting and Finance from Fairfield University.

Robin Freedman
Associate Director of Career Advising
Industry Focus: Accounting and Taxation

[email protected]

Robin Freedman has over twenty years of experience in recruiting and career management for accounting and finance professionals, including with the international staffing firm, Robert Half. Robin’s career began in public accounting with Ernst & Young where she obtained her CPA license before moving to private industry to work for several Fortune 500 companies as a corporate accounting and financial reporting professional. Robin obtained her bachelor of science in accounting at Binghamton University’s School of Management and obtained her master of arts in urban education with a concentration in higher education policy and leadership at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Robin is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Education in Mental Health Counseling at Fordham Graduate School of Education.

Gina Hill LoBasso, PhD
Associate Director of Career Advising
Industry Focus: Marketing

[email protected]

Gina Hill LoBasso has more than 25 years of experience across business and academia, specializing in marketing strategy, marketing communication, management, and leadership. As the Gabelli School’s undergraduate career advisor for marketing, she helps to make corporate connections for students and prepares them to compete successfully for internships and jobs.

Dr. Hill LoBasso's industry experience includes more than 11 years in business-to-business marketing and sales management. As director of direct marketing sales for the computer publisher Ziff Davis, she was responsible for new business and strategy development with industry leaders including Microsoft, Apple and IBM. She also was responsible for the training, development, and management of a highly successful sales team. Dr. Hill LoBasso has consulted for various for-profit and nonprofit organizations on domestic and international operations; her responsibilities have included developing competitive marketing and sales strategies and designing professional development and management skills workshops.

On the academic side, Dr. Hill LoBasso has taught marketing at Pace University and serves as an adjunct instructor at the Gabelli School. She also has been an assistant professor of mass communication at Iona University, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Hill LoBasso has completed her doctoral degree in management and organizational leadership with a dissertation titled “Identifying Opportunities for Innovation in Transformational Leadership: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry.”

Jennifer O’Neil
Associate Director of Career Advising
Industry Focus: Consumer Insights and Digital, Media, and Technology
[email protected]

Jennifer O’Neil has been an adjunct professor teaching marketing courses at the Gabelli School of Business since 2002. She is also the Faculty Advisor for the Marketing Scholars Program.  During her 11 years with Kraft Foods, she worked on numerous brand teams, including the cheese and frozen pizza businesses. She also worked as part of the Kraft Foods investor-relations team issuing and marketing Kraft’s Initial Public Offering. Before Kraft, she worked for The Walt Disney Company and was employed by Deloitte & Touche in various client-service capacities. She earned her bachelor of science in business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern.

Woody Hancock
Career Advising
Industry Focus: Finance
[email protected]

Woody Hancock is the founder and managing director at Strategic Career Solutions, a career consultancy that assists individuals seeking positions in the finance industry, focusing on helping college students and graduates find jobs on Wall Street. He has more than 30 years of experience in investment banking at companies including Credit Suisse, Kidder Peabody, UBS, and Bushkin Associates. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and attended Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University.

Kent Scholla
Part-Time Career Advisor
Industry Focus: Digital, Media, and Technology and Information Sciences
[email protected]

Kent Scholla is a seasoned digital marketing executive with a proven track record in ed tech, media, and technology industries. Currently serving as the head of marketing for Curvalux, a PE-backed fixed wireless technology company, Scholla’s diverse background includes leadership roles at innovative startups as well as established global companies such as Citigroup, Aol, BBDO, and Informa. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to develop and execute effective marketing and sales strategies across numerous sectors and his experience encompasses leading performance marketing, sales leadership, and GTM development teams. Scholla holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.