How Stanford Supports Alumni Career Development with the PlusFive Program (feat. James Tarbox and Theanne Thomson)

In this episode, James Tarbox and Theanne Thomson share how Stanford’s career education and alumni teams collaborate to support graduates for up to five years post-graduation through the innovative Stanford PlusFive program.

From 1:1 career coaching to alumni-led networking groups, this program offers recent grads a meaningful bridge from college to career—and the data proves it’s working.

Here are a few key themes from episode:

• What the Stanford PlusFive program is and how it works
• The importance of career coaching and alumni connections for recent grads
• How alumni volunteers help scale support through global industry and identity-based groups
• Strategies for fostering a strong partnership between the career center and alumni association
• How the PlusFive program has evolved since launching in 2021
• Tangible outcomes, including a 57% increase in career coaching appointments
• Vision for the future: Expanding support through a potential “Five Plus” model for alumni beyond the five-year mark
• The power of intentional collaboration and clear communication between campus partners

“We need to show people as they graduate that we see them, that we understand their challenges, and that we're here to support them,” James said.

Guest background:

• James Tarbox, the Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Stanford Career Education at Stanford University, has been a career services leader for over 25 years and is a champion of expanding alumni career support beyond the traditional one-year mark.
• Theanne Thomson, the Director of Alumni Career Connections and Interim Director of Student Programs at Stanford University (and a Stanford alum herself), focuses on building scalable alumni connection opportunities, from networking events to industry-specific communities.

Resources from the episode:

• James’ LinkedIn profile
• James’ email: [email protected] 
• Theanne’s LinkedIn profile
• Theanne’s email: [email protected] 
• Stanford PlusFive webpage
• What Color is Your Parachute? book

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