Chrestman named Career Center's permanent leader
Angie Chrestman
A Mississippi State alumna with approximately 15 years of career services experience is now leading MSU’s Career Center.
Angie Chrestman, who has served as the Career Center’s interim director since last July, now is the permanent director. Chrestman replaces Scott Maynard, who retired in 2017 after leading the center for nine years.
The Career Center provides a wide variety of services and events to help MSU’s more than 21,800 students prepare for and find jobs after graduation. The center also runs a robust internship and co-op program, which Chrestman led before filling the director role.
“I’m extremely excited about this opportunity because we have such a great staff with a heart for working with students,” Chrestman said. “We want to make sure we’re offering the best services for students, parents, faculty and for the employers. We want to do everything we can do to make sure those connections are made, that students have a positive experience, and they walk away feeling like they have been assisted with their goals for their career.”
Chrestman earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from MSU, but soon realized she wanted to go another direction with her career. After her stint as a teacher, Chrestman began working as an MSU Extension 4-H agent, then moved to the state 4-H staff to serve as the state 4-H youth leadership development coordinator. While working for Extension, she completed a master’s degree in community counseling at MSU.
“Just because you get a degree in a certain area, doesn’t mean that’s what you will do for your whole life,” Chrestman said. “Your career path is not necessarily linear. I have a co-worker that talks about it looking like a lattice. You can go in a lot of different directions and do a lot of different things.”
The Career Center organizes several events throughout the year to connect students and alumni with potential employers. One of the largest events is Career Days, which will take place Jan. 30-31 and draw approximately 175 employers to campus. In addition to networking events, the Career Center offers resume critiques, mock interviews, career planning classes and more.
As director, Chrestman is working with her staff and the office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to develop a strategic plan for the center as it moves forward.
“We know what we’ve always done in terms of programs, services and events,” Chrestman said. “Now we want to see what we can do to take that to the next level so we can service the greater population of students on our campus.”
For more on the Career Center, visit www.career.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
James Carskadon | Public Affairs
