Barbara Hampton
Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia
Barbara Hampton, a seasoned career services professional, joins Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs as director of graduate career services and alumni relations on Aug. 15.
"We are thrilled that Barbara will be joining the Woodrow Wilson School," Dean Cecilia Rouse said. "I am confident that, given her impressive background — having advised hundreds of students at the University of Virginia — we will have a relatively seamless transition for the School's Career Services office. We are eager for Barbara to transition from a 'Hoo to a Woo."
Hampton, who has a long-standing passion for helping students attain internships and jobs, began her career at the University of Virginia (UVA) in 2003 as an extern coordinator. Between 2003 and 2013, she served in a number of roles within UVA's University Career Services including career counselor for experiential learning, assistant and associate director of employer services, and director of employer services.
In 2013, Hampton was named director of career services at UVA's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. There, she directed the Batten School's Career Services office, providing career guidance to policy students and leading workshops on careers in government, policy research and social innovation.
At Batten, Hampton revolutionized the Career Services office by introducing a robust online platform so students could conveniently schedule appointments and feedback sessions. Her approach of mixing online and face-to-face interactions with students strengthened Batten's community connections.
Notably, Hampton advised all students applying for the Presidential Management Fellowship, a prestigious two-year training and development program that places fellows at U.S. government agencies. She helped three students become finalists in 2014 and seven in 2015. She also developed a summerlong internship program in Bogotá, Colombia, in collaboration with the Universidad de los Andes and the Cavelier Lozano Foundation at Alquería, scheduled to begin in summer 2016.
Hampton succeeds Ann Corwin, who joined the Wilson School in 1974. During her four-decade tenure, Corwin helped thousands of Wilson School graduate students secure internships and jobs, and also provided the School with a keen personal and institutional memory of both placement and alumni contacts.
"I am delighted to be joining the Woodrow Wilson School this summer and am eager to begin working with students and alumni to ensure that they achieve their employment goals," Hampton said. "I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to build upon the extensive career resources that Ann Corwin established during her tenure at Princeton. I am also looking forward to collaborating closely with employers, faculty and staff on programming efforts that will support students' career development."
"I welcome handing off the reins of the Office of Graduate Career Services and Alumni Relations to such an experienced, delightful and capable successor," Corwin said. "I am confident that the Wilson School's graduate students and graduate alumni will continue to give Barbara their utmost cooperation and assistance, and that she will do an outstanding job here."
Hampton will report to Karen McGuinness, associate dean for graduate education at the Wilson School, and will be charged with directing the activities of the Office of Graduate Career Services. This includes internship and job placements for Wilson School graduate students. Hampton will also advise graduate alumni returning to the job market.
"We're delighted for Barbara to join the Woodrow Wilson School graduate community of students and alumni. I look forward to working with her to ensure that the School continues to provide outstanding and personalized career services to future public service leaders," McGuinness said.
Hampton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and Spanish in 2001 and a Master of Education in counselor education in 2003, both from the University of Virginia. She is actively involved in professional associations including the Virginia Association of Colleges and Employers, where she served on the board of directors for five years and as the organization's president from 2011 to 2012.
