Q&A with CareerSpring’s Founder: Paul Posoli
As we celebrate our 5th year anniversary, we thought what better way to celebrate than go back to the drawing board of CareerSpring and have a Q&A session with our Founder and President, Paul Posoli. We asked him questions like how he was inspired to transition from a lifelong career in the energy sector to starting a non-profit organization, his reflections on CareerSpring’s first half-decade, his dreams for the next five, and more.
What inspired you to transition from the energy sector and Cristo Rey into launching CareerSpring? How did that journey influence CareerSpring’s mission?
I spent 20 years as a leader in the energy trading business, so I didn’t have much experience in the education or nonprofit space. However, I was a volunteer at a local high school for students of limited economic resources called Cristo Rey Jesuit. The founding president, Father TJ Martinez, was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer at age 43. We were all crushed because he was an amazing man. I received a call from my wife one day when I was on the trade floor at JPMorgan. She said “are you sitting down? Father Martinez thinks you should be the next president of Cristo Rey Jesuit.” And of course my immediate reaction was honored and humbled, but I didn’t know anything about running a school. But they were looking for an interim headmaster, and I felt like I could do anything for six months. I was also at a point in my life when I wanted to give back. I took the job, and fell in love with the mission, students, and the families. I put my name in the hat to be the official President. I was selected and stayed as President for five years from 2014 to 2019. Those were some of the most rewarding years of my life. That experience really changed my view of the world. I decided to spend the rest of my working years trying to help as many people as I can.
As much as I loved working at the school, I began to get concerned about workforce development in the US and how AI would impact the low income population. I also recognized that we have a big challenge with the underemployment of first generation and/or low income students. They’re working hard and many of them are making it to graduation – either a 2 year or 4 year degree. But all too often, when they get to the finish line of graduation, they lack the information, professional network, social capital and experiences like internships to find meaningful employment.
When I was President of CRJ, I would often get calls from alumni asking if I knew any professional in their area of interest and almost always, when I made an introduction, it resulted in something positive: an internship, a job or another introduction. So I was intrigued by the leverage of that simple action. These students have spent 22 years to get to this point and I just had to make a few calls and introductions to unlock a lifetime of investment and get them on a path to full employment vs underemployment. Could there be a better use of my time? So I began to think – How could I do what I’ve been doing for 20 students a year at scale for tens of thousands of students across the US? The only way to do that would be to build a network of like minded professionals who are willing to be a resource for first gen students, people who are willing to share their wisdom and employers who believe in our mission and are looking for talented young people. That led me down a path to create CareerSpring.
When you reflect on CareerSpring’s first half-decade, what moment or milestone stands out as particularly defining—for you personally and for the organization?
There are dozens of defining moments, but there are three that were particularly meaningful to me:
Our job placement efforts have expanded rapidly over the past several years growing at a 50% compound annual growth rate. We’re about to surpass 1,000 offers for our Advisees. We’re all extremely proud of that progress and excited for the future. It’s also incredibly important that we recognize the impact of those placements on each individual. One of our first placements was for a woman securing a role at Alight, one of our long time Employer Partners. When we shared the news with her, she asked us to hold and shouted to her children, “Mommy just got a great job!” It turns out that it was the highest paying job she ever had. That role would most likely impact not only her life, but also the lives of her children. I told our team that if that was the only thing we did that year, it was worth it. Of course, we did much more, but I think the human element and exponential impact of our work needs to be recognized.
My son is a college student in Boston. One of his close friends is a student at the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business. The friend sent a picture to my son of a CareerSpring sign prominently displayed at McCombs. I had never seen that sign. In fact, we didn’t create the sign. The University of Texas created the sign. That was a defining moment, because it highlighted how far we had come and the importance of allies in this mission. We have a small team, but with 575 Partners, we have the ability to reach tens of thousands of students each year due to the commitment of our allies.
As a non profit organization, we rely on philanthropy from corporations, individuals, and foundations to fund our programs and services. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation spent several months evaluating our mission, progress, and vision. When they called to tell me that they wanted to support our work and partner with us with a meaningful multi-year grant, I felt especially validated, motivated, and inspired. Of course, I always thought that CareerSpring was doing something special, but MSDF has been working with non profits in career access for many years. Their optimism about our mission provided me with extra confidence to drive forward.
One of the key elements that powers CareerSpring’s mission is its partnerships. What makes a partnership particularly powerful or transformative for CareerSpring?
CareerSpring has a low cost, scalable model. We rely on thousands of volunteers and hundreds of partners to empower FGLI students with the factors that lead to meaningful, high-quality employment. We need allies in the work. We currently have more than 375 Community and Education Partners and 175 Employer Partners. Many of those Partners have shown a commitment to the mission of CareerSpring through their deep engagement. Community and Education Partners that not only share CareerSpring resources with their students and alumni, but also make CareerSpring a part of their curriculum and require or strongly suggest participation are most impactful. In most cities, we only have one or two CareerSpring team members on the ground, so we can impact more students when our C&E Partners make CareerSpring a priority. Employer Partners who participate in volunteerism, talent recruitment, and sponsorship are most transformative for CareerSpring.
If you could invite anyone in history (dead or alive) to be a CareerSpring Advisor— who would it be?
My faith drives my actions, so this one is easy for me. Jesus would be my choice, I would definitely register as an Advisee. 🙂 I still have a lot to learn.
As CareerSpring turns five, what is your vision for the next 5 years? What are you most excited about?
Our vision is a future where every FGLI student in the United States secures meaningful, high-quality employment, so we’re thinking BIG about the possibilities. I think we are the only nonprofit organization in America that offers career programs and services to EVERY FGLI student in the country. My hope is that we become a household name for FGLI students and employers over the next five years.
I’m most excited about the fact that our Advisees are becoming professionals and they want to give back to the next generation of Advisees. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities as our tens of thousands of Advisees become Advisors and advocate with their employers to become Partners of CareerSpring!
Join us in our celebrations and volunteer to be a part of the success of millions of FGLI students across the United States. We couldn’t have made it all this way without our Network, Partners, volunteers, and advocates. Read more on how you can get involved here. Let’s make the next five years a great one together!