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Colleen France

Career Coach & Leadership Development Professional in Higher Education

Colleen France is the Head of Career Management for the MBA Program for Executives at The Wharton School. She joined the Philadelphia team in 2021, bringing over 20 years of experience in recruiting, coaching, career strategy, leadership assessment, training, and program management.23

Professional Background

Prior to her current role, Colleen worked with Wharton's full-time MBA and JD/MBA students for 12 years, providing career preparation and advising services.2 She also served as the Director of Penn's Carey JD/MBA Program, a collaboration between Wharton and Penn Law.1 Before joining Penn in 2010, Colleen spent over 10 years in legal recruiting and professional development.1

Education and Certifications

Colleen holds a BS in History & Political Science from Drexel University and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from The Wharton School. She has also completed numerous courses in executive coaching and leadership development in the Organizational Dynamics Program at The University of Pennsylvania.1

Current Role and Responsibilities

As the Head of Career Management, Colleen:

  • Guides students in making career decisions by helping them sharpen technical and soft skills
  • Connects students to Wharton resources, such as the McNulty Leadership Executive Coaching and Feedback Program
  • Helps students identify skills to elevate their contributions and reach the "next level" in their careers
  • Provides one-on-one coaching and educational programming
  • Assists students in leveraging Wharton's global alumni network of over 100,000 members2

New Initiatives

Colleen has been instrumental in launching new programs, such as the Alumni Career Fellows (ACF) Program. This initiative provides students with access to alumni who offer industry-specific knowledge through one-on-one advising and coaching appointments.2

Personal Approach

Colleen emphasizes a holistic approach to career management and is passionate about serving students. She particularly enjoys one-on-one coaching, where she can work with students on an impactful level, discussing their long-term goals and what's important to them as both students and job seekers.2

Highlights

Aug 23 · linkedin

This week, The Wharton School's San Francisco campus hosted an Executive MBA (#WEMBA) student & alumni networking reception while our Global cohort was on campus for a residency week. Such a great turnout of so many Bay Area #Wharton alums. Special thanks to Claire Gao, President of the Wharton Club of Northern California and WEMBA alum, for delivering remarks. And thanks to all of our amazing alumni who attended the event! #wemba #alumniengagement #whartonproud

Jul 28 · linkedin

The Wharton School’s San Francisco Executive MBAs held a Start-Up Pitch Competition on Friday night after wrapping up their Entrepreneurship class with Karl Ulrich. Such amazing and innovative ideas and a fun night with over 50 students supporting the 10+ business ideas presented. Congrats to the winners: Adam Wong, TJ Brunette, Gregory Billington, Alex Moffitt, Harshal D. and highest overall score winners Anas Alfarra and Zifu WANG. Special thanks to our VC judges Betty Ma, CFA, Paul Ford and Garrett Howard. Greg Billington, the MC of the evening did an amazing job spearheading the event!
#whartonproud #entrepreneurship #pitchcompetition #innovation #wemba

Related Questions

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Colleen France
Colleen France, photo 1
Colleen France, photo 2
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Experience

Head Of Career Management at The Wharton School since July 2023
Director of Career Management - Wharton MBA Program for Executives at The Wharton School, November 2021 - July 2023

Education

Masters coursework in Organizational Dynamics, Leadership Development / Organizational Coaching, University of Pennsylvania; Human Resources Management Certificate, The Wharton School; BS in History &

Location

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States