Career Advising

Stephanie Boomhower

Director
sboomhower@ucsd.edu

Coaching Sector: U.S. public, U.S. government affairs

Stephanie joined the GPS Career Services team in June 2014. Since 1997, she has worked with graduate students on career development and how to navigate through the internship and career-search process, from developing a search plan to negotiating salaries. Her collaborative coaching style focuses on helping students develop a career plan by working to focus on what they want to achieve in their career and developing the skills required to seek out employment opportunities. Stephanie holds a master’s degree in college student personnel and a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in architecture from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She also has a certificate in human resource management through UC San Diego Extension. Stephanie spent the majority of her childhood living in Asia and various cities throughout the United States.

Kimberly Higgins

Career Consultant
kihiggins@ucsd.edu

Kimberly has successfully partnered with hundreds of professionals to foster and accelerate their career growth. She has spent over ten years working inside corporations like Qualcomm, Ford Motor Company and TaylorMade adidas Golf within a talent development capacity. Kimberly has worked as a professional coach with one of the nation’s leading outplacement firms and top-ranked graduate program, where she leveraged her experience to support mid-career professionals to achieve their career goals through effective branding, tactical resources and relational networking. She is most passionate about helping individuals develop a strategic plan to manage their careers in an ambiguous and constantly changing professional landscape.

Laura Leach

Senior Career Consultant
lleach@ucsd.edu

Laura is a certified career coach, owner of Meredith Consulting and the former Manager of Talent Acquisition at Gap, Inc. She sits on the Board of Directors for Phase2Careers, a nonprofit dedicated to helping over 40 professionals where she amplifies her voice around ageism in the workplace, pay equity and job search strategies. With over 20 years of recruiting experience in technology, Laura brings a unique perspective to her coaching style. Her approach is to help people build self-confidence, teaching them how to create clear, actionable job search strategies and negotiate a lucrative salary.

Amber Reinhart

Program Coordinator
areinhart@ucsd.edu

Amber holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from San Diego State University. She has worked an event producer and coordinated several large-scale conferences, as well as directed an online C-suite boot camp curriculum for mid-career media and marketing professionals. With a diverse background in publishing, public media and civil litigation, Amber will effectively manage GPS’s career-related events, programs and workshops. In her free time, Amber enjoys hiking with her chihuahua and reading a good Stephen King novel.

Kemi Talabi

Associate Director of Employer Engagement
ktalabi@ucsd.edu

Coaching Sector: Private

Kemi joined GPS Career Services in November 2021. She worked as a Fortune 500 marketing consultant for several years in qualitative market research for new product development, relationship management and corporate social responsibility. She has three years of higher education experience including recruitment and program coordination at UC San Diego’s Basement. Kemi also has a public health background with over 4 years of experience in health campaigns, community education and engagement. Kemi holds a master's degree in Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a bachelor's degree of Communication (specialization in public relations) from Michigan State University. She is presently enrolled in a Marketing certificate program at UC San Diego Extension. Kemi has traveled to 13 countries, and she loves exploring international culture and cuisine. She is happy to be back on campus and is devoted to helping GPS Tritons achieve their best career outcome.