Volunteer of the Month: Barbara Romano '83/'21M

Barbara Romano '83/'21M began her career as a database developer and administrator for Dynamac at a time when women were not a regular fixture in the tech industry. Because of the solid foundation she received as a Computer Information Science graduate within the Zeigler College of Business (ZCOB), and nearly 40 years of gathering professional wisdom, Romano is now helping other Huskies start their climb with both her time and her financial support.

"My foundation courses gave me a good starting point in my career," said Romano. "My first few jobs were a great match for the education that I got from Bloomsburg."

Romano retained a loose connection to Bloomsburg after graduation as the companies she initially worked for routinely traveled to campus to recruit Bloomsburg students. She experienced a fairly steady climb up the professional ladder, serving as a logistics manager, IT executive, consultant, and application development manager. She now holds the role of Vice President and Chief Information Officer for South Jersey Industries.

"I felt like I always had some sort of connection to Bloomsburg as an alum or as an employer," recalled Romano.

As she was making her climb, Romano received an email from the Bloomsburg Alumni Association asking for volunteers to serve on their board of directors. The timing was right, she felt, to reconnect with Bloomsburg. She began her tenure on the alumni board in 2014 and was introduced to the other volunteer opportunities that matched her experience.

Since then, Romano has volunteered to serve on the College of Health, Science and Technology's (COHST) Advisory Board, as a judge for COHST Research Day, as a keynote speaker during the Career Intensive Bootcamp, and as a panelist, presenter, resume reviewer, and mock interviewer during the Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD) Conference. Through all of her touchpoints with students, Romano has grown to appreciate the focus on career and professional development by Commonwealth University through Professional U.

"When I graduated, they just sent us off to find a job," said Romano. "Now with the college conferences and career experiences, the university provides more opportunities that prepare students for what to expect at an interview and how to acclimate from college to a professional role."

As an alumni volunteer through Professional U, Romano has been able to impart her wisdom and experience on students so they are better prepared going into the workforce than she was as a first-generation student who didn't have access to the kinds of professional network necessary to break into her chosen industry.

"The value [of Professional U] is immeasurable. I don't think students realize that it's not just about the piece of paper; you have to be able to articulate your goals and work hard and get along with others. There are still a fair number of first gen students at Bloomsburg that don't have professional role models at home to help them. My parents were factory workers so I had no idea how to properly conduct myself at a lunch interview. For a student to hear this advice coming from an alum who was in their shoes, it is so much more relatable."

Romano's advice also connects both her experience as a new grad entering the workforce for the first time and her current experience as the head of a company and responsible for vetting new hires. She seeks to not only empower students through the interview process, but also ease their minds about the kinds of decisions they will have to make.

"Coming out of college, there is a lot of pressure to get a job [and] I try to impart that finding a job is a relationship," explained Romano. "They're going to spent a lot of time at a position and so they need to make sure it's a good fit - not just for the employer, but for them as well. I don't know that was always impressed upon me as a young woman going into the workforce."

Interacting with students also helps Romano in her current role by allowing her to stay current with academic trends and the things that Gen Z values in an employer.

"It helps me to continue to be relevant and understand, especially as a hiring manager," explained Romano. "I learn as much from the students as I hope they learn from me."

Romano also found that working as a volunteer helped her better understand not only the value of the alumni experience but also why financial contributions are so important, especially the Professional Experience Grants (PEGs) that are sometimes vital for students to take advantage of career experiences.

"We can keep telling students how important internships are but often forget the cost associated with them," explained Romano. "I offered an internship to a young man who had to figure out how he was going to live in South Jersey with no family there. He can't drive back and forth, but how does he pay rent? After speaking with students who were only able to do these things because of PEGs, I became a donor."

Romano encourages all alumni to consider the impact of a relatively small commitment.

"A half day on campus can be very fulfilling," explained Romano. "It doesn't have to be a huge dollar amount or a huge time commitment. Start out where you are and what you feel like you can give. Start small and go from there, because the rewards outweigh the time."