Kohl’s Careers

In an effort to strengthen our partnership with the Cal State Long Beach campus, Kohl’s hosted a faculty appreciation luncheon on Tuesday, April 26th. Faculty and staff members from departments across the campus were invited to enjoy a complimentary lunch as well as network with Kohl’s representatives.

Those in attendance for Kohl’s were:

Anne Horter – Territory Sr Vice President
Jackie Cantrell – Talent Manager
Frankie Cho – District Manager
Courtney Graf – University Relations Manager
Thomas Romero – University Relations Coordinator

The CSULB faculty & staff were given the opportunity to get better acquainted with Kohl’s as well as our recruiting efforts on campus. Valuable information which outlined the various ways Kohl’s can be involved on campus (classroom presentations, student organization sponsorships, case study competitions etc) in the future was also provided.

Kohl’s representatives Courtney Graf, University Relations Manager & Thomas Romero, University Relations Coordinator had the opportunity to present to a group of students at San Jose State University on April 20th. The class was Management focused, and made up of Junior & Senior level students with a few MBA students in for observations. The presentation was centered on technology and innovation in today’s competition for market share.
The following day on April 21st – Regional Talent Manager Sam Miranda, and District Manager Sonny Pooni presented to a group of SJSU HR students regarding Talent Management, incorporating information about Kohl’s processes and a celebrity talent management activity.

The students took the opportunity to ask value added questions and gain insight from all Kohl’s representatives. The presentations peaked interest for a few students who hope to pursue a career with Kohl’s.

“Thank you for your excellent guest lecture in my class today! That you brought gift cards for the students was icing on the cake…I truly hope to see you again in an SJSU classroom.” – Therese Louie, Professor of Marketing

On Tuesday, April 19th, representatives from Kohl’s were on the Cal State Chico campus to present to Junior and Senior level students. The presentations were focused on the Millennial generation and how they fit into today’s workplace. Among the presenters were:

Todd McClement – Director of University Relations
Larry Viands – Territory Vice President of HR
Courtney Graf – University Relations Manager
Thomas Romero – University Relations Coordinator


The students had a chance to get real life examples from industry professionals as well as ask any questions that might help in their career search. In addition to the classroom interactions, the Kohl’s representatives had a chance to meet and network with various faculty and staff members from the University at a Kohl’s sponsored Faculty Mixer. It was a valuable opportunity to make connections and build partnerships for future events on campus.

To close the day of events, Regional Vice President, Amanda Viramontes, and Courtney Graf hosted a leadership panel for the American Women in Business Association on campus. The panel focused on topics such as, how to progress your career quickly, the importance of a mentor relationship, how to represent yourself to an employer, and opportunities with Kohl’s.

On April 5th, Kohl’s hosted a faculty appreciation mixer for the College of Business (COB) faculty and staff on campus at Colorado State University. The purpose of this mixer was to make contacts within the COB to expand our involvement on campus next year. Kohl’s Regional Vice President Omar Segura, District Manager Mark Fleer, and Campus Manager Danielle Prochazka attended with University Relations Manager Courtney Graf to network with approximately 20 faculty members & four students involved with various organizations within the college.

A light breakfast and information regarding Kohl’s company statistics, recruiting efforts, and classroom support were provided. We look forward to working with many of the contacts made at this event.

“I'd like to thank you and the rest of the Kohl's team for coming to Cal State University yesterday. I am impressed with your interpersonal skills, importance on training, and flexibility. I also really liked your presentation suggestions and would love the opportunity to schedule a visit with Management Club for the fall semester.” Nick Reynoso, President – Management Club

On April 6th-8th the 2011 Global Retailing Conference took place at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. The world’s top retailers as well as students from various universities were in attendance and had the opportunity to network and interact with each other. Representing Kohl’s were:

Larry Viands – Territory VP of HR
Alyssa Valdez – Manager of Executive Staffing
Deb Kuczora – District Manager
Renee Pictor – District Manager
Courtney Graf – UR Manager
Thomas Romero – UR Coordinator

Among the many speakers were Macy’s Chairman, President & CEO, Terry Lundgren, celebrity, Martha Stewart and Tommy Hilfiger, principal designer and visionary of the Tommy Hilfiger Group. The conference theme “Inspiring Innovation” was the consistent message delivered by all speakers. Each speaker also took the time to field questions from the conference attendees regarding their respective companies as well as any future thoughts and inspirations regarding innovation.

The event served as a great opportunity to meet talented students with a strong interest in joining the retailing industry as well as turn those interactions into recruiting possibilities for future leaders. It also gave Kohl’s a chance to reconnect with already hired students as well as multiple faculty and staff members. Kohl’s donation of “Green Scene” bags and water bottles were used as stuffers for the registration bags that were given to each person in attendance.

One student in attendance said this about conference: “I loved hearing about Kohl's and the internship program. I am looking forward to learning more about Kohl's and the buying element and the possibility of interning there in the next couple years….Thank you for taking the time to meet with us!- Ashley Wentworth

On March 30th, 2011 Kohl’s co-sponsored the annual Etiquette Dinner on campus at Cal State-Chico.

Representing Kohl’s at the dinner was:
Mike Rubringer – District Manager
Kristen Gendreau – Campus Manager/Store Manager
Amy Pellman – Store Manager
Holli Alexander – CSU Chico Alum, Asst Store Manager

Students had the opportunity to learn dining etiquette from an industry professional and network with employer representatives regarding workplace professionalism. Other sponsors of the event included Gallo Winery, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car; as sponsors, each representative was assigned a table of 8-10 students.

“Great evening! The speaker was outstanding and I even learned a few things on etiquette at a professional dinner setting. The students were very engaged and asked some really great questions. You could tell they were there with a purpose and appreciated the hospitality from the Chico career staff.” - Mike Rubringer, District Manager


Kohl’s will be back on campus for the annual All Majors Career Fair, and again for a series of classroom presentations, a faculty appreciation mixer, and the American Women in Business presentation.

On March 16th, Damien Iniguez, a Kohl's Store Manager, presented “The 5 Roles of a Manager,” to the Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA) on campus at San Diego State University.

This is the first time Kohl’s has presented to this organization, and we are pleased to continue our new partnership with HBSA by attending their corporate mixer on April 27th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for setting HBSA up with Damien. He had a really great presentation yesterday and a lot of people were interested in Kohls. I received a lot of positive feedback from our members and our officers, some thought he was our best speaker so far.” Stephanie Martinez - President, HBSA