Kauffman Award
Kathy Sims
When
the NACE Governance Task Force completed work on a new strategic plan
in January, it was a significant accomplishment for Kathy Sims. Sims was
on the NACE Board of Directors when the new governance structure was proposed
in the early 2000s and served as chairperson of the task force.
“It completed the whole process for me,” says Sims, director of the career center at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and former NACE president. “To see something so significant develop full circle is a rare and gratifying experience.”
Vanessa Strauss, past-president of NACE and senior advisor to the director and deputy director, division of administration for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, nominated Sims for the Kauffman Award. Strauss appreciates the depth of understanding of NACE that Sims brought to the initiative.
“Kathy’s involvement and history with the NACE organization was the perfect training for her most recent assignment as chairperson of the Governance Task Force,” Strauss says. “This group had the charge to review the NACE governance structure and provide recommendations to the NACE Board for review in January. It took someone with a complete understanding of the history of NACE to be able to tackle this job. Her leadership and insight helped shape logical options for the Board to consider. This involved many hours of work outside of her demanding job at UCLA.”
It was just one of many “rewarding” experiences for Sims during her 30-year career, she says. Sims has been involved with NACE committee and board work for more than a decade. She was one of NACE’s first at-large governors elected by the NACE membership, and has served as an at-large board member, presidentelect, president, and past-president of NACE.
Sims’ committee and task force work includes active involvement on the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, Global Initiative Action Team, National Meeting Planning Committee, Membership Task Force, Strategic Planning Task Force, Symposium 2000 Project Team, At-Large Constituency Task Force, Technology Task Force, Alliances Task Force, and the Honors and Recognition Committee.
In addition, Sims has been a seminar speaker and presenter at numerous NACE events, and also teaches at the NACE Management Leadership Institute. In addition to this latest honor, Sims was inducted into the NACE Academy of Fellows in 2002.
“Kathy shares her expertise, energy, and enthusiasm tirelessly,” Strauss notes. “She can always be relied upon to go the extra mile, and the reason so many of us respect and admire her is we know that the end product of her work is always what is best for the profession and for NACE.”
When she’s not fulfilling her duties for UCLA or NACE, Sims enjoys domestic and foreign travel, music—everything from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Green Day and Pearl Jam—and personal technologies, such as her iPod. But many of her interests cross lines with her career. For instance, her first trip to the United Kingdom was on behalf of NACE. And she is exploring creating video podcasts as a delivery channel of career information to her students at UCLA.
Sims credits her high achievement on her relationships with strong mentors, including her first boss, Frank Carney, whom she still asks for guidance. In turn, Sims feels fortunate to “pay it forward” to others in the profession.
“I have had many mentors over the years, many of them my peers, who have contributed to my career path,” Sims notes. “At this stage of my career, I’m in a position to not only continue the mentor relationships I have established, but to be a mentor to others. It’s so rewarding and enjoyable to give back and meet young people who want to pursue this profession. Career services and college relations is very distinctive in that way; it’s rich with camaraderie, mutual support, and collaboration.”
