Early Career Talent Leaders Roundtable

Shawn VanDerziel, President & Chief Executive Officer, NACE

As president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, Shawn VanDerziel leads the association of 18,000 college career services professionals, early talent recruiting professionals, and business solution providers that serve the community. As a leading voice on the employment of the college educated and advocate for opportunity and access for all students, VanDerziel is featured regularly as an industry expert and is a sought-after speaker on a range of topics, including internships, hiring, career readiness, and trends in the workforce and college job market. Prior to joining the NACE staff, VanDerziel was with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago for 23 years, where he most recently served as chief human resources officer and as chief of staff. His earlier roles included corporate recruiting with Norrell Corporation and a position in higher education as associate director of student enrollment at National Louis University.

Seldric Blocker, Board Chair, NACE, Seldric Blocker

With more than 20 years in corporate America, J. Seldric Blocker has led campus recruiting efforts for multiple Fortune 100 companies, hiring thousands of college students for internships and full-time roles. He is a recognized thought leader, frequently featured on national platforms as a panelist and facilitator. Blocker is the corporate vice president, head of programmatic recruitment at New York Life, overseeing early career recruitment, diversity hiring, and internal mobility. He previously held campus recruiting roles at J.P. Morgan, NBCUniversal, Bank of America, Lowe’s, and Wachovia (Wells Fargo). A dedicated NACE leader, Blocker is the Board chair, and was chair of the Finance & Audit Committee and Board advisor for the NACE HBCU Affinity Group. He has played a key role in the inaugural NACE HBCU Summit, served on multiple committees, and led numerous NACE webinars and conference sessions. A Clemson University graduate, he earned his master’s in human resource management from Cornell University. Originally from Columbia, SC, he now resides in Harlem, NYC.

Bryan Quick, Director, Talent Acquisition, Global Early Careers, Abbott

Bryan Quick is the head of early careers at Abbott, where he is responsible for a global team accountable for the design and delivery of the enterprise strategy to attract and recruit next-generation talent. Prior to working at Abbott, Bryan held several positions in parks and resorts and talent acquisition at the Walt Disney Company for more than 12 years. It was at Disney where he was recognized with the Partners in Excellence Award, which is awarded to the top 5% of company employees. Bryan later transitioned to a role in the nonprofit space by becoming the director for training and development at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where he led the learning and development strategy for the entire zoo for four years. Bryan started at Abbott by leading operations recruitment, where he provided leadership on several projects with a global impact. Most recently, he assumed the leadership role managing talent programs supporting the entire globe. This includes leadership of all recruitment strategies, building and strengthening early career recruiting partnerships with the business and universities, managing intern engagement, and leading a best-in-class university relations team. Bryan is a first-generation college graduate and holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Francis Marion University. He has been highly engaged with the NACE organization for almost two decades, serving as chair for several committees, facilitating conference presentations, and supporting key initiatives in STEM and skills-based hiring practices important to the membership.

Claire Buxton, Assistant Vice President, L'Oreal USA