Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholars

Our Team

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  Christina Keeton, PhD

  Associate Director of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Coaching and Engagement

  Christina Keeton, PhD is the Associate Director for Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholar Coaching and Engagement in the Career Center of the Career Advancement and Engagement division at Vanderbilt University. As Associate Director, she leads a team of dedicated career coaching and employer relations experts charged with providing one-on-one guidance, developing and executing programming and ideating professional development activities that identify values, elucidate interests, and build skills for scholars earning advanced degrees in the humanities, social sciences and STEM disciplines. She began the journey of empowering scholars while obtaining a bachelor’s in biochemistry at Syracuse University and continued this interest while earning her doctorate in biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. She then cultivated experience guiding students navigating advanced degrees as Assistant Director of the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) and Co-Director of the Summer Science Academy at Vanderbilt University.

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  Jessica Abner, PhD

  Senior Career Coach

  Jessica Abner, PhD, is a Senior Career Coach for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars in the Career Center at Vanderbilt University. She obtained her BS in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from the University of Central Florida, followed by her MS in Biological Sciences from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and her PhD in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Abner joined the Career Center in 2023. As a part of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars (GPS) Team, Dr. Abner primarily serves scholars in the STEM (non-biomedical) fields. The GPS Team strives to cultivate confidence and community through personalized career support empowering scholars to connect their aspirations to opportunities. She is integrally involved in designing and developing programming and workshops in career development for master’s, doctoral students, and postdoctoral scholars in STEM, humanities, and social sciences. Dr. Abner is passionate about supporting scholars along their career journeys. Prior to joining the Career Center, she was a Scientific Project Manager for the Drug Repurposing Team at the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

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  Whitney B. Taylor, PhD

  Senior Career Coach

  Whitney Taylor, PhD is a Senior Career Coach for Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars in the Vanderbilt University Career Center. She received her BA in Philosophy and English from Emory University. Prior to graduate school, she worked in law firms and for the Atlanta Urban Debate League, which confirmed her love for working in education. She received her PhD in English from Northwestern University, specializing in early modern literature. As a Visiting Assistant Professor at Northwestern, she taught literature and writing courses on topics from Shakespeare and Milton to fairy tales and monsters in literature and cultural studies. Her prior experience also includes supporting BBA and MBA students in business writing and communications at Emory’s Goizueta School of Business. Upon working in executive leadership coaching, she earned her coaching certification from Coactive Training Institute in 2021 and discovered she wished grad students and early career academics had more access to coaching. In 2022, she joined Vanderbilt’s Career Center, where she loves empowering grad students and postdocs with clear strategies, confidence, and curiosity to pursue career possibilities that align with their values, interests, and skills.

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  Penny Baga

  Assistant Director of Employer Relations for Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars

  Penny Baga serves as an Assistant Director for Employer Relations at Vanderbilt University. She joined the Career Center in 2015. She developed and launched Vandy for Employers, an educational program for employers. She co-leads a Community of Practice for Employer Engagement where she facilitates workshops for career center professionals who serve graduate students. Penny manages relationships with employers in the government and entertainment spaces and works closely with career coaches who support students interested in internship and career opportunities in these sectors. She collaborates with the coaching team to develop programming for undergraduates and graduate students. Prior to her work at Vanderbilt, Penny served as the Center Director at Sylvan Learning Center. She received her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston.

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