Welcome to the Career Development Office! Our dedicated team is here to support you in exploring career paths, developing essential skills, and achieving your professional goals. Whether you’re seeking internships, preparing for interviews, or building your core career competencies, we’re committed to providing personalized guidance and resources to help you succeed. Feel free to stop by and say hello, or email us to schedule an appointment.
Jonathan D. Wray
Alisa Proctor
Young Choi-Plass
Mary Patrick Kavanaugh
Director of Career Development
Assistant Director, Internships
Career Counselor
Young brings 20+ years of Career Development Service experience, including customized client counseling, workforce/internships development, special projects production, employer relations outreach, and community stakeholders bridging. She currently represents SUA on the National Career Development Association (NCDA) as a Technology Committee member for the purpose of providing feedback on technology with distinctions between efficient and effective use, as well as helping bring forth any concerns and issues relevant to NCDA. She is also the classroom co-instructor of Career 100, where students have the opportunity to further build and hone their career pathway.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship + Special Projects
Mary Patrick Kavanaugh helps students turn big ideas into real-world impact. As Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Special Projects at Soka University of America, she leads programs that empower students to explore professional paths, launch entrepreneurial ventures, and connect with global changemakers.
Mary directs Bridges to Business (B2B), a leadership and entrepreneurship program that engages approximately 20% of Soka students each year. Under her guidance, student venture teams have earned top awards in national and international competitions, successfully pitching solutions that tackle everything from malnutrition to AI-assisted healthcare to sustainable consumer products. She also specializes in teaching high-level networking and business etiquette, helping students strengthen their opportunities for success.
At Soka, Mary launched Critical Conversations @ Soka and produces distinguished speaker series and conferences that bring business leaders, Nobel laureates, tech pioneers, and human rights advocates to campus. These events give students and the broader Soka community a chance to hear fresh ideas and build connections with people making a global impact.
Before joining Soka, Mary co-founded a program at UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business that connected business leaders with bold new ideas from the university community. She also founded an investigative research firm specializing in competitive intelligence and executive background checks. In addition, she has served on the boards of innovation-focused organizations with both international and domestic roots, helping shape efforts that support education, entrepreneurship, and social impact across the globe.
Mary earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of San Francisco and her BA in history from San Francisco State. She is the author of the novel Family Plots: Love, Death, and Tax Evasion, and her writing has appeared in major publications across California.
Whether she’s helping students find their voice, launch a project, or prepare for their next step after Soka, Mary is passionate about supporting purpose-driven emerging leaders who want to create a positive impact.
