Iona College Welcomes Director of Career Development to Guide Students Beyond Graduation

Dr. Heather Golden brings over a decade of experience to the students of Iona

August 5, 2021

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona College today announced the appointment of Heather Golden, Ph.D., as director of Career Development, serving as a valuable resource for students as they look beyond their college years and forge their own paths after graduation.

Prior to coming to Iona, Golden served as career center director at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she managed the college’s credit-bearing internship program and supported a culture of experiential learning through collaboration with campus community members. During her time there, she also produced impressive results as she increased the college’s employment and/or post-secondary placement rate from 80 percent to 91 percent. Golden also worked at Bowling Green State University as an assistant director, where she supported liberal arts, business, and pre-health majors in their preparation for life after graduation.

Iona is consistently recognized for its ability to deliver on the promise of social mobility and return on investment, with 92 percent of the Class of 2020 being employed or enrolled in continuing education.

“We are so excited to have Dr. Golden join the Iona community,” said Matthew Cardin, assistant vice president for Enrollment Management and Career Initiatives. “She has a strong background and history of developing programs that produce significant results. I am confident that our students will enjoy learning from her as they consider life after graduation and develop the skills needed to be successful professionals.”

Prior to her career in higher education, Golden worked in product development creating new merchandise for clients such as Target, Walmart and Kohl’s. This diverse business experience has provided her with skills that have been vital to her 12 years in career development such as data collection, innovation and continual improvement.

Gaels can also benefit from Golden’s Designing Your Life coaching certificate, which she obtained to efficiently teach students about career success and how to confidently make decisions toward the life that each Iona student has envisioned.

“I am delighted to join the Iona College community,” said Golden. “I am excited to find new ways to collaborate with students, faculty, staff, employers and alumni to enhance career development opportunities in both the curricular and co-curricular space.”

ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.