Bio
Andy Chan is a globally recognized leader in higher education and a Vice President at Wake Forest University. He is the visionary behind the award-winning Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) and its related programs for high school, college, graduate, and adult learners. Under his leadership, the OPCD has won an industry award for innovation every year since 2017, and has maintained graduate success outcomes (employed or in graduate school within six months) of 95-99% over the last decade.
Andy is widely known for challenging traditional career services with his “disruptive” TEDx talk, “Career Services Must Die.” His work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, MSNBC, and NPR.
Before joining Wake Forest, he headed the MBA Career Management Center at Stanford University and held executive roles in education technology. He earned his MBA and undergraduate degrees from Stanford University.
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Where is your hometown?
Poughkeepsie, NY
What is your educational background?
- Stanford University- BA, Political Science
- Stanford University – MBA, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship
What do you like most about your role?
- Working with highly talented, creative, and dedicated colleagues.
- I help students develop and articulate their unique personal and professional interests, goals, and stories, moving from uncertain and anxious to confident and empowered.
What do you do away from work?
Yoga, fitness exercise, podcasts, career and life mentoring, serve on non-profit boards, and fun adventures with my lovely wife.
What would you tell your college-age self?
When I was in college, I thought I could figure out everything by myself and not need anyone’s help. Today, I would tell myself, “Do life with others and be very curious. Learn by asking others about their journey and experiences. Ask for their feedback and advice. Have an open mind that your assumptions may be completely inaccurate and the world – and jobs and careers – may not work the way you think it does.”
What is your favorite quote?
“A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi