Todd Herrmann ’85 has spent more than fifteen years connecting students—many of them Polar Bears—with careers.
What draws you to the work you do connecting people to job opportunities and careers? What’s exciting about it? What's fulfilling?
I like to help students overcome their apprehension about the future. By connecting them to people with experience, they can transform that energy into positive learning steps that make them great candidates. Great candidates get great jobs. This is a two-way street, so Bowdoin alumni always appreciate being introduced to potential, future coworkers.
How did your career unfold?
I have always been a coach and a salesperson. After a successful sales decade at Verizon, I went back to tennis and ended up teaching in the summer and coaching in the winter. When arthritis in my hips drove me off the court, I found my coaching and sales experience worked well in the career advising world. The road back to Bowdoin was lined with alumni connections and networking.
What do you remember about coming to Bowdoin, and what impact did it have on you?
My life began when I moved into Copeland House in the fall of 1981. Bowdoin answered every longing I had for learning and inspired those that were yet unseeded in my mind. I couldn’t have imagined at that time what an impact it would have, being a daily part of my life so many years later.
How is it across “enemy” lines at Colby? We are all in the same business of sending great grads out into the world. What strikes you about that?
Whenever I’ve been able to help a liberal arts student discover their value to the world, there is good work to be done. I started in career advising and employer relations at Colby and was honored with the Colby Service Award before coming to Bowdoin in September 2010. Now I’m back at Colby, and we work with Bowdoin and Bates every week on recruiting efforts.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by the success and boundless generosity of Polar Bears across the world, and by my partner, Kathryn Nielsen, and the work she does at North Shore Community College in Massachusetts.
Is there something about the work you do that others would find surprising?
Most everything I’ve learned has been from students who have later become my expert advisors. I have very little experience in finance, where I advise, but I’ve listened to over a thousand information sessions in my time, and everything just soaked in.
Is there something about YOU that others might find surprising?
I didn’t like dogs until my mid-forties. Now I love them. Go figure.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I am still fortunate enough to enjoy health, post-hip-replacement, that allows me to play tennis a few times a week in leagues, tournaments, and for fun.
Favorite Bowdoin memory?
I enjoyed watching the Bowdoin men’s tennis team win a national championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 2016. I’ve also enjoyed working with and am now on the Bowdoin Alumni Council. What a wonderful group of stewards for the alumni experience at Bowdoin!
This story first appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of Bowdoin Magazine. Manage your subscription and see other stories from the magazine on the Bowdoin Magazine website.
