Staff Spotlight: Jennifer McLamb

Jennifer McLamb is the assistant director of advising for the Office of Undergraduate Programs and has been with the Poole College of Management since July 2013. McLamb earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology with a concentration in child development in 1994 and her Master of Arts in leadership and educational studies in 1995 from Appalachian State University.

As the assistant director of advising, McLamb is responsible for overseeing 275 students, supervising academic advisors and teaching two sections of the personal and professional identity course. She is also a member of the NACADA, the global community for academic advising.

Work at Poole College

Why did you decide to join Poole College?

Poole has a reputation for excellence and innovation across the NC State campus. My passion is working with students and providing them appropriate levels of challenge and support that will help them reach their academic and personal goals. I knew that Poole was a place that I could use my positive attitude, experience and creativity to make an impact on the students, staff and faculty. It was a perfect fit!

Do you currently serve on any of the university committees, peer groups, etc.? 

I serve on the Advisor Professional Development Committee and the CARES Committee at the university level.  The Advisor Professional Development Committee works to create commonalities in advising roles at NC State. We also coordinate intentional professional development to help ensure NCSU advisors are trained and have opportunities to grow with our profession. The CARES committee is a committee that is made up from stakeholders from across the university and we work to support students who may be struggling personally or academically to get them connected to the many resources that NC State offers. 

What have you enjoyed most about your experience at Poole College?

THE STUDENTS –  no doubt, I have learned so much from our students. They make me feel really confident about the future of our world – they are bright, innovative, inclusive and mostly just good humans. I am thankful that I get the opportunity to be on their journey with them.

What advice would you give a staff member who has recently joined Poole College?

Ask a lot of questions and meet everyone.  We are a large college and it is easy to stay inside your bubble of work or department, but I have developed so many amazing connections and relationships with the people of Poole.   I am inspired by the life experiences of our community!

Professional Accomplishments

If you are involved in professional organizations, do you hold any leadership positions there or have you presented at professional conferences? 

I serve as the NC Liaison to Region 3 NACADA – the Global Community for Academic Advising.  NACADA is the voice for the advising profession across the world. In this position, I work with a regional steering committee to plan conferences and professional development for advisors across our region.  I ensure that NC advisors have a presence and voice at our national level.

NACADA holds an Annual Conference and Regional Conference each year. I have had the opportunity to present at many of these conferences.  I will be presenting a 4-hour pre-conference with Alissa Dodds at our Annual Conference in KY in October entitled: In Their Corner: Utilizing Strengths-Based Practices in Advising, Teaching and Team-Building.

In 2017, I was a co-chair for our NACADA 2017 Region 3 conference that was held in downtown Raleigh.  We hosted over 500 attendees from across 7 states and offered 102 presentations. To date, this is the most impactful and memorable experience in my 20+ years in higher education.   

If you have been nominated or received any professional awards, please list them.

I won the Pride of the WolfPack Award for Poole College in 2017.

Life Outside of Poole

Where were you born and what countries/state/cities did you live it?

I was born in Oceanside California. I grew up in a Navy family, so I moved every 3 years of my life until middle school. We lived in California, Ohio, Florida, Missouri and North Carolina.

When you are not at Poole College, what do you enjoy doing for fun? 

I am a creative crafter.  I love to try new forms of crafts – so I have done things like painting, making rustic wood signs from pallet boards, painting rocks and creating home and party decorations.  If you need an idea – come to me, I can help!

What do you consider as your greatest accomplishment outside of work?

My family –  I have been married for 24 years to my college sweetheart.  We have 3 amazing teenagers – my daughter Sarah will turn 18 in October and is senior in high school and I have twin 16-year-old boys (Andrew and Collin) who are in their junior year.   I am beyond blessed to be their mom!

Share with us any other additional information you would like the college community to know about you or your work.

I love the CliftonStrengths assessment and community.  My strengths are woo, communication, adaptability, maximizer and positivity. I love everything Strengths – so if you want to learn more about your Strengths or how to use them to be the best version of yourself – just let me know!  I am always willing to talk Strengths!