Kathleen Evans, Chair of Fashion & Retail Management Program

Chair of Fashion & Retail Management Program
B.S., M.S., California Polytechnic State University

Evans served five years as the Department Chair of Fashion Design  & Fashion Merchandising at Brooks College, in Sunnyvale, California, where she developed and established a fashion department consisting of two different academic programs.  Prior to joining Brooks College, Evans served as a Connect Grant Liaison for the Mountain View Los Altos Adult Education Program and as a Security Education Administrator for Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto. 

She was Domestic Production Manager for Iya International Youth Apparel, planning and coordinating apparel production at the company’s San Francisco and Guatemalan factories and also worked as Production Coordinator for GAP, Inc., in San Francisco, where she administered and coordinated programs for GAPkids, men’s wovens and women’s knits.

She has taught Apparel Manufacturing at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. Her publications include:  "Job Seeker Resource" and "Adult Education Centers and Regional Occupational Centers/Program Binders" for the Nova, Mountain View-Los Altos Adult Education and North County Regional Occupation Centers.

Evans earned her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Home Economics in the area of Textiles, Clothing and Design, from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, where she also received her credential for secondary education.

Jane Souza, Dean of Academic Affairs, The New England Institute of Art

Ph.D., University of Nebraska, Lincoln
M.Ed.. Curry College
B.A., University of Massachusetts, Boston

Dr. Souza joined the Brookline-based College from CONNECT - a Southeastern Massachusetts Higher Education Partnership, where she served as both its Founding Director and  Executive Director since 2005. In that position, Dr. Souza developed and led the CONNECT organization, worked with regional partners and with college and university faculty and staff to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of higher education in southeastern Massachusetts. She planned, developed and delivered all CONNECT programs, projects, and activities while securing and managing the financial and human resources required to operate the organization.

In addition, Dr. Souza has served on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education's Transfer Policy Implementation Team. She also has facilitated the development of the CONNECT Presidents' Transfer Program to encourage students unable to be accepted into the four-year institutions to begin their higher education at the community colleges. Dr. Souza also facilitated the development of a collaborative model through which the CONNECT Partnership could efficiently and effectively respond to employer hiring needs in the area.