Joseph Catrino is the Executive Director of Career & Life Design at Trinity College. Joseph (Joe) leads a team of highly dedicated professionals within the Career & Life Design Center, who represent the offices of Career & Life Design, International Students and Scholars, and Retention Strategy & Transition Programs. Joe’s expertise includes his focus on life design and design thinking work, in which he encourages individuals to be innovative in their ability to problem-solve, especially as it relates to planning and executing personal and professional life goals. Through his teaching and knowledge of the “design thinking” framework, Joe has been instrumental in transforming the way students think and problem-solve their career goals. 

Joe has over 20 years of experience in higher education, in various capacities including admissions, enrollment, marketing, and career development, at institutions such as Quinnipiac University, Yale University, and the University of Hartford. Since Joe joined Trinity in 2015, he has strategically collaborated with colleagues across campus to identify and implement creative and forward-thinking programs and initiatives that address evolving employment and education trends, such as connecting the liberal arts to real-world success, and fully supporting the College’s mission. Joe serves as an agent of change and continues to represent Trinity in a progressive way by sharing his passion for design thinking, personal branding, and preparing students for the future of work, through both his presenting at various conferences across the U.S. as well as teaching first-year seminar courses. 

Joe holds an MBA from Quinnipiac University, an M.A. in communication from the University of Hartford, and a B.A. in history and communications/public relations from Marist College. Joe is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Mississippi State University studying Instructional Systems and Workforce Development.

Publications:

• Catrino, Joseph M. & Lang, Julia. “How Students Should Not Use Generative AI in the Job Search.” NACE Journal, Spring 2024: https://www.naceweb.org/career-development/best-practices/how-students-should-not-use-generative-ai-in-the-job-search. 
  
  
• Catrino, Joseph M. & Lang, Julia. “Dear Students: Harness the Power of ChatGPT to Get Ahead.” LinkedIn, November 16, 2023: https://bit.ly/3HrnKbr.
  
  
• Catrino, Joseph M. & DelVecchio, Rick. Liberal arts education will equip students for AI-driven workforce. Hartford Business Review, October 16, 2023: https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/liberal-arts-education-will-equip-students-for-ai-driven-workforce.
  
  
• Buford, Melanie V. (Editor), Sharp, Michael J. (Editor), Stebleton, Michael J. (Editor). Mapping the Future of Undergraduate Career Education: Equitable Career Learning, Development, and Preparation in the New World of Work. Routledge: Taylor & Francis. July 2022.
• Catrino, Joseph M. Chapter 8: Design Thinking and the New Career Center.
   
• Catrino, Joseph M. “An Open Letter to the Class of 2021.” Medium.com, Spring 2021: https://bit.ly/3wMy3zb. 
  
  
• Catrino, Joseph M. “A New Approach: How to Prepare Students to Exceed Expectations in Internships.” Internships and Career Interest Group of AEJMC News, Spring 2013 Edition. 
  

Conference Presentations:

• Mapping the Future of Undergraduate Career Education
  Co-presented with Castonguay and Buford
  Small College Career Alliance Annual Conference  Plenary Session, Virtual - June 2022
  

• Integrating Life Design into Career Development: A Four-Year Journey
  Co-presented with Maribei
  Small College Career Alliance Annual Conference , Virtual - June 2022
  

• No More Business as Usual: Why Career Services Professionals Must P.I.V.O.T.
  Co-presented with Dockery
  CEIA Academy, Virtual – June 2021
  

• Applying Design Thinking in College Career Services
  Eduology Webinar, Virtual – April 2021
  

• No More Business as Usual: Why Career Services Professionals Must P.I.V.O.T.
  Co-presented with Dockery
  InternBridge’s Career Services Thought Leaders Symposium, Virtual – January 2021
  

• Using Design Thinking During COVID-19
  Co-presented with Merritt
  National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Webinar, Virtual – January 2021
  

• Using Design Thinking to Solve Your Complex Marketing Challenges
  Association of University Career Center Communications Professionals (AU3CP) Webinar, Virtual – January 2021
  

• Applying Design Thinking in College Career Services
  Eduology Webinar, Virtual – November 2020
  

• Design Thinking and Wicked Problem Solving
  CEIA Academy Virtually – June 2020
  

• Innovator's Toolkit Workshop: How to Design Your Personal Brand
  Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, New Haven, CT – February 2020
  

• Utilizing Design Thinking to Improve Student Success
  Eduology Webinar, Virtual – December 2019
  

• Design Thinking: Elevating Your Career Paths and Designing Your Way Forward
  APIW (Hartford Chapter) Fall Meeting, Hartford, CT – November 2019
  

• Career Development: Designing Your Way Forward
  CT Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CCEIA) Annual Drive-In Conference, Hamden, CT – April 2019
  

• Integrating Design Thinking into Career Development and Beyond
  Co-presented with Sandoval
  Small College Career Alliance Annual Conference, Portsmouth, NH – May 2018
  

• Using Design Thinking to Solve Your Complex Marketing Challenges
  Communicating Careers Conference, Boston, MA – May 2018
  

• Life Design at Trinity College: Uses and Implications
  CT Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CCEIA) Monthly Meeting, Hartford, CT – March 2018
  

• E-Savvy Job Search…Tips and Tools
  Co-presented with Jones and Kobylarz
  CT Learns and Works Conference – May 2017
  

• Social Media and Personal Branding
  Trinity College Athletics, Hartford, CT – September and November 2016
  

• Social Media in Recruiting
  Connecticut Staffing Management Association (SMA) Meeting, West Hartford, CT – October 2016
  

• Selecting & Managing the BEST Social Media for Your Office
  Co-presented with DelVecchio
  Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) Annual National Conference, Dallas, TX – April 2016
  

• Social Media in Recruiting
  Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s (CBIA) Hiring for Today’s Workplace Conference, Cromwell, CT – April 2015
  

• Career Development in the Curriculum: An Integrative Approach
  Co-presented with Christie, DelVecchio, Ferrall and Peiffer
  Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) Annual National Conference, Atlanta, GA – March 2015
  

• LinkedIn – Leveraging Your Personal Brand
  Women’s Education and Leadership Fund Seminar Series, West Hartford, CT – April and October 2014
  

• College 101: Nuts & Bolts & Career and Self-Assessment Training
  INROADS Connecticut Leadership Summit, Trumbull, CT – June 2014 
  

• Social Media and Career Development: Secrets to Success
  Target Your Talent Conference, Mystic, CT – November 2013
  

• How to Prepare Students to Exceed Expectations in Internships
  Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Bootcamp, Washington, DC – August 2013
  

• Social Media and Career Development: Secrets to Success
  Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) Annual National Conference, Orlando, FL – April 2013
  

• Social Media and Career Services
  CT Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CCEIA) Monthly Meetings, Hamden, CT – March and October 2012
  

• Social Media and Career Services: Secrets to Solutions
  Intern Bridge Online Career Services Conference, Virtual – August 2012
  

• Social Media and Career Services
  University of Connecticut Department of Career Services Monthly Meeting, Storrs, CT – May 2012
  
  
• Social Media and Personal Branding
  Princeton University Alumni Association of Central Connecticut Meeting, Berlin, CT – March 2012
  
  
• Social Media and Career Services
  New England Association for Cooperative Education & Field Experience (NEACEFE) Conference, Mystic, CT – Nov. 2011