Her Story
About DeNee
DeNee Saunders is an entrepreneur and workforce advisor based in Hartford, Connecticut. She has been active in higher education and workforce development since 2022. As an entrepreneur, Saunders develops and licenses career development curricula and delivers workshops focused on career design for colleges, nonprofits, and schools. Her 9-to-5 role as a workforce advisor involves supporting students in career and technical education programs across nine regions, networking with stakeholders, and ensuring student success. Saunders holds a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Connecticut (2021) and became a certified health and wellness coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2022. She has also completed business accelerator programs including the Social Impact Incubator and the Women's Business Development Center Small Business Accelerator. Her background includes work in mental health and at UConn before focusing on career development. Saunders attributes her success to living a fulfilling life and aims to modernize workforce development through career design while leaving a lasting impact. She values empowerment, discipline, creativity, and authenticity, and advises young women to stay open-minded, passionate, and persistent.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with DeNee
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute it to living a life that I enjoy waking up to, and that I don't want to run away from. And just being a thought leader in the educational workforce, modernizing it with career design, and making the best out of my life, genuinely. Just making the best out of my life, and making sure that I leave an impact and a legacy in the fields that I'm passionate about.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
If the job has been the same for 90 days, don't expect it to change on the 91st.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Keep an open mind, stay passionate, stay creative, and don't give up if you don't find the opportunity that you want at first. Like, keep going for it, reach out to people, connect with people. And really never give up. I know that sounds cliche, but it took me a couple years to get to where I am, but I'm still going for what I want. Like, or actually, like, go for what you want. No matter what. Everything else will be there, you know? It's okay to be alone, like, just go for what you want.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
A challenge is finding the right people to connect with, like moving proposals from ideas to yeses. Getting people to see like career design is the future of modernizing workforce development, not just regular career readiness. Just building my reputation so people can respect my ideas and my thought leadership as well.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Empowerment, discipline, creativity, and authenticity.
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