Meet Your Advisor: Brian Cicero

In this series, we talk to our amazing advising team, to get to know them better and learn about how they can help students! Today, we meet Brian Cicero, academic advisor.

Let us know a little about yourself:

I am a Colorado native, married, have three 4-legged children at home, and love to spend as much time as possible outdoors, exploring, and traveling. I have spent the past 20+ years in various leadership roles in higher education. I have found my passion not only working at the university level but also being a life-long learner.  I have my undergraduate degree in Business Administration/Marketing, my MBA in International Business, and my PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (psychology of business – employee engagement focus).  In my time in higher education, I have had the opportunity to live across the United States (Chicago, Seattle,  and San Francisco before moving back to Denver). I spent 10 years working with students pursuing commercial art degrees then moved to the Silicon Valley, where I worked directly with big tech companies (Facebook, Google, Yahoo, etc.) to help them increase the diversity of their workforce. I specifically worked with young female and other minority students to get them interested in STEM careers, many of my students have gone on to work on many of the social media platforms, video games, movies that you see and use every day.  I love my job and everything that it has allowed me to learn/do and for the people I have met along the way.  In addition to working at DU as an Aadvisor, I also have the pleasure of teaching within the Organizational Leadership and Global Community Engagement programs and still consult with organizations, specifically when it comes to employee engagement and organizational culture issues. 

What programs do you advise for?

I currently advise for the Nonprofit Leadership program.

What can a student gain from meeting with you?

It really depends on the situation; I am happy to sit and celebrate a minor victory (finishing a project), chat with you about career goals, and even do course planning. I see myself as your mentor/ally. 

How often do you suggest a student meet with you?

As often as you would like. I am always ready to talk, celebrate, assist, etc.

Best advice for students on how to navigate the education/work-life balance?

Realize you are not alone.  Higher education is like climbing Mt. Everest:  you may struggle at times (even feel like you are running out of air); however, realize that you are NOT alone on your journey (you are tethered to others for safety). You have an entire team (both school, home, and work) that are there to support you.  Treat each course as a new camp, higher up the mountain, each time you make it, you can sit back and celebrate knowing that you are one camp/course closer to graduation. Always keep the eye on the summit and NEVER be afraid to ask for help.

What else should your advisees know? 

I love what I do and all that I interact with on a daily basis. Let me know how I can assist.

You can contact Brian at brian.cicero@du.edu or 303-871-4329.