our TEAM

Jen VaN BUREN

Partner/Co-founder

Jen brings a decade of career advising, job application prep, and professional development experience to her coaching practice. In addition to supporting clients one-on-one in their career strategy at Georgetown Law, she also plans programming on professional development and career search topics related to the private sector and Capitol Hill. Jen has studied well-being issues, particularly in the legal industry, and has presented on topics including safety, well-being, and parenthood to both local and national professional organizations. 

Originally from Rochester, NY, Jen has moved her way up and down the Northeast corridor - pretty much anywhere the Amtrak Northeast Regional stops! After studying psychology at NYU and attending Boston University School of Law, she practiced for several years as a corporate tax attorney at a large firm in NYC. Jen eventually found her spark in career coaching and advising, and her passion is helping others find joy and success in their careers.

When she's not coaching, Jen is chasing her own work-life balance, running around DC with her husband and two very energetic young boys. She loves all things food - cooking, baking, reading food blogs, and watching any and all food-related tv shows.

education

  • Georgetown University (Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching)

  • Boston University (Juris Doctor)

  • New York University (Bachelor of Arts)

Areas of focus

  • Building confidence

  • Work-life integration

  • Working parents

  • Self-assessment

  • Career transitions for mid-career professionals

  • Management and delegation

 

ROB CACACE

Partner/Co-founder

Rob has ten years of experience focused on career and professional development. As Executive Director in Georgetown Law’s Office of Career Strategy, he meets individually with clients to help them clarify and act on goals. Rob has researched professional development issues and presented on them at local and national levels. In addition, he has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown in areas related to communication, resilience, feedback, and work/life balance. As part of his continuing education, Rob earned a certificate in design thinking from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

A native of the Bronx and the first in his family to attend college, Rob enjoys working with clients from different backgrounds. He attended Regis High School in New York City before heading off for the colder environs of Massachusetts for college and law school.

In a past life, Rob clerked for a federal judge in DC, and then became a litigator at a public-interest law firm. These experiences built on law school internships at the Department of Justice, appellate and legal aid non-profits, and a large New York City law firm.

These days he spends the bulk of his time — and calories — chasing after his three kids in the parks, playgrounds, and museums of DC alongside his wife, who works at the intersection of civil rights law and tech issues.

Education

  • Georgetown University (Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching)

  • Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor)

  • University of Oxford (Master of Studies)

  • Harvard College (Bachelor of Arts)

Areas of focus

  • Imposter syndrome

  • Workplace communication

  • Networking

  • Interview prep

  • Feedback and resilience

  • First-generation professionals

Marcia PENNINGTON Shannon

Senior Coach/Consultant

Marcia has over 25 years of experience as a career and leadership coach and consultant to organizations. Marcia partners with clients on career design, navigating major career transitions, and planning for life after law practice. In addition, as an executive coach, she supports new and experienced leaders with the opportunities and challenges of managing and leading others. Marcia has presented on numerous career and professional development topics.

Most recently, she served for a decade as the Assistant Dean for Career Strategy at Georgetown University Law Center, directing a team of 20 professionals. Prior to taking on the Assistant Dean role, Marcia was a founder and principal in the six-office national legal consulting firm, Shannon & Manch, serving the professional development and career transition needs of law firms all over the U.S. Her publications include: The Lawyer’s Career Management Handbook: Your Bridge to a Satisfying Career, Managing Editor and co-author (West Publishing), a contributing author to The Art and Science of Strategic Talent Management in Law Firms (West Publishing), and co-author of Recruiting Lawyers: How to Hire the Best Talent (ABA). For many years, she wrote the award-winning “Managing” column for the ABA’s Law Practice magazine. 

Marcia is a native of Washington, DC and recently relocated to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. When not coaching or presenting, Marcia enjoys boating on the Chesapeake Bay with her husband; raising boxer dogs; visiting with her two grown sons and their partners; and, most of all, dancing with and chasing after her toddler granddaughter, Elvy.

education

  • Georgetown University (Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching)

  • The Behavioral Coaching Institute (Master Certified Coach)

  • University of Cincinnati (Master of Education, Counselor Education)

  • Emory University (Bachelor of Arts)

Areas of focus

  • Career design

  • Career transitions for experienced professionals

  • Succession planning/”The Next Chapter”

  • Leadership opportunities and challenges

  • Managing career and life in a hybrid/remote world