Portrait image of Heather Balas
Heather Balas

Director, Career Development

Contact Information

OFFICE: Egan 201
PHONE: 814-824-2078

Heather Balas is the Director of the Career Development Center. She earned a B.A. in Communication and Business Communication from Thiel College in 2001 and a M.A. in Student Personnel from Slippery Rock University in 2003. She has worked in several roles in higher education including Residential Education, Student Activities & Greek Life and the First Year Experience before settling in Career Development. Heather has earned several awards for her work and community service, most recently the Donna Dentler Service Award from the PennACE organization and was named to Mercer County’s 40 Under Forty. Heather currently serves as Professional Development Chair of PennACE and President of WestPACS, our regional job fair consortium. In her free time Heather volunteers as an advisor for Chi Omega Fraternity, serves as stage manager/director and a board member for her local community theater, and is a Girl Scout troop leader.

Heather Balas
    • M.A. in Counseling and Educational Psychology with a focus on Student Personnel, Slippery Rock University
    • B.A. in Communication and Business Communication, Thiel College
    • Professionalism
    • Internship coordinator
    • PUBH 285: Professionalism in Public Health
    • PUBH 475: Public Health Filed Experience
    • PUBH 476: Public Health Internship
    • Generational communication, work force development
    • “Emotional Intelligence” presented at the 2022 PennACE Conference
    • “Leading Through Adversity with Resilience” presented at the 2021 PennACE Conference. 
    • “How Can We Help? Supporting Student Fears and Our Own” presented at the 2020 AAEE Conference