For many students, the journey through higher education is about finding a home away from home.
For Angela Wise Landman, that journey brought her right back to the community that raised her – but with a professional edge provided by Mount Saint Mary College.
Landman completed her bachelor’s degree in 2013 followed by her MBA in 2015.
Currently serving as the Executive Director of Human Resources and Data for the Pine Bush Central School District, Landman has held the position since 2020. It’s a full-circle moment for the alumna, who attended Pine Bush schools as a student before returning to lead their HR operations.
Landman’s success story is defined by efficiency and focus. By choosing the Mount, she was able to leverage her hard work in high school into a collegiate head start.
“One of the huge assets that Mount Saint Mary offered me was the fact that they had accepted all my college credits out of high school,” she explained.
This credit transfer wasn’t just a convenience. It was a catalyst for her entire career trajectory.
“I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree almost a whole year and a half early, which really set me up for success,” Landman said. “That put me on the fast track to finishing and getting both my bachelor's and master's degrees done in one location, in a reasonable amount of time.”
While the fast track got her through the door, it was the personalized environment of the Mount that helped Landman discover her true calling. She credits the intimate campus culture and the college’s Center for Academic and Career Services (CACS) for her professional development.
“The fact that it was a small school setting and having services such as the Career Center was instrumental for me,” she explained.
In particular, Landman highlights the mentorship of Kathleen O’Keefe, the longtime Director of the CACS, who has since retired.
“Kathleen was such an instrumental person for me, making sure I had an internship and experience in all various arenas of business,” she said. “That’s where I first kind of developed my love for not only working with students, but also working with human resources.”
Today, Landman applies the lessons learned at the Mount to the very school district she once attended. Walking the halls of Pine Bush as an administrator is a dream realized, blending the community feel she loved at the Mount with the professional rigors of her HR role.
“It was definitely a dream of mine to end up working for Pine Bush School District,” she explained. “It’s great that the dream came true for me.”