In Ask5: Strengthening Career Mobility Across the SUNY System with Brandon Aldous, Brandon Aldous shares insights from his own career journey and the lessons he has learned from navigating change, embracing new opportunities, and continuing to grow professionally. Drawing from his experience across secondary education, higher education, partnership development, and his current role with the State University of New York, Brandon highlights the importance of staying open to new possibilities throughout a career.
The conversation explores the role of internships, employer partnerships, and experiential learning in helping students connect their education to real-world career opportunities. Brandon discusses how collaboration among employers, campuses, and students can create more equitable access to meaningful experiences that support career readiness.
Whether you are a student exploring your next steps, an educator supporting career development, or someone navigating your own career journey, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on building skills, gaining experience, and approaching career development as a lifelong process.
Bio: Brandon K. Aldous, Director of Internships and Employer
Partnerships, SUNY System Administration
Brandon serves as
the Director of Internships and Employer Partnerships for SUNY System
Administration, where he leads system-wide strategies to expand experiential
learning opportunities and strengthen employer engagement across New York
State. In this role, Brandon builds innovative partnerships with industry,
develops high-impact internship pathways, and collaborates closely with
campuses to support student success, workforce readiness, and equitable access
to career-building experiences.
Before joining
SUNY System Administration, Brandon built a career rooted in both secondary and
post-secondary education, partnership development, and student support. He is
deeply committed to increasing career mobility for students and strengthening
New York’s workforce through meaningful, hands-on learning.
Brandon holds his
undergraduate degrees in Agricultural Business Management from SUNY Cobleskill
and his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration with microcredentials
in Student Advising and Counseling as well as Higher Education Management and
Operations from Stony Brook University. He’s also a certified College and
Career Readiness Advisor through CFES Brilliant Pathways and The University of
Vermont College of Education and Social Services and currently working on his
EdD in Educational Leadership at the University at Buffalo.
Outside of his
professional work, Brandon is a proud husband and father of four, an
enthusiastic "sports dad", and someone who brings fun, positivity,
and gratitude with him through every door he walks through.
