Rowan College at Burlington County is set to launch “The Baroness Podcast,” a monthly series highlighting women in leadership while encouraging listeners to build their skills, connect with the community and visualize the opportunities available to women in various professions.
The first episode, airing on Wednesday, March 30, invites nationally-acclaimed artist and RCBC alum Lavett Ballard, whose work was featured on a cover of TIME’s 100 Women of the Year series. Ballard will be joined by Co-Chair of RCBC’s President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Tiffany Ruocco and the show’s host RCBC Entertainment Technologies Program Coordinator Dr. Brooke Mailhiot.
Additionally, RCBC’s “The Program Pod” will launch a criminal justice episode featuring an all-women panel including Criminal Justice Professor Dr. Amber Ciccanti, 3+1 Law and Justice alum Helen Hull and Manager of the NJ State Parole Board’s Community Programs Division Sherry Sandler for an in-depth discussion about what it means to pursue a career in criminal justice. The podcast will launch on Wednesday, March 30 at rcbc.edu/podcast.
Dr. Ciccanti boasts an extensive background as a police officer, detective and sergeant for the Willingboro Police Department, as well as experience in both private security and private investigations. She leverages this experience to bring her curriculum to life for RCBC students.
“I really try to help my students come to a better understanding of how law enforcement applies to different situations,” Ciccanti shared. “Through our programs, we encourage students to take different classes and emphasize a variety of pathways because criminal justice is more than just policing. We also take a look at the field through a sociology and social justice lens.”
Hull, who had taken many of Ciccanti’s classes and graduated in 2020, now works as a Senior Clerk Typist for the NJ State Parole Board. In this position, she focuses on data mining, interfacing with parole officers and handling the transfer of cases between district offices. She chose RCBC due to the affordability and convenience. She was working full-time when she enrolled and remembers the hands-on approach to learning at the college.
“We took trips to prisons, halfway houses and the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center (DVIC) where we were exposed to the parole and correctional system,” Hull said.
Sandler, who’s logged over 23 years at the NJ State Parole Board, manages community programs and is the coordinator of the Board’s Office of Gender-Responsive Services. When evaluating potential employees, she looks for those who think outside the box and take the job seriously.
“RCBC students always hit the ground running, and a lot of it has to do with the Criminal Justice Advisory Board at the college,” Sandler said. “The questions that were posed to us were ‘what do the students need to know in order to be successful in these careers?’ and ‘what do they have to do well?’ Since our recruitment process is very rigorous, the ability to have these kinds of discussions with the faculty are priceless. The faculty do a really good job of exposing students to all different areas of the field, making it such a practical approach to criminal justice.”
As for what it takes to enter a career in criminal justice, Ciccanti says you need to be self-driven and have a bit of an ego but also a practical mindset.
“Understand that you can’t save the world,” Ciccanti said. “Realize that you’re not going to see people on their best day and quite often it’s their worst day. You have to have empathy for people.”
Find both episodes at rcbc.edu/podcast.