As the executive director of the Career Center, Dr. Gaston leads the coordination, oversight, and implementation of comprehensive career services and professional development activities for all colleges and students. He directly oversees all Career Center operations. He is implementing a transformative vision for career services that aims to scale and integrate career development into the core of campus life.

Dr. Gaston has over 25 years of experience leading career and experiential learning initiatives at the University of Kansas and the University of Mississippi, where he served as the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Success and Executive Director of Career and Experiential Learning. His extensive experience includes working with industry colleagues on career readiness, integrating career into the collegiate curriculum, international careers, experiential learning, and the future of career services.

He has served in leadership roles in various professional associations, including the Global Career Services Summit and the National Association of Colleges and Employers. He co-chaired the Career Readiness Institutional Integration Taskforce in 2023, and co-hosted the Global Career Services Summit in Toronto, Canada in 2019. Dr. Gaston has a long history with the Fulbright Program, participating in the U.S. Administrators Program to Germany, hosting career services professionals from Germany for a weeklong professional development program, and serving as an application reviewer for English teaching positions in Germany.

Dr. Gaston has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Kansas with an emphasis in higher education administration. His research focused on occupational engagement, human capital, career readiness, and online career courses.