02/01/2020

Inspiring Innovation, Increasing Diversity, and Promoting Social Justice in Career Practice

By Mary Ann Powell, NCDA Conference Director

Each year, a group of people in the career development field come together for the purpose of advancing their knowledge and the field itself. Recent attendees were asked about their experience at the annual gathering, and positive responses such as the following, abound:

• Overall, I love attending! Such wonderful information.
• The diversity of sessions is outstanding.
• One of the best things about this was the speaker engagement with the audience.
• This is something I can share with clients.
• I liked the option of a formal presentation or round table sessions to break up my day.
• I enjoyed the entire experience from start to finish.
• Registration was very smooth again - Always organized! All sessions were relevant - appreciate the work in putting this professional development together - this is my ONE out of state event each year -ALWAYS worth it - LOVE IT!

The 2020 NCDA Global Career Development Conference is scheduled for June 30 – July 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Convened by the 100+ year-old National Career Development Association, the NCDA conference gathers over 1000 career development practitioners, facilitators, educators, researchers, counselors, specialists, students and more. This year, the theme is Inspiring Innovation, Increasing Diversity, and Promoting Social Justice in Career Practice. Dr. Kathy Evans, NCDA President, says, “The keynote speakers and presentations focused on this theme will energize and inspire you.”

This conference is an annual opportunity to learn and earn continuing education units, network, meet leaders in the association and the field, explore a vibrant city, and gain significant professional and personal resources for another year of service to clients, students, and ourselves. The collaborative effort of many individuals and organizations makes this three-day event (or four, if professional development institutes are added) full of presentations, keynote sessions, constituency and committee meetings, receptions, and exhibitor interactions. Full details are posted on the NCDA website – visit www.ncdaconference.org

NCDA received over 420 proposals for presentation, roundtables, poster sessions, and Professional Development Institute (PDIs). From these, the conference program committee, chaired by Paul Timmins, had the difficult job of selecting the most valuable and unique to be a part of the conference. These are listed on the conference website. The NCDA President, Dr. Kathy Evans, personally selected the following keynote speakers:

Dr. Rosie Davis, professor of counseling psychology at the University of Memphis, has has focused her impressive career on the power of inclusion, multicultural vocational psychology, ethics and living well in a diverse society.

Dr. Patricia Arredondo, is a scholar, licensed psychologist, and author of more than 100 publications and bilingual counseling training videos. Her seven books reflect her research interests in diversity-driven organizational initiatives, Latinx mental health, women’s leadership, and the application of multicultural guidelines for professional development. 

Lisa Taylor is the President of Challenge Factory and the Centre for Career Innovation. Lisa offers a dynamic perspective on the Future of Work and how demographics, the freelance economy and new market dynamics present opportunities to gain strategic advantage. 

For those interested or needing more continuing education, NCDA offers the option to register for Professional Development Institutes (PDIs) for a more in-depth look into specific career topics. (PDIs require an additional registration fees). The June 29th PDI options are listed here, while complete descriptions are posted on the conference website.

PDI #1 Military Culture and Its Impact on Career Development
PDI #2 30+ Interventions for Employee Career Development Integration: A Developmental Model and Its Use
PDI #3 Innovating Career Practice Using Career Construction Counseling
PDI #4 Innovation in Private Practice: How to Reinvent Your Process, Pricing and Promotion
PDI #5 Career Group Work: Creating Meaningful Conversations to Break Client Barriers
PDI #6 Social Justice and Career Practice: Using Superhero Storytelling to Design Empowered Career Narratives
PDI #7 Enhancing Career and College Readiness Self-Efficacy of Children and Adolescents
PDI #8 Social Justice 101: An Introduction of Concepts and Applications for Career Practitioners
PDI #9 Hands-on Tools for Veteran Career Counseling
PDI #10 Experience of Service

The NCDA Global Career Development Conference welcomes exhibitors and sponsors from public and private corporations, government agencies, educational institutions, and professional associations who offer career-related products and services such as books, media, computer-based systems, assessment instruments, and online services.  Click here to see the 2020 Exhibitor Prospectus.

The Hilton Minneapolis, the conference hotel, is in downtown Minneapolis. The area presents a dramatic riverfront skyline, nearby sports stadiums, artistic surroundings, many theaters, and so much more. Culinary delights are as diverse as Nordic cuisine for breakfast, Ethiopian for lunch and the very unique “Jucy Lucy” for dinner. To learn more or plan your trip, visit www.minneapolis.org

NCDA welcomes and supports first-timers and international attendees. Watch the website for details about first-timers gatherings, international ambassadors, and more. A month before the conference, an app will open to provide advanced support for an enhanced conference experience. At the conference, attendees can get to know NCDA better through the NCDA Showcase, where various representatives are available to answer questions about different products and services, such as training, credentialing, and publications.

Please join NCDA and more than a thousand career development contemporaries in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2020 Global Career Development Conference. #ncdaMinneapolis

NCDA thanks the 2020 Program Review Committee:

• Dani Amtmann, University of Oregon
• Bret Anderson, h2 Communication, LLC
• Nicole Anderson, Tufts University
• Tina Anctil, Portland State University
• Patrick Akos, NCDA Board Member
• Becky Borg, University of Minnesota
• Angela Bourassa, Manchester High School Central
• Carla B. Cheatham, Bremen High School
• Cat Diebel-Wilson, University of Colorado
• David Dietrich, The University of Tennessee at Martin
• Beth Dolder-Zieke, Viterbo University
• Casey Dozier, Florida State University
• Suzanne Dugger, Augusta University
• Amanda Dumsch, National Institutes of Health
• Mary Edwin, University of Missouri–St. Louis
• Denise Felder, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
• Pamela Fillmon, Fillmon & Associates
• Celeste Hall, NCDA Board Member
• Katy Hinz, University of Minnesota
• Tristen Hyatt, Florida State University
• Thomson Ivins, Florida State University
• Shelley Jensen-Decker, Minnesota Job Partners
• Carolyn Jones, NCDA Board Member
• Azra Karajic Siwiec, Walsh University
• Melanie Kiel, Washington State University
• James W. Lewis, retired
• Natalia Lindo, University of North Texas
• Yangyang Liu, Penn State University
• Cheryl Love, Cal Poly Pomona
• Kim Meredith, Mercer University
• Annie Montemayor, Capella University
• LeAnn M. Morgan, Walden University
• Michael Morgan, Florida State University
• Anne Nowak, East Baton Rouge Parish Library
• Kathleen O'Kain Kline, JOB
• Deb Osborn, Florida State University
• Un Yeong Park, University of Illinois
• Mary Parker, Central Carolina Community College
• Zara Pastos, University of Oregon
• Joanna Peters, Colorado Career Development Association
• Tim Poynton, University of Massachusetts-Boston
• Andrew D. Reynolds, Kent Intermediate School District
• Amber Ridgeway, University of Delaware
• Michael Robinson, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
• Darlene Roy-Johnson, Kalina Quest Coaching & Development
• Amy Policastro Schroeder, NC Department of Public Instruction
• Rob Seemann, Inspire and Inform LLC
• Marie Smith, Instructor & Master Trainer/Career Coach/Advisor
• Keley Smith-Keller, South Dakota
• Mei Tang, University of Cincinnati
• Terri Tilford, Co-Chair NCDA Research Committee
• Paul Timmins, NCDA Board Member and Program Chair
• Sherri Turner, University of Minnesota
• Courtney Warnsman, NCDA Board Member
• Jennifer Wells, The Virginia Community College System
• Roni White, Co-Chair NCDA Research Committee