2021 Keynote Speakers

Andrew P. Daire
David Blustein
Lisa  Taylor

Dr. Andrew P. Daire

A driven and enthusiastic leader, Dr. Andrew P. Daire joined the VCU School of Education as its new dean in June 2016. Daire came to VCU from the University of Houston, where he served as the College of Education’s associate dean for research for nearly two years. His resume also includes more than 25 years of experience in higher education, 13 of which came at the University of Central Florida, where he co-founded the university's Marriage and Family Research Institute, also served as the College of Education’s associate dean for research, among other accomplishments.

A prolific researcher and scholar, Daire has received over $16 million in external funding with $15M supporting his research in family stability and mobility with economically marginalized couples and families and $1M from NSF supporting his secondary research interest in career development STEM recruitment and retention. He remains research and scholarly active in these areas through refereed and scholarly publications and presentations along with being a Senior Fellow in the Consortium for Family Strengthening Research.

Combining an academic and clinical background in counseling and psychology with expertise in research, Daire's style of transformative leadership emphasizes personal and professional development, and motivating faculty, staff and students towards excellence, innovation and impact in their work every day.

A big believer in the value of community engagement as well, Daire believes research and instruction are at their best (and most innovative) when focused on serving the public, particularly those most in need.

Hindsight is 2020: Have We Learned Anything?

2020 will be a year to remember and 2021 got off to a rough start. Although we are beginning to emerge from the pandemic crisis, a vaccine has not been found for many issues that will continue to plague our nation post pandemic: racism and social injustice, unemployment and workforce development, and mental health and wellness. The phrase, "hindsight is 2020," suggests that you would do things different if you had the knowledge and information from afforded by hindsight. With the knowledge and information from 2020, what have we learned and what can we do differently in our personal lives and in our professional lives as career development professionals?

Dr. David Blustein

David L. Blustein is a Professor and Duganne Faculty Fellow in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College.  David is the author of The Psychology of Working: A New Perspective for Career Development, Counseling, and Public Policy and the recently published The Importance of Work in an Age of Uncertainty: The Eroding Experience of Work in America. He also has contributed research articles and book chapters on psychology of working theory, career and work-based counseling, decent work, dignity at work, precarious work, relationships and work, and other aspects of the role of work in people’s lives. David has consulted with national and international organizations, such as the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Development Program. He also has given keynote addresses in Portugal, Poland, Italy, Iceland, Norway, Israel, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. David’s faculty webpage is available via the following link: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lsoe/faculty-research/faculty-directory/david-blustein.html

Reinventing Work for the Post-Pandemic Era: Expanding the Mission of Career Development

At the outset of the pandemic, a harsh reality emerged—the institution of work, which has been eroding for decades, could no longer serve as a source of sustenance or safety as millions lost their jobs and their access to safe working places. In this presentation, I argue that our society needs to reinvent the institution of work and that our professional home-- career development—needs to play a leading role in this effort. The presentation will focus on articulating a more inclusive vision for career development that will attend to all who work and who want to work. To support people as they manage an increasingly uncertain world, I will present an expanded vision of career development practices to meet the growing complexity of work-related issues in the post-pandemic world. Given the need for systemic change to support the reinvention of work, the presentation will conclude with directions for policy reforms that will support people and communities as they seek to forge a working life of meaning, purpose, and stability.

Lisa Taylor

As 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. 

Lisa is the author of Retain and Gain: Career Management for the Public Sector, and Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business and Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities, two sector-specific playbooks chock full of low-cost and no-cost activities for managers. Her third book, The Talent Revolution: Longevity and the Future of Work is published by the University of Toronto Press - Rotman Imprint (2019).

With an MBA in Strategic Management and Public Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Lisa held progressive roles at Deloitte and Hewlett-Packard. In 2014, Lisa was recognized by the Urban Land Institute as one of Canada's Top 100 Women for her work in the areas of leadership, employment and city building.

Lisa is a Canadian Special Operations Forces Regiment Association Board Member and just completed her  term on the Dean's Advisory Council, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University. Lisa sits on the Board of Directors for CERIC and co-chairs the Marketing Committee. She is a member of the Canadian Council of Career Development Association (CCCD) Standards and Guidelines stakeholder committee and a member of Team Canada for the 2019 International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy Symposium in Norway.

Lisa is a sought-after expert, speaker and  columnist. Her clients rely on her invaluable insights and real-world know-how. Lisa's expertise is widely recognized in the Globe & Mail, The Wall Street Journal, CBC, TVO and other major outlets.

Balancing the Future of Work Equation

Since March 2020, organizations, leaders, and citizens have shown remarkable capacity for adaptation and change. In many cases we’ve completely shifted how and where we work. At the same time, many have grappled with significant questions related to why we work the way that we do, why we uphold systems and structures that leave people behind and how we might move forward. Join Lisa Taylor in decoding the world of work before, during, and after COVID-19 through the application of the Future of Work Equation. Learn the unique role career development practitioners can play as you shift from providing front-line crisis support to being architects of the future of work.

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