OCDA Mission & History

A chartered state division of the National Career Development Association and division of the Ohio Counseling Association

Mission:

The mission of the OCDA is to promote the career development of all people over the lifespan and to establish, improve, and maintain the standards of professional career guidance, counseling, and career services within Ohio. The OCDA strives to present opportunities for professional development and professional networking within the career development community and strives to provide the building and maintenance of a diverse network of resources and support for its members.

History:

The Ohio Career Development Association (OCDA) was founded in 1975 and is a division of the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) and a strong state division of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), which was founded in 1913. NCDA is a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA).

Up until the year 2005, OCDA offered two conferences each year. During the economic downturn, OCDA partnered with AARP to provide career coaching. Over the years, OCDA has instituted awards to recognize career leaders in Ohio and outstanding students in career. During the 2010-2011 year, four award categories and their criteria were created to recognize OCDA members for their accomplishments. These awards included the OCDA Career Leadership Award, the OCDA Career Service Award, the OCDA Distinguished Career Merit Award, and the OCDA Exemplary Career Legislative Award. In 2018, the awards were reduced to a total of three, and the names were changed. 2014 was the year in which new bylaws were established. In 2015, OCDA started offering member generated webinars. The year 2017 brought the start of committees which provided members with the opportunity to become more involved in OCDA. Prior to 2018, there were no in-person presentations hosted by OCDA at the mid-year meeting executive board meeting or during National Career Development Month. This changed in 2019 when two presentations were hosted during National Career Development Month, and one speaker presented at the mid-year executive board meeting.

Evolution of the OCDA logo:

                                                                                                                    2020-2021 OCDA rebrand