OCDA August 2024 Newsletter

Cheers to a fantastic year with OCDA!

It's time to wrap up the 2023-2024 year and look forward to OCDA's 50th Anniversary Year!

A Thank You Message from the OCDA Past President, Christine Yancey

As I write this final submission for the OCDA newsletter, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and pride for the incredible journey we shared over the last twelve months. Serving as president for OCDA has been a true pleasure and has proven to be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my professional life.

All that we have accomplished over the last twelve months is nothing short of amazing and I am in awe of the work being done to promote our profession. I am particularly proud of the progress we’ve made and continue to make in the areas of government relations, membership development, DEI, and professional development. There is still more work in store for 2024-2025, so stay tuned!

Throughout the year, our board and committee members rose to the challenge and facilitated programing that made meaningful strides in enhancing our profession and providing valuable resources for our members.  I would like to thank each one of them for their unwavering commitment and hard work;  it was my pleasure to be part of this very talented and dedicated group of individuals. We often say OCDA members are not just colleagues and partners, but we’re friends. 

As I stepped down at the beginning of July, I am confident that OCDA is in excellent hands with the leadership of Richard Fajardo, your President. Richard, along with Kaleigh Mahon, your President-Elect. Both Richard and Kaleigh already have plans for an exceptional year.

Finally, we have a very successful OCDA Annual Conference this year and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the event sponsors: College Central Network, You Science, On Demand Occupational Medicine, Interviewing.com, and Evergreen Mentorship. I’d also like to thank the presenters and participants who made this event so successful.

Lastly, I’d like to thank you, our members, whose enthusiasm, dedication, commitment, and contributions are the lifeblood of our organization.  It has been my pleasure to serve you and I look forward to seeing you at future OCDA events.

With best wishes,

Christine Yancey

Past-President, OCDA

Reflections from the OCDA 2024 Annual Conference
Strive to Thrive: The Impact of Wellness on Career Development

Thank you to all of our members in attendance, presenters, our sponsors and exhibitors, the OCDA board, and Ohio Dominican University for another successful annual conference! This year, we had a wonderful turn out of conference attendees, as well as both brilliant keynote speakers and break out session speakers who continue to inspire and revolutionize the work we do.

Take a look at some of the photos from this year's conference!

We are so grateful for this year's conference sponsors and exhibitors! Thank you for your invaluable support!

A huge thank you to our Gold Level Sponsor, College Central Network!

Click here to learn more about our Gold Level Sponsor - College Central Network

And another huge thank you to our Silver Level Sponsor, You Science!

Click here to learn more about our Silver Level Sponsor- You Science

Click here to learn more about our Exhibitor - Evergreen Mentorship

Click here to learn more about our Exhibitor - Interviewing.com

Click here to learn more about our Exhibitor - LDW Group, LLC

Click here to learn more about our Exhibitor - On Demand Occupational Medicine

A Welcome Message from OCDA 204-2025 President, Richard Fajardo

Dear Members,

The summer has been flying by as we enter the month of August. Hopefully, each of you has been able to take some time to enjoy your favorite summer activities. Although I have not yet made it to a baseball or softball game, I have enjoyed seeing my favorite sports teams from Cleveland (the Guardians, the Cavaliers, and the Browns) using LinkedIn to promote their organizational successes and various career opportunities they offer. Much like other social media channels, LinkedIn continues to evolve, and hopefully for the better. 

Having attended a couple other conferences in June in addition to our annual conference in May (for those of you wondering, conferences with the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and the National Agricultural Alumni Development Association (NAADA)), I walked away with the ever-relevant reminder about the importance of 'refilling our cups'. I also reflected and thought about the metaphor of 'fuel'. Much has been said about the former in our professional realm. However, the 'fuel' metaphor is important because it often gets overlooked. Thinking of this in terms of vehicles, putting diesel fuel in a gasoline vehicle's gas tank can cause some extensive damage. Moreover, putting gasoline fuel in a diesel vehicle's gas tank can be even more devastating and dangerous. In either case, the wrong kind of fuel will not help a vehicle run and can hurt it.

In terms of 'refilling our cups' and helping others 'refill their cups', let us think about understanding what kind of fuel we run on and what kind of fuel other people around us run on. For example, I mentioned sports above, which may appeal to several people but might not be interesting for numerous others. While attending an Ohio State Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament game during a Friday workday brought much joy and inspired my work for the rest of that day, other people may find sporting events to be boring and de-energizing. With that said, although well-intentioned, advice and tips for success and growth are not always universally applicable. As members of various teams and groups, we must take the time to learn about what helps energize each person and keeps their momentum going. Giving someone the appropriate fuel can go a long way. A struggling hire or a struggling student might not be a 'lemon car' and may just need different fuel to operate. 

Remember that this 'fuel' metaphor is not just about our service to others. We also need to take care of ourselves, giving ourselves the fuel that we need to continue on our paths. Much like the people we serve, we are not 'lemon cars' or 'cars that are ready to be scrapped for parts'. Be sure to take the time to do activities that replenish you and make you feel like yourself - you deserve it! 

Richard Fajardo, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

OCDA President

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