May 2025 Newsletter

Countdown: Two weeks until the 2025 OCDA Conference!

You still have time to register!

2025 OCDA Conference

June 5-6, 2025

Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio

We are thrilled to extend an invitation to the OCDA 2025 Conference, Seasons of Change in Career Development: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going. 

We have a ton of great sessions lined up for you! Check out the full agenda at THIS LINK. You won't want to miss this exciting conference and celebration!

Join the OCDA Board!

OCDA is celebrating 50 years of impact — and we want YOU to be part of the next chapter! Join the OCDA Board and make a difference in the lives of career professionals across Ohio.

️ Gain leadership experience
Expand your professional network
Drive meaningful change

Click here to complete our interest form!

Pulse on Ohio: Government Relations Updates

Legislative Update: Tracking Key Bills Impacting Career Development & Workers

Our Government Relations Committee continues to closely monitor legislation that could impact our members and the communities we serve, positively or negatively. In this month's Pulse on Ohio column, we would like to share three bills flagged by our committee that we are watching. All of these bills sit within the Ohio House of Representatives and have been referred to committees. If you would like more information on a bill or want to share your feedback with your legislators, we recommend going to https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/

Ohio House Bill 231,
the Paid Parental Leave Act, proposes a state income tax credit for employers offering paid parental leave. This offers up to $300 per day per employee in tax credit benefits for the employer with a ceiling. This could incentivize employers to offer equitable paid leave. We are watching this bill with optimism, as it could incentivize Ohio employers to offer paid parental leave benefits.

Ohio House Bill 157,
the Hunger Free Campus Act, would designate certain higher education institutions as “Hunger Free Campuses” and provide funding to combat food insecurity. The proposed budget includes $625,000 for this initiative and prioritizes campuses with high Pell Grant enrollment. 

Ohio House Bill 95
appropriates $1.44 million annually for the state's 2026 and 2027 fiscal years to bolster Ohio’s veteran support infrastructure in higher education, through leadership development, professional training, and direct support for veteran offices and military-affiliated students.

We encourage you to email the committee chair (sarah@valuesbasedcareers.com) with any input about how these bills impact your organization, work, or clients, or to suggest additional bills we should track that have an impact on the career development field. Our final committee meeting of the year will be held on June 23, and we welcome anyone interested in joining the committee to reach out.

1975-2025

Trivia Fun: In 1975, which tech giant was founded by two childhood friends in a garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

A) Apple

B) Microsoft

C) Intel

D) Oracle

Stay tuned for the next newsletter for more 50th anniversary trivia and the answer to this month's trivia question. Attend OCDA professional development events and keep with OCDA on social media for a chance to win a prize at the OCDA conference in June!

Featured Career Resource: Indeed's Career Guide!

Indeed's Career Guide offers invaluable salary and pay resources to help your clients navigate pay discussions with confidence!

Useful features include:

Step by step salary negotiation and job promotion scripts and examples
Average salary data and articles on different position types
Industry-specific compensation benchmarks
Tips for discussing pay during interviews
Guidance on timing salary conversations

Completely FREE and regularly updated, Indeed's Career Guide gives clients the tools they need to advocate for fair compensation as they enter and continue in the workforce!

Link to the guide: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary

If you have any ideas for membership email content, please email Chelsea Francis at 
cfranci1@cscc.edu.