OCDA October 2025 Newsletter

"Fall Into Transformation"

A Message from OCDA President, Website Chair, & Social Media Co-Chair, Kaleigh Mahon

Dear OCDA Members,

As October comes to a close, we start to see shorter days, but we also have the opportunity to enjoy vivid colors in the leaves, crisp fall air, and potentially some down time within our personal and professional lives. As career professionals, most of us likely see a transition period towards the end of Summer and the start of Fall, but by the current point in the season, we likely see things balance out with our caseloads, pre-planned events, and other professional obligations. It’s at this point that I encourage each of you to give yourself a mindful moment (maybe even moments, if you’re feeling up to the challenge). Take this moment to reflect on all that you have achieved throughout 2025, the past few months, and even the past week. I would encourage you to celebrate yourself and make a commitment for the remainder of this year that you will take time to thrive both personally and professionally. Maybe this means picking back up a hobby (hello to my shelf full of puzzles), attending a training of interest, or even working towards a new credential. As always, OCDA will be here to support you on this journey, and with National Career Development Month around the corner, we have several exciting events planned for members to attend. I hope that you will consider joining us at these events and, remember, the work we do is hard and can often be draining mentally and emotionally, so I hope that this next month brings you some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

If I can give you one last message for this month’s newsletter it would be to never forget the difference you make in the lives of others.

Kaleigh Mahon, LPCC, CDCA

OCDA President

Upcoming Events

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS

Thank you for being one of our members! As a member, you receive many benefits, including access to Professional Growth and Networking Opportunities:

Continuing education credits (CEUs)

Discounts on trainings (Free-$5)

Meet other professionals through attending events

National Career Development Month NCDA Poetry & Art Contest

The OCDA board is excited to launch the 60th Annual NCDA Poetry & Art Contest, a nationally recognized celebration held each November in honor of National Career Development Month.

This year’s theme, “The Evolution of Work: Careers in the Past, Present, and Future”, invites participants of ALL ages to reflect, imagine, and express their creativity through poetry or art.

This contest is a wonderful opportunity for students, professionals, community members, and Everyone alike to showcase their voices and visions while inspiring others to think deeply about how work shapes our lives, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

We will include submission details in the next newsletter but wanted to get your creative juices flowing early! The deadline for entries is Saturday, December 20, 2025 – more details will be shared soon!

We warmly encourage you to share this opportunity with your students, colleagues, networks, and communities. Together, we can inspire creativity, spark reflection, and empower others to dream about the future of work.

Thank you for your time, energy, and partnership in spreading the word. We can’t wait to see the incredible art of our community!

Click Here to Learn More!

Government Relations Updates: Pulse on Ohio

Bill Coverage

Legislative Review: Enact the Hunger Free Campus Act

Bill Overview & Summary

Ohio House Bill 157 titled the Enact the Hunger Free Campus Act is a bill that was introduced by Representative Sean P. Brennan and Representative James M. Hoops on March 6th, 2025 and referred to the Workforce and Higher Education Committee on March 19th, 2025. This bill tackles student food insecurity impacting college students in the state of Ohio. If enacted, it would address hunger as a barrier to student and career success by setting up a new program called the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program and Designation that would be overseen by the Chancellor at the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

The Connection to Career Success

Students struggling to meet basic needs can't focus on their studies, their internships, or their job search. Food insecurity is a significant challenge impacting student well-being, and research indicates it is strongly associated with adverse academic outcomes; for example, food-insecure students have been found to be over 40% less likely to graduate from college compared to their food-secure peers (Wolfson et al., 2021). This policy aims to remove the obstacle of food insecurity on campuses in Ohio.

Program Details

If the bill makes its way out of the Workforce and Higher Education Committee, passes both chambers of the Ohio legislature, and is signed by the Governor, the newly enacted program law would require the Chancellor to create a program where public and private colleges and universities in Ohio can apply to get two things: a formal "Hunger-Free Campus" designation and grant money to support their efforts. To earn the “Hunger-Free Campus” designation, colleges and universities will need to meet certain standards. The bill suggests the criteria could include things that directly impact Ohio’s college students including:

1. Creation of on-campus food access through a food pantry or a steady, reliable partnership with a local food bank to do regular distributions.

2. Colleges and Universities must provide resource navigation including information on applying for major public benefits like SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid.

This bill, if enacted in its current state, would establish a foundational safety net, promote collaboration among partner organizations, and reduce hunger across college campuses in Ohio allowing students to focus on their educational pursuits and careers, not their next meal. The program is specifically designed to address significant non-academic factors that can impede student success. This approach shifts the focus beyond typical advising services, such as resume support, to prioritize the development of a stable foundation that is crucial for long-term achievement and positive student outcomes.

This bill has the potential to impact two of the Ohio Career Development Association’s constituency groups, including the “Higher Education Career Counselors/Coaches/Specialists” and the “Graduate Students/Counselor Educators & Researchers” groups. If you have questions about or would like to learn more about it, we recommend contacting your legislators by entering your address in the Ohio Legislator’s District Map site.

If there’s a piece of legislation you would like highlighted in this column, Pulse on Ohio, from the OCDA Government Relations committee, please send it our way! We welcome suggestions from committee members for bills to track, analyze, or write about. Your input helps ensure we’re covering the issues that matter most to our members. Please email your suggestions to Sarah and Newton.

Sarah JanTausch & Newton Kimberly

Co-Chairs, OCDA Government Relations Committee

Ohio Career Development Association - Advocacy

Featured Career Resource:
Health Care Careers Ohio - Help support our clients explore in-demand healthcare pathways!

Health Care Careers Ohio offers FREE resources to help clients discover diverse career opportunities in the healthcare sector!

Key features include:

Exploration of various healthcare career paths beyond doctors and nurses

Detailed profiles for in-demand roles like surgical technologists, radiologic technologists, respiratory therapists, registered nurses, and medical assistants

Information about both clinical and non-clinical healthcare careers, as well as educational and training pathways

Connection to major healthcare organizations in Ohio

Resources for both students exploring career options and professionals seeking career changes

Focus on stable, high-paying careers in a rapidly growing sector

This resource helps clients understand the wide variety of fulfilling healthcare careers available and provides practical guidance on entering this expanding field!

Click Here, Learn More!

Thank you to our sponsors!

YouScience

OCDA's 2025 Conference Gold Level Sponsor

Empower Ohio's future with data-driven career discovery

YouScience helps fulfill OCDA's mission by aligning student talents with meaningful, in-demand career pathways. Together, we empower lifelong career development through data-driven guidance and purpose-driven decisions.

Contact ohiocda@gmail.com if you or your organization would like to help sponsor the 2026 conference!

Visit YouScience

If you have any ideas for membership email content, please email Co-Chairs Ryana Munford at 
munford.2@osu.edu & Taylor Lincicome at tslocum924@gmail.com