2021 Professional Development & Program Support Grants

We're expanding our funding for micro-grants to help support our members with awards for professional development and program support. Please review the information below if you're interested in applying!

Who is Eligible?  

All current OCDA members are eligible to submit one (1) application.   

 

Application Period 

April 19^th – May 16^th, 2021  

 

Application Description  

The Ohio Career Development Association is offering six (6) grants of up to $250 to support OCDA members and their professional development or program support. The grants are intended for activities related to: 

INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT  

• Conference registration or travel 
• Workshop registration or travel 
• Professional training 
• Professional certification(s)

PROGRAM SUPPORT GRANT 
Assistance with programs that support clients in:  

• Developing career readiness skills 
• Exploring career options 
• Securing employment 
• Enhancing their careers  

Proposals will be judged based on planned use of funds and support of the mission of OCDA to promote a greater understanding of the meaning of work and vocation, to foster career development over the life span, and to improve standards of professional service in the field of career guidance and counseling in Ohio.   

Proposals are due by May 16th, 2021. Grant award notifications will be sent no later than May 24th, 2021. 

Apply at www.ocdaonline.org/grants.

Questions? Contact Chelsea Francis, OCDA President at cfranci1@cscc.edu.

Not planning to apply for a grant?

We are looking for two members to help us read + evaluate grant applications!

Grant Reader Eligibility:

• Must be an active OCDA Member
• Must not have applied for an OCDA grant
• Must be available to review/score applications the week of May 17-21, 2021

Interested in volunteering? Email Chelsea Francis, OCDA President at cfranci1@cscc.edu.

President-Elect Applications are Open

Applications are now open for the 2021-2022 President-Elect position. Our new President-Elect will begin their 3-year term on July 1, 2021. To be considered, complete the online application before May 21st.

The President Elect plans, executes, and organizes the Annual Conference and oversees the Conference Planning Committee. The President-Elect serves as a member of the Board, co-chair of the Finance Committee, and advisor to the President at the Annual Meeting, and performs Presidential duties in the absence of the President.

President-Elect Application

President-Elect Applications are Open

Applications are now open for the 2021-2022 President-Elect position. Our new President-Elect will begin their 3-year term on July 1, 2021. To be considered, complete the online application before May 21st.

The President Elect plans, executes, and organizes the Annual Conference and oversees the Conference Planning Committee. The President-Elect serves as a member of the Board, co-chair of the Finance Committee, and advisor to the President at the Annual Meeting, and performs Presidential duties in the absence of the President.

President-Elect Application

OCDA Awards: Last Day to Nominate is Tomorrow!

OCDA is taking nominations for our annual awards until Friday, April 2^nd at midnight. This is a great opportunity to nominate and recognize someone on your team! The award winners receive an award, registration to the OCDA conference, and a $100 honorarium.

There are three award categories:

• Outstanding Graduate Student Award
• Outstanding New Professional Award
• Bob Windle Leadership Award 

You can find the award nomination forms and more info at: https://ocdaonline.org/awards

Save the Date: OCDA 2021 Conference

Award Nominations are Open!

OCDA would like to recognize distinguished professionals in career development! Please read the descriptions below and nominate any or all within your network who apply! Winners will receive a $100 honorarium, a commemorative gift, free registration to and will be recognized at the OCDA Virtual Conference on Friday, June 4, 2021. Deadlines for nominations will be Friday, April 2^nd at 11:59pm.

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award

This award will be presented at the annual Ohio Career Development Association (OCDA) Conference in recognition of the wonderful contributions that graduate students are already making to their respective field.

Nominees must be a full-time student in Ohio, a masters or doctoral candidate, and in the field of career counseling, student affairs, college/student personnel or a related field.

To nominate a professional, please complete this form.

The Outstanding New Professional Award

This award will be presented annually at the Ohio Career Development Association (OCDA) Conference in recognition of an individual with less than five (5) years of full-time experience. This individual serves as a role model to students and professionals, demonstrates creativity/innovation in the field, and has great potential for continued success.

To nominate a professional, please complete this form.

The Bob Windle Leadership Award

This award is presented at the annual Ohio Career Development Association (OCDA) Conference in recognition of a true leader in a career field. The award is named in honor of Bob Windle, who won the award in 2011, for his exceptional contributions to OCDA and to career counseling, exploration, transition, and resilience.

The Bob Windle Leadership Award recognizes practicing career counselors, consultants, or teachers for outstanding performance. Nominees must have at least eight (8) years of service in career development or a related field; demonstrated quality of service (such as innovative programs, recognition by local organizations, publications, awards, etc.); and service to professional association(s) at the local, state and/or national levels.

To nominate a professional, please complete this form.

OCDA: New Logo!

Your votes are in. Thank you to everyone who helped us with choosing our new logo design. We are excited to reveal our new logo:

Meet Our New Board Members

We are excited to be bringing some new faces to our leadership team. Meet our new Professional Development Chair, Katy! Katy is currently a Career Services Advisor at Wright State University Lake Campus, where she helps undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni find their career path by working with them one on one in advising appointments. With a background in Career Services, she has experience in developing, facilitating, and creating workshops and career fairs for students to ensure their academic and professional success. Additionally, Katy works closely with local employers and builds relationships with business partners so students have access to employment opportunities including full-time employment, internships, and co-ops. Katy received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Master’s Certificate in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati. Katy also received her Master of Science in College Student Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University.

Meet our Membership Engagement Chair, Steve! Steve is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor-Supervisor located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Steve started and gets to lead his own private practice named Restoring Hope Counseling and Coaching. He is also a certified speaker, trainer, and coach with the John Maxwell Team and serves as an Executive Director with them. Steve's current clinical interests are working with men of Christian faith who live with pornography and/or sexual addictions as well as integrating career and mental health counseling into clinical work. He also provides leadership and business coaching services to others who lead a private practice. Lastly, he is working towards his PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Regent University.

The last day to submit a conference proposal is February 1st. 

The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. While so many of our services had to change to better support our client and/or student populations in today's world, we have found better ways of doing certain things. What have you learned throughout this year? What kinds of things worked so well, that you will continue those practices? Please note that your conference presentation proposal does not have to fit the theme to be submitted! We welcome any and all proposals. 

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this registration form. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, February 1st. Presenters will be selected by our Conference Planning Committee and notified by February 22nd.

If you have any questions, please email ohiocda@gmail.com. 

NCDA Career Practitioner Institute

NCDA will be hosting a virtual Career Practitioner Institute (CPI) on February 25th, 2021 from 11am to 4pm. The theme for this year's CPI is "Creative Career Interventions Across Workplace Settings." For more information on the CPI including presentation overviews, cost, and registration, please visit this link.

Call For Proposals

The OCDA Conference will take place on Friday, June 4th, 2021! 

The deadline to submit a proposal is February 1st, 2021. 

The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. While so many of our services had to change to better support our client and/or student populations in today's world, we have found better ways of doing certain things. What have you learned throughout this year? What kinds of things worked so well, that you will continue those practices? Please note that your conference presentation proposal does not have to fit the theme to be submitted! We welcome any and all proposals. 

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this registration form. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, February 1st. Presenters will be selected by our Conference Planning Committee and notified by February 22nd.

If you have any questions, please email ohiocda@gmail.com.

The OCDA Conference will take place on Friday, June 4th, 2021! 

The deadline to submit a proposal is February 1st, 2021. 

The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. While so many of our services had to change to better support our client and/or student populations in today's world, we have found better ways of doing certain things. What have you learned throughout this year? What kinds of things worked so well, that you will continue those practices? Please note that your conference presentation proposal does not have to fit the theme to be submitted! We welcome any and all proposals. 

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this registration form. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, February 1st. Presenters will be selected by our Conference Planning Committee and notified by February 22nd.

If you have any questions, please email ohiocda@gmail.com.

Congratulations to our Winners of the NCD Poetry and Art Contest!

---

First Place Winner:

Name: Alyssa Boyd

Age: 16

School(s): Westerville Central High School and Columbus State Community College

Education: current junior in high school and College Credit Plus student

 Current work and career goal(s): I would like to attend medical school and become a physician.

Second Place Winner:

Name: Alyce Davis

Age: 20

School: Franciscan University of Steubenville

Current work and career goal(s): currently getting a bachelors in Theological Studies. Artist on the side. 

Third Place Winner:

Name: Kate Dotterer

Age: 18

School: University of Akron

Current work and career goal(s): I am an AYA Integrated Mathematic Major and my career goals are to teach math abroad in South or Central America.

2021 OCDA Conference: Call for Proposals

The OCDA Conference will take place on Friday, June 4th, 2021!

The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. While so many of our services had to change to better support our client and/or student populations in today's world, we have found better ways of doing certain things. What have you learned throughout this year? What kinds of things worked so well, that you will continue those practices? Please note that your conference presentation proposal does not have to fit the theme to be submitted! We welcome any and all proposals. 

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this registration form. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, February 1st. Presenters will be selected by our Conference Planning Committee and notified by February 22nd.

If you have any questions, please email ohiocda@gmail.com.

Get Involved: OCDA Committees

The Ohio Career Development Association is looking for OCDA members to join their various committees. This is a great opportunity to grow your network, add to your resume, brush up on some skills, and stay up-to-date on current trends in the industry. OCDA has several committees to join, and they are all a very manageable time commitment. All of our committees meet via Zoom or phone. Take a look at some of the committee options below, and see what you may be interested in joining:

Conference Planning Committee: Assist with planning and implementing the annual conference.

Professional Development Committee: Organize activities that focus on career development and professional advancement, and also help with the CEU-approval process for events.

Membership Committee: Promote membership to colleagues and plan informal member-engaging events.

Awards Committee: Review nominations and select recipients for the 3 OCDA annual awards given at the conference.

National Career Development Month Committee: Assist with planning events during the month of November, and help with marketing the NCDA poster and poetry contest.

Interested? Click here to complete the Committee Form.

     

Career Wisdom in the COVID Age

By: Martin Jaffe

"Each one of us is doomed and privileged to be an inner artist who carries and shapes a unique world.” Father John O’ Donohue, ANAM CARA

“A Dream Not Understood is like a letter unopened “  The TALMUD

In this challenging time of anxiety and discontent I have been reflecting on what I’d suggest to career counseling clients from my almost forty year counseling experience that goes beyond the same repetition of resume writing, telling stories of your accomplishments, using LinkedIn--- all the superficial techniques that ignore the reality of living a soulful life of purpose. So, in this time of lockdown let me propose some looking inward, as Socrates stated, “KNOW THYSELF.”

Several years ago a client of mine Aaron D. expressed his desire to “study bio-chemistry, find the  biological origins of disease, make a difference”—when I last saw a brief note about Aaron in an alumni bulletin he was a second year medical student on the way to turning his vision into reality.

Beyond paying the rent and being a member of the working population what motivates YOU. Is it an altruistic vision of social justice or sharing your love of pastry in your chic bakery? Perhaps you have visions of yourself on stage sharing a musical or artistic vision? Look inward, read about people in fields of interest --- the world is diverse and at some point hopefully not too far down we need YOU.

What about your skills? The United States department of Labor uses an excellent shorthand of all jobs as primarily skills based on DATA, PEOPLE, THINGS or IDEAS. Do you prefer to organize an intimate gathering for 400 of your closest friends or would you be more comfortable sitting in attic writing the great American novel. What do you do when you have choice, write song lyrics and chords, bake chicken oregano with lemon, rebuild a 1966 Corvair?

At some time soon you will need to look outward and develop an ACTION plan for your career vision involving education and training . You will decide how much or whether you are more drawn to hands on vocational training or long term college/graduate school. At that point looking into occupational literature and educational guides will turn your vision into reality.

As Shakespeare noted several years back, “ALL THE WORLD”S A STAGE”

We await the curtain rising as you enter the stage.

The OCDA Conference will be held on Friday, June 4th, 2021. The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. Change is inherent in career development, whether it's career trajectory, trends, resources, services, etc. As we support others and each other during this time of life-career transition, we would love to hear about your proposal that focuses on change. Any and all proposals are welcome!

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this form: https://hiram.wufoo.com/forms/mhbybke1rr2zy2/. The deadline for proposals is end of the day on February 1. Presenters will be selected by the Conference Planning Committee and notified on February 22nd. You do not have to be a current OCDA member to submit a proposal.

2021 OCDA Conference: Call for Proposals

The OCDA Conference will take place on Friday, June 4th, 2021! 

The theme for this year's conference is Confidently Committed to Change. Change is inherent in career development, whether it's career trajectory, trends, resources, services, etc.  As we support others and each other during this time of life-career transition, we would love to hear about your proposal that focuses on change. Any and all proposals are welcome!  

If you have a conference presentation proposal, please take a few moments to complete this registration form. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, February 1st by 11:59:59PM EST. Presenters will be selected by our Conference Planning Committee and notified by February 22nd.

If you have any questions, please email ohiocda@gmail.com.