02/01/2025

2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference: Atlanta, Georgia

By Mary Ann Powell, Conference Director

Autonomy to Change: Evolving and Adapting Career Development in Revolutionary Times is the theme of the 2025 NCDA Global Career Development conference scheduled for June 18-20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Convened by the premier career development association, the NCDA conference is an annual opportunity to learn, earn continuing education, network, meet leaders, engage with association activities, explore a vibrant city, and gain significant professional and personal resources for another year of service to clients, students, and ourselves.

Typically attended by approximately 1000 career development practitioners, facilitators, counselor educators, counselors, specialists, graduate students, NCDA Board members, committee chairpersons, state career development association leaders, and honored award winners, the collaborative effort of many individuals and organizations makes this event worthy of full participation. The event is three days (or four, if professional development institutes are added on) which includes presentations, keynote sessions, constituency and committee meetings, receptions, and exhibitor interactions. Full details (registration and agenda) are posted on the NCDA conference website at www.ncdaconference.org.

The entire event takes place at the conference hotel, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. Using the secure link on the conference website ensures participants receive the conference room rate (if reservations are made prior to May 26, 2025 or before the room block is full). Atlanta, Georgia is a popular, bustling city with glittering skylines, expansive green spaces and charming neighborhoods, with profound significance in the Civil Rights Movement. Courageous leaders and activists, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis, fought tirelessly for justice and equality. Atlanta has shaped the course of history through advocacy and empowerment and can inspire career development professionals to do the same. This makes Atlanta the perfect location to connect, collaborate, and kindle conversations to evolve and adapt our field in unprecedented times.

Quality Presentations
NCDA received over 340 proposals for presentations surrounding the theme of autonomy to change. The conference program committee (see the full list below), chaired by Dr. Frank Gorritz, had the difficult job of selecting valuable and unique presentations to be part of the conference. The NCDA President, Marty Apodaca, personally selected the following keynote speakers.

Marian Higgins is a licensed professional counselor and owner of Be Inspired Counseling and Consulting, a company where she partners with organizations to transform their learning and work environments so everyone can thrive and be successful. Dr. Higgins is an experienced speaker and host of Dive In, a podcast focused on career development issues for different populations. She received her Ph.D. in counseling and personnel services from The University of Georgia, a Master of Science degree in counseling from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. She is a member of the 2018 NCDA Counselor Educator Academy cohort and the recipient of the Georgia Career Development Association's Outstanding Career Development Professional Award; ACPA-College Educators International Commission for Career Services' Commitment to Social Justice in Career Services Award; and the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers Champion of Diversity Award.

JP Michel is the creator of the Challenge mindset and the Challenge Cards, which have been used by more than 100,000 students around the world. His past consultancy work with leaders led to the creation of SparkPath, an innovative career exploration company spotlighted on Forbes, TEDx, CBC and BBC. Recognized as the 2022 Outstanding Career Leader by the Career Professionals of Canada, JP holds a degree in psychology from the University of Ottawa and a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Manchester.

Sonny Wong is a Registered Psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada who practices Career-Focused Positive Counselling. Sonny works in post-secondary institutions assisting clients to reconcile their intersectionality identities with their career identity. He started his career as a community researcher identifying the needs of marginalized-displaced workers, served as program developer for mature workers/newcomers, as a resource-builder for individuals in the idle trade and eventually a career/employment consultant for clients on provincial financial assistance. Sonny’s grassroots lived experience has fostered his keen awareness of professional/ethical service delivery practices.

In-Depth or Focused Learning Options
The NCDA conference offers two specific ways to dive into a specific topic of interest. First is the traditional option to register for Professional Development Institutes (PDIs) for a more in-depth look into a career topic. Registered participants may choose up to two of nine PDIs – note: PDIs require additional registration fees – for a 4-hour session prior to the start of the conference. PDI options with complete registration details are posted online at www.ncdaconference.org.

New this year is a focused learning option that is brief, yet intense. Mini-sessions each focus on one specific topic and can aid the participant in getting as much information on perhaps a new interest area in the shortest amount of time. Occurring at the same time as the typical 60-minute presentations, the mini-sessions allow for twice the learning.

Once again, the conference will recognize sessions focused on DEI. Full details about all the conference options will be available in the conference app, which opens to registered participants in early June.

Career Development Vendors

The NCDA Global Career Development Conference welcomes exhibitors and sponsors from public and private corporations, government agencies, educational institutes, and professional associations who offer career-related products and services such as books, media, computer-based systems, assessment instruments, and online services. Once again exhibitors will have the opportunity to register for a select speaking engagement spot on the center stage of the Exhibit Hall to support demos, branding, and product engagement with about two dozen participants at once. View the 2025 Conference Exhibitor Prospectus, or get more details about exhibiting and sponsorship from the conference’s Exhibits webpage or contact Brianna Navarro at bnavarro@ncda.org.

Recognizing and Honoring Juneteenth

Participants may want to arrive early in Atlanta to celebrate Juneteenth Atlanta which commemorates the historic weekend of Juneteenth, marking the emancipation of enslaved Aboriginals in America. Everyone is welcome to be a part of this monumental event where community, equality, human rights, and justice for all merge together to create a better world for future generations. The celebration will be held June 14-15 in Piedmont Park. Visit Juneteenth Atlanta for more information.

More Must See Attractions in Atlanta:

Centennial Olympic Park
Georgia Aquarium
World of Coca-Cola
Children's Museum of Atlanta
Center for Civil and Human Rights
College Football Hall of Fame
High Museum of Art
Zoo Atlanta
Atlanta Botanical Garden

Contemporary Participants

Autonomy to Change: Evolving and Adapting Career Development in Revolutionary Times will allow participants to explore the drastic advancements in technology and the impact on the field of career development. NCDA looks forward to seeing you and your career development contemporaries at the 2025 Global Career Development Conference in June.

Program Review Committee
Program Chair: Dr. Frank Gorritz
Committee Members:

Catherine Allen, Duke University
Dahlia Ashford, Shenandoah University
Ram Athavale, Wake Technical Community College
Carrie Bazar, Raritan Valley Community College
Jewel Canty, Midlands Technical College
Lisa Cardello, Kean University
Kimberly Cartledge, Lexington High School
Yavellie Cervantes, Columbia International University
Carla Cheatham, Seattle University
Carla Cheatham, Seattle University
Amanda Chenkin, Choice Career Counseling & CoBI Consulting
Marianne Cowan, Bates College
Matthew Cowley, Virginia Tech University
Ira Disman, Cornerstone Career Advising
Terry Fumiko Cummins, Penn State University
Regina Gavin Williams, North Carolina Central University
Ellen Goldman, Northeastern University
Cindy Haeck, Wilmington Career Counseling
Celeste Hall, Virginia Community Colleges
Kyle Inselman, University of Denver
Sujata Ives, Connecting The Dots, Global Career Development
Vivek Jha, Habit Mantra
Natalie Kauffman, KauffmanNCareers, LLC
Kayla Kemp, University of Iowa
Deanna Knighton, North Carolina State University
Christopher LaFever, Florida State university
Madeline Liggett, Cedar Springs Public Schools
YangYang Liu, California State University Fresno
Sophia Marshall, George Mason University
Carrie McKnight, San Jose State University
Ken Meeker, Vitality Career Coaching
Drews Mitchell, Loveland City School District
Jen Money-Brady, Seattle University
Leigh Oliveras, Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley
Allison Pirpich, Florida Polytechnic University
Stephanie Resue, Cornell University
Delasia Rice, Fordham University
Dilian Rolins, California State University Fresno
Sharon Rouls, Your Career Tapestry
Rosie Shen, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Tammison Smith, St. Cloud State University
Tanisha Stokes, Per Scholas
Rie Takanuma, Kanazawa University
Kristy Taylor, WORxK Solutions, LLC
Logann Todd, United States University
Janet Wall, Career Planning Academy
Courtney Warnsman, Austin Career Connections
Cynthia Washington, University of Alabama-Birmingham
Melva Washington, Veterans’ Health Administration
Sherry Williams, FCD Instructor, SCDA Instructor
Kelly Woods, Mount Holyoke College
Galaxina Wright, Nova Southeastern University
Miranda Yates, Mountain Empire Community College

Mary Ann Powell is the NCDA Conference Director. She can be reached at mpowell@ncda.org