News & Photos

President's Message

Angela Doty, OCDA President 2008-2009

Fall happens to be one of my favorite seasons.  Maybe it is first day of school or the changing color of the leaves.  Fall represents both a new beginning and a transformation.  As career development professionals, we interact with and come along side individuals who are experiencing change and transition.  What an exciting and challenging opportunity – one that allows people to embark on a new journey.  

As I write this letter, I am setting out on a new adventure myself.  I recently accepted a promotion at Northwest Christian University, and with it comes the chance to establish goals and strategies that will benefit students in their educational planning and career development.  At the same time, I commence my term as the president of Oregon Career Development Association.  I am humbled and honored to serve you and the organization in this capacity.  Together, we have the opportunity to advance and enhance our profession and the lives of those we touch.  What we do makes a difference!

As your president, I hope to make a difference by implementing some ideas that will heighten awareness of OCDA, increase membership, and establish sustainability.  One of the first things you will notice is the website.  Thanks to one of our newest board members, Matthew Morscheck, we have a new and improved website.  It will allow you to easily navigate and access information about upcoming events, including our annual Spring PDI and Awards Luncheon and industry tours, professional networking opportunities, and career development resources.  I have also charged the Executive Board with the task of documenting processes and procedures for future board members in order to provide consistency and stability for the future of OCDA.

What we do matters, and I encourage you to share your expertise and experiences with the Executive Board.  This year, we plan to coordinate a wide variety of excellent and timely events. We are here to help provide and support a network that contributes to the pursuit of your own career development.  This can only be achieved successfully with your input, so I invite you to utilize our organization, to participate in our events and activities, to network, and to revitalize yourself both professional and personally, as you continue in your excellent work in the state of Oregon and beyond.

Sincerely,

Angela Doty

2008 OCDA Emerging Leader Award goes to Laura McCoid

The Oregon Career Development Association (OCDA) Emerging Leader Award was established to recognize a career development/education leader whose emerging record of leadership in the career development profession is significant.

This year Oregon CIS User Services Representative Laura McCoid received this distinguished award on February 29, 2008 at the OCDA Professional Development Institute (PDI) in Portland, Oregon.

Laura’s commitment as a career development professional and leader emerged quickly in her position at Oregon CIS.  She served on the OACTE board (2006-2008) as the representative for higher education.  She also served on Oregon Department of Education’s task force for professional development for Perkins IV.  At Oregon CIS, Laura has focused on developing ways in which CIS can meet the needs of special populations including people with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation clients, and other adult users of CIS.  Laura is a CDF Instructor and trained as an education facilitator of Dependable Strengths.  You will often find her working in the education professional circles in the state, consulting with schools and agencies, at workshops, trainings, and presentations.  Laura is a team player and a focused worker who positively influences those who work with her. 

Our congratulations to Laura McCoid!

A Letter from the 2007 Scholarship Recipient Darlene Fritz

I would like to formally thank the Oregon Career Development Association for standing behind its commitment to supporting professional development for its members.  Earlier this year, I was granted the OCDA Professional Development Scholarship so that I could attend the Careers Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.  After a career change a few years ago to become the Guidance Counselor at a small, private school, I had not been able to maintain my previous pattern of attending a professional conference each year due to financial restrictions.  The OCDA Professional Development Scholarship gave me the opportunity to connect with career development professionals from all over the United States and the World, re-energize myself professionally, and gain specific tools to take back and immediately use in my job. 

The Careers Conference in Wisconsin had an exceptional variety of workshops, general sessions, and industry tours for career development professionals from a variety of settings.  Since I recently transitioned from working at a community college to working with 6th-12th grade students, I found the sessions specific to middle school and high school counselors most helpful.  During the evening hours, it was also great to really explore the local community and try some new foods.  Have you ever had deep-fried cheese curds?  They’re amazing!  Overall, I came away from this conference energized and inspired.

I would encourage all members of OCDA to make the commitment to participating in a national or international conference sometime soon.  The Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin hosts an annual winter Careers Conference each year for career development professionals at all educational levels; next year’s Career Conference is January 26-28, 2009 http://www.cew.wisc.edu/careersConf/default.aspx .  Other great conferences include the National Career Development Association in Washington, DC on July 9-11, 2008 http://www.ncda.org/ and the International Career Development Conference in Los Angeles, CA on November 5-9, 2008 http://www.careerccc.com/locationhighlights.html.

Darlene Fritz, MA, NCC, MCC, GCDF
Guidance Counselor
Western Mennonite School

Mingling before  the PDI

PDI registration

Meeting Participants

Lunch was a time to catch up

People enjoyed the poster sessions after lunch

The raffle was a success

Presentation activity

Poster session activity