NCDA CONFERENCE
Diane Kjos
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I got in a day early so I had time to visit with family and friends. A dear friend, who is not a member of NCDA, met my plane and took me to the hotel. We had a chance to visit and catch up on the news. The next day, I managed to have lunch with my "all grown up" Illinois granddaughter and dinner with my son.

Highlights of the conference for me included attending a party in the Illinois suite where I visited with old friends and colleagues as well as former students and current Governors State students.

Members of the Illinois CDA, particularly Julia Yang, the current state president, worked hard to assure that the conference was a success.

This was the first year that NCDA did not have a delegate assembly. A general meeting was held at the conference with all members eligible to vote. We learned that NCDA is seeking a new logo and they are offering prizes for the best entries. If you are interested in learning more about this, go to the NCDA website.

I also attended the "Brain Trust", a meeting of NCDA past-presidents. I came away from that meeting, as well as from the conference as a whole, feeling a sense of pride in the NCDA because of the quality of the programs and the way the conference was managed. And, by the way, I did attend some sessions and learned some new things.

AND, a number of people took time to tell me they remembered Tucson and what a great conference that was! Next year’s conference will be in Seattle so start saving your pennies now.

NCDA Conference, 2006, Through My Eyes!
Ken Patch

There were several people from Arizona in attendance at this year’s NCDA conference. Jan Pagoria, our 2006 – 2007 state association president attended and represented us very effectively. National and state leaders approached me to compliment us on the selection of such a personable and knowledgeable leader for the association.

Our state was also represented through PDIs, presentations and volunteers. Doug DeVoe of the ASU Career Services Center and Isabel Ferrales presented a program on "Graduate Professional Development: Successful Patnerships Delivering Career Services to Graduate Students at a Research University." Virginia Chomiak partnered with Pete Hubbard, Donna Ford, and Sally Gelardin to facilitate a Professional Development Institute on "Career Cybercounseling Using a No-Fee Platform That Includes a Secure Weblog and an ePortfolio-Based Model."

I teamed with Betty Kelley of Albuquerque to present two workshops on Spiritually. The introductory workshop, "Spirituality in Career Counseling" focused on what we and the participants believed to be basic concepts in the relationship, and influence of spirituality on career decision making. Participants identified a variety of examples and ways in which they have facilitated career decision processes in tune with the spiritual needs of self or others. The second workshop, "Spiritual Foundations in Native American Career Development", addressed to a more specific audience, and led to a variety of interesting discussions around the integration of basic cultural beliefs of some Native American as they deal with career decision making. As the two workshops were scheduled back to back, many of the participants of the first workshop stayed and participated in the second. According to feedback, this provided a greater level of depth and insight.

Highlights of conferences for me are always the greeting of individuals that you often only see annually, and meeting new conference goers. Each year, the old list grows larger as you meet people from across the states and from other countries. One gentleman from Japan has been attending for many years and this year for the first time recorded his native culture name (Tomoto) on the name tag to replace the English version, Tommy.

Martha Russell, NCDA President (2005 – 2006) opened her suite on two different nights to provide a casual atmosphere in which to visit. The Illinois State CD Chapter used the Presidential Suite one night for their reception and awards ceremony.

There are many opportunities to become involved at the national conference. Volunteers are always welcomed. Volunteering can displace the cost of registration, making the conference more affordable for many.

I was asked by the conference planners to volunteer again this year to monitor the Round Table presentations. Although this took up most of two days, it was rewarding. I was able to circulate around the room to listen in on a variety of topics and gather information and materials for future application.

The next conference is in Seattle July 6 – 8, 2007. If you are interested in presenting a program; a PDI, a regular program, or a Round Table, then take a step forward. Go to the NCDA website at www.ncda.org for information on the call for presentations. If anyone is interested in presenting and would like some assistance in preparing, just let me know. One of us who has been there before will be willing to serve as your personal professional presentation consultant (PPPC)! If you are interested in volunteering, check the NCDA website for the volunteer’s link. If you just want to go to be free to take in all the programs and to see Seattle, then go to the website and double check the dates, the location and begin planning now. If you go, you will not be disappointed!

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