MoCDA news and updates

1. MoCDA Newsletter
Summer 2018
Message from Our President
Diversifying Connections
Hello MoCDA!
I want to welcome you all to a new year for
MoCDA. As incoming President, I am excited
to help keep our momentum going and
continue to grow this organization. Some of
you may know me as I have been a member
of MoCDA since 2011 serving on the
Membership Committee and then as
Communications Chair and in this past year as
President-Elect.
Over the the past two years, MoCDA has
worked on making connections and continuing connections. Our
previous two presidents have worked with our leadership to
increase our membership and build relationships across the
state. I want us to continue these efforts so my proposed theme
for this upcoming year is "Diversifying Connections."
In this next year we hope to continue our efforts in developing
and strengthening relationships through our Regional
Representatives. Additionally, we plan to continue partnering
with other Missouri organizations with similar interests such as
the Gateway Career Services Association and the American
Counselling Association of Missouri. We look forward to
diversifying our efforts to be more inclusive of members in K-12,
private practice, government agencies, non-profit organizations,
and higher education. We are also looking to expand our borders
and reach out to potential members in neighboring states that
currently do not have local organizations. We are beginning this
effort in June with our summer roundtable series in which
This issue:
Message from Our
President
MoCDA & GCSA
Spring Conference
MoCDA Annual
Meeting
Regional
Roundtables
Contact Us

2. invitations to groups in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas are being
reached.
Lastly, I want to express that these continued efforts are not
possible without your continued support and engagement with
MoCDA. The Executive and Leadership boards consist of tireless
volunteers that have a passion for career development and I
want to thank all that have assisted in helping MoCDA get to this
point over the past 7 years. It is due to all your efforts that we
are continually recognized as a leader in state associations. I am
honored to serve as your President for the upcoming year and
hope to carry on the tradition of excellence that has been set.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any
questions or comments.
Best Regards,
Amanda Russell, MA, NCC
MoCDA President 2018-19
MoCDA & GCSA Spring 2018 Conference
Innovation with Limited Resources
This year MoCDA partnered with the Gateway Career Services Association (GCSA) to
provide our annual Spring conference. This year's theme was centered on "Innovation
and Creative Career Development with Limited Resources". Saint Louis University hosted
this event and we had 53 attendees from both organizations. Presenters provided a
wealth of knowledge and best practices on how to continue growing and developing new
ideas in career services while working with limited resources.
Once again, MoCDA was awarded a grant by NCDA to have an NCDA
Board member sponsored to speak at the spring conference. The
leadership coordinated to have Lakeisha Mathews, NCDA Trustee for
Higher Education as the keynote speaker. Lakeisha is also Director of
the Career and Professional Development Center at the University of
Baltimore. In her presentation on "Innovative & Creative Career
Development with Available Resources", Lakeisha provided insights
on how to meet the needs of today's students/clients while
implementing strategies that support integration and innovation. She

3. urged participants to look beyond the limitations and encouraged participants to seek out
resources through creative means.
In addition to the keynote address, three plenary sessions were provided to enhance the
theme of innovation. Mako Miller from Kauffman Scholars, Inc. tailored her presentation
on the role of partnerships in her session, "It Takes a Village to Develop Successful Career
Services & Programming." Heather McDonnell from Fontbonne University provided
insights into creative ways to connect with first-year students in her session, "First Year
Career Foundations Program at Fontbonne University." Also, Karl Alrdrich and Floyd Welsh
from Saint Louis University tag-teamed to provide a session on looking forward, "Be a
Designer: Building Forward for Career".
To round out our conference, we host eight different
"table talks" where participants could gather and
discuss key areas of career development. Topics for
these discussions included: Director Roundtable,
Marketing and Communications, Employer
Engagement, Learning Outcomes Assessment, First
Destination Surveys, Working with Students in Career
Transition, and Career Services in Professional
Schools.
We had an outstanding event and are already looking
forward to next year. We hope to see you all there!
MoCDA Annual Meeting
MoCDA Elections
At our spring conference we announced the results from our 2018 election. We asked all
members to vote on three positions for MoCDA. The following members were selected:
President-Elect: Mako Miller, Kauffman Scholars, Inc.
Treasurer: Jennifer Davis, University of Missouri
Communications Committee Chair: Kara Mandrell, Culver-Stockton College
We thank all those nominated and welcome Mako, Jennifer, and Kara into the MoCDA
leadership team. If you would ike to get involved with MoCDA, please contact Amanda
Russell, President at ambarto@siue.edu.

4. Member of the Year Award
Each year MoCDA selects one member who has gone above and
beyond in their service to MoCDA and their field. This year, Mako
Miller was selected as the 2018 Member of the Year for her dedication
to career development and strong engagement with MoCDA as a new
member. Not only was Mako selected for the President-Elect role, she
has being actively involved as part of the Communications Committee
over this past year. Mako spearheaded the social media aspects for
MoCDA and utilized her talents to ensure timely and efficient
communication. Her work with Kauffman Scholars in the Kansas City
area encompasses her passion for helping others and career
development. Her colleagues and students reiterated that Mako is passionate about her
work. She is truly a precious gem to her organization and to MoCDA. Congratulations,
Mako!
Upcoming Events
Summer Regional Roundtable Series
This summer, MoCDA is hosting two regional roundtable discussions. Members are
encouraged to join colleagues in your region for a day of networking and informal
dialogue around issues in career development. Submit your questions or discussion topics
in advance and come to brainstorm solutions to the topics proposed by the group. Event
is free for MoCDA members. Non-members are welcome to attend and encouraged to
explore membership in MoCDA: https://mo-cda.org/join.
Each event will be held on Monday, June 18 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For more
details on the event in your region, please visit:
Northern Region (Culver-Stockton College)
KC Region (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law)
CONTACT US
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates on career
development events and opportunities.

5. Feel free to contact any MoCDA board member with your feedback, questions, or to get
more involved with the organization.
Molly Wilenksy, Past-President (wilenskym@umkc.edu)
Amanda Russell, President (ambarto@siue.edu)
Mako Miller, President-Elect (mmiller@kauffmanscholars.org)
Meg Langland, Secretary (meg.langland@westminster-mo.edu)
Jennifer Davis, Treasurer (davisjennifer@missouri.edu)
Missouri Career Development Association. All rights reserved.
Contact email: info@mo-cda.org
You are receiving this message because you opted in at https://mo-cda.org/
Unsubscribe