05/01/2006

Inaugural Class of the NCDA Leadership Academy Underway

by Darrell Luzzo and Bobbi Carter

The NCDA Leadership Academy is a hands-on, highly experiential leadership development opportunity designed specifically for promising national and state career development association leaders. The ultimate goal of the program is to identify and nurture future generations of NCDA Leaders. Under the direction of the NCDA Board of Directors, the NCDA Leadership Academy Class of 2006-2007 will convene on Thursday, July 6, 2006, just prior to the official opening of the NCDA Global Conference in Chicago. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, this year's participants in the NCDA Leadership Academy represent a variety of professional backgrounds and different geographic regions of the country. The 17 participants completed an application last fall, which included such questions as:

• "What background, experiences, and/or characteristics do you possess that demonstrate your promise as a future NCDA leader?"
• "If you were a member of the NCDA Board of Directors, for what issues and/or initiatives would you be most likely to advocate?"

Decisions regarding acceptance into the NCDA Leadership Academy were made by the NCDA Board of Directors.

Participants in this year's NCDA Leadership Academy each receive a $500 travel stipend and complimentary conference registration to support their attendance at both this and next year's NCDA Global Conference. Leadership Academy participants will

• take part in a series of workshops and training sessions during the Global Conference in Chicago, as they learned more about NCDA's history, governance process, and strategic initiatives;
• meet with current and past NCDA leaders; and
• learn more about leadership opportunities within NCDA, including leadership positions associated with NCDA committees, special interest groups, and task forces.

The highlight of participation in the Leadership Academy is the identification and implementation of a year long Leadership Action Learning Project that each Leadership Academy participant will be carrying out with the support of the NCDA Board of Directors.

Lisa Severy, member of this year's Leadership Academy, states, "I am very excited about the Leadership Academy as it has a wonderfully diverse mix of experienced and brand new professionals with a great deal of enthusiasm about our field and NCDA. It was an honor to be selected for the inaugural group and I can tell from the conference calls we've had so far that this group is going to work well together."

Fellow classmate Kevin Glavin believes this academy experience will further enhance what he has already experienced as an NCDA member. "Over the last several years I have been fortunate enough to have developed relationships with a number of NCDA members and leaders. I have been impressed with their commitment to NCDA as well as the field of career guidance. I am looking forward to further developing and enhancing those relationships. In addition, I am excited to get the opportunity to learn from the current leadership so that I can better serve the organization and our members."

Future issues of Career Convergence and Career Developments will offer a summary of the various Leadership Action Learning Projects that the NCDA Leadership Academy participants will be engaging in over the course of the next year. Applications for future classes are posted each September. We encourage you to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Announcing the NCDA Leadership Academy Class of 2006-2007:

Janis Ashkin
Ashkin Counseling & Training
Alpharetta, GA

Diana Bailey
Maryland State Dept of Education
Baltimore, MD

Pamelia Brott
Virginia Tech - Northern Virginia Center
Manassas, VA

Rodney Bullock
Joliet Junior College
Dolton, IL

Angela Byars-Winston
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI

Ronald Cathey
Louisiana Tech University
Simsboro, LA

Michael Frank
George Washington University
Arlington, VA

Sally Gelardin
The Job Juggler
Greenbrae, CA

Kevin Glavin
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Marjorie Hendrickson
Dutchess Works
Rhinebeck, NY

Jeanette James
Sachem Central Schools
Lake Ronkonkoma, NY

Lynda Kemp
Colorado State University
Denver, CO

Sarah Lopienski
Kent State University
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Julia Panke Makela
University of IL at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL

Sarah Moore Brookshire
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC

Thomas Phillips
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR

Rebecca Ross
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Lisa Severy
University of Colorado - Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309

Darrell Luzzo, Ph.D., is the NCDA President Elect 2006-2007, and is chairing the NCDA Leadership Academy. Luzzo is currently the Senior Vice President of Education for JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide. Leadership Academy coordination assistance is provided by Bobbi Carter, NCDA Headquarters Marketing and Education Director. Comments about this article may be directed to bcarter@ncda.org