Opening Keynote

Session 1) More than My Title, Sarabeth Berk, Ph.D. (9:00 – 9:50 AM)

Description: This presentation covers the three types of professional identity that exist in the

workforce, explains what it means to have a hybrid professional identity, provides examples of professionals who discovered their true professional identity and how it improved their career paths, and gives practical advice on actions career development practitioners can take right now to help clients see who they are beyond their job titles.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the three different types of professional identity and which you and your clients are

2. Understand what primary professional identities are (the ones you use the most and you want to be known for) and why they matter

3. Know how to communicate your unique professional value to managers, colleagues, and employers as well as in a variety of in person and online settings

4. Gain actionable tips for how to help clients be seen as more than their job title

50-minute Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Session 2) Opportunities Emerging from a Global Pandemic in the Career Landscape from a K-16 Perspective (10 AM); Norma Feriz-Gordon, M.S.Ed., Certified NYS School Counselor; New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE)

Description: We know that the pandemic has drastically changed the world of work from cubicles and conference rooms to hybrid/remote, beach and bed destinations. As we emerge from the global pandemic, what are the vast opportunities we are gaining as a result? What are the challenges we are facing and the necessary systems and support structures being built in order to support this shift that young people and the adults that support them are facing?

Learning Objectives

1. identify and address the impact of what the pandemic has done to the world of work and work together to tackle and embrace these challenges as opportunities

2. Learn to be opportunistic in the way we arm our young people K-16 with the knowledge and negotiation skills to build a more efficient and balanced work-life and increase efficiency across industries

3. Learn to College and Career Advising needs to expand to include remote, hybrid, and in-person preference in their scope

Session 3) Navigating Uncertain Career Transitions: Opportunity or Threat? (10 AM)

Joan Ball, Ph.D., Associate Professor, St. John’s University and author of Stop, Explore, Ask: Learn to Navigate Change in Times of Uncertainty (2022, Kogan)

Description: Why do people get stuck at career inflection points? How can we help them view the today’s dynamic career landscape as an opportunity to explore—even when time is of the essence and change feels threatening? In this interactive session, participants explore the human experience of navigating uncertain transitions and consider new approaches to helping others regulate, resource, reorient in the space between What Now? and what comes next.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize that career change is a catalyzing disruption that fundamentally challenges identity and self-direction.

2. Consider the value of helping people to view career change as liminal learning space rather than threat.

3. Explore ways to help people to equip themselves and others to prepare for transitions before they happen.

Session 4) The Legalization of Marijuana and Its impact on Employers and Employees (11 AM), Steve Chassman, LCSW, CASAC; Executive Director of Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD)

Description: This program will address the impact of the legalization of marijuana on employers and employees. LICADD is a 66-year-old nonprofit organization with a mission to the addictive climate of our times through the provision of initial attention and referral services to individuals, families, groups, and communities via prevention education, intervention, and professional guidance.

Learning Objectives

1. Provide a rationale for the negative impact that has been fostered by the legalization of marijuana

2. Identify the impact of this macro-level issue on employer-employee dynamic

3. Discuss relevant issues that contribute to this widespread concern

Session 5) The A.R.T. of Disability: Redefining Obstacles to Create a Meaningful Career (11 AM); Christina Papaleo, M.S., Access Coordinator/ Disability Resources, Syracuse University

Description: What if disability could be redefined as art instead of an obstacle when pursuing a career? Through a creative framework, there are possibilities for people with disabilities to express their identity that tells a story of their skill and specific purpose instead of how society sees them

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will recognize stereotypes, stigma, and ableist language that limit individuals with disabilities as they explore career options.

2. Participants will assess how to create an equitable environment for people with disabilities, not to meet a diversity quota, but to allow a diverse population to discover what they can contribute instead of a diagnosed limitation.

3. Participants will be able to empower their students/clients to apply the 5 stages of the creative process to identify their own “why” and action steps to implement them in their careers.