Walk Into the Future

Tag: NACE23

  • NACE24

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    “Succeeding in business is all about making connections”.

    (Richard Branson)

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) annual conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona this year.  Last year was a defacto home conference since it was on the Disney properties in Orlando, Florida.  Loved the ease of travel last year but NACE24 was one of the best conferences I have attended.

    Why?  It’s all about location and opportunities.  I’m not a huge Disney fan and felt trapped to the property the way the conference was setup.  Also, there’s not a ton of afterhours entertainment for non-Disney fans. 

    Phoenix?  Tons of local entertainment, sports and food are available within a two-block radius.

    Flew out of Orlando airport directly to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  I’ve been to Phoenix multiple times, but it was exciting to venture out west again.  Decided I didn’t need a car so booked the Super Shuttle service to get me to and from my hotel.  I’m a huge Marriott traveler so booked my hotel downtown Phoenix which was only two blocks from the Phoenix Convention Center which is where NACE24 was held.

    Did some exploring on my first day in town and walked around the city to take in the sights.  There were multiple police officers in front of the Footprint Center which is where the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) basketball teams play.  I’ve never been to a WNBA game and was excited the Phoenix Mercury were in town and hosting a home game.  Made my way to the ticket counter and purchased a $20 general admission ticket.  Wanted to experience the environment but not spend a ton of money just to say I was there. 😊  The arena was packed, and the crowd was energized and helped the home team win in a blowout (15 points).

    Left the ball game and headed out to get some food. Found a funky spot called Copper Blues. It’s a restaurant with live music and free comedy shows on Sunday nights.  This was a perfect spot to post up at the bar and take in the culture.  Spent about 3 hours in Copper Blues before heading back to my hotel which was half a block over—things in Phoenix are close.

    NACE24 started on Monday with some preconference sessions and attendee check-in.  No need to rush over but didn’t want to spend a ton of time in the check-in line.  The keynote on Day 1 was Soledad O’Brien formerly of CNN.  She spoke at NACE in Chicago a few years ago and did a fantastic job.  Wanted to attend her session to learn more about her current media role and the value she places on education.

    NACE is all about networking and I was able to catch up with colleagues from all over the country.  Ran into my friend Sean Collins who currently works at FAMU in Tallahassee but used to work for me at Florida State University back in the day.  Connected with NACE Board members—the current CEO, Chair and incoming Chair are all friends of mine.  It was great running into them and planning some future projects together.  The NACE community is a tight knit group, and the incoming Chair has already reached out to me to lead the Sourcing and Nomination Committee—this group is charged with selecting new board members.  It will give me insight on the process and help my efforts for a future NACE board seat—fingers crossed! 😊

    The next two days were filled with networking, checking out vendors and attending after-work parties.  There’s a lot of food, drink and fun at NACE and Phoenix provided a nice backdrop for all these things.

    The final party was held at The Duce in the warehouse district.  One of the vendors reserved the venue and provided food, drinks and live music for NACE attendees.  It was great seeing my colleagues in a different light, and everyone was having a fantastic time.

    NACE25 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next year.  I will get a chance to see my friend, Lauren Apgar again when I get up there.  Excited for NACE25 and seeing my homey! 😊

    Irie!

  • National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2023 Annual Conference

    NACE23

    “Continuous personal and professional development is your key to the future”.

    (Brian Tracy)

    The NACE22 conference was held in Portland, Oregon last year.  I chronicled my experience traveling out to Portland for the conference in a previous Walk into the Future article.  This was my first time in Portland so was excited to venture out and take in the sights.  NACE22 was also part of my professional development as I served as Co-Chair on the Mentoring Taskforce.  The role allowed me to present during the conference to share the activities the taskforce had worked on during the academic year.  FYI, we redesigned the NACE mentoring program to modernize how we recruit and onboard new mentors.  I was excited for the opportunity to network with my peers and share the hard work the taskforce completed to enhance our organization.

    Fast forward to 2023 and NACE23 was held in Orlando, Florida at the Disney World Swan, and Dolphin resort.  My travel itinerary was a lot less of a hassle than catching multiple connecting flights to get out and back to Portland.  My school saved a bunch of money by not having to fly me all the way to the west coast and back this year.

    Another bonus for me is I did not have to present this year, so I got a chance to enjoy myself while networking with friends from around the country.  The Career Services world is a tight knit bunch of professionals, and it was great getting a chance to see folks again.  The NACE conference provides a great platform for networking, and I made a point to talk with everyone I could.  Please note, this level of networking is needed for future growth within the organization.  I served on the Mentoring Taskforce because the NACE past-president reached out and asked me to Co-Chair because this was his passion project.  The incoming president made sure I knew she needed help with an upcoming committee and spent the week recruiting me to join her project as well.  It took a few follow-up meetings and calls, but I agreed to serve on one of her committees for the 2023 – 2024 year.  My end goal is to get a seat on the NACE Board of Directors soon and it helps to be connected to the right people.

    I’m not a huge Disney person but made sure to explore the Disney Boardwalk area for food, drinks, and night life.  I took advantage of the workout facilities located on the Swan side of the resort and got in a few training runs while on the property.

    Several of the NACE23 vendors host afternoon and evening networking sessions to connect with Career Services professionals.  These sessions are paid for by the vendors and they routinely provide food and drinks for all attendees.  Nice way to get a free meal, drinks and enjoy time with friends.  Yes, I made my way to as many of these networking sessions as possible. LOL.  

    A true highlight of the trip for me was a visit over to Disney Springs.  One of the vendors hosted a large event in an Irish Pub in Disney Springs.  I left one event with friends, and we decided to ride over to Disney Springs to enjoy the night life and hit the party at the Irish Pub. 

    Chef Art Smith’s Homcomin Restaurant is in Disney Springs and is world renowned for great food and atmosphere.  I need to make a full confession to my readers.  Art Smith is a world-famous chef and has cooked for Oprah Winfrey and a host of others.  Very impressive resume!  Also, Art is from Jasper, Florida which is my hometown.  He moved back to Jasper a few years back and is our most famous resident.  Where am I going with this?  Great question.  I texted Art before heading over to Disney Springs to get a reservation at his restaurant and he was great at getting me and three friends in on short notice.  Thanks Art!

    https://www.chefartsmith.com/

    The Homcomin menu has a ton of great options and I highly recommend making your way there when in the area.  I had Art’s Famous Fried Chicken and Sweet Tea moonshine.  My friends tried other items on the menu, and we all agreed this was the best food we had while in Orlando.  We got a treat with the Signature Sampler which has 3 of the best desserts you can find anywhere.  All were fantastic but the Hummingbird Cake is my favorite and will get that when I visit again.  Stop and see my friend Art when visiting Disney Springs—you will thank me for the recommendation!

    http://www.homecominkitchen.com/pdf/Homecomin-Menu.pdf

    http://www.homecominkitchen.com/pdf/Homecomin-Dessert-Menu.pdf

    NACE24 will be in Phoenix, Arizona next year.  I anticipate being on the agenda again to present to my colleagues.  I’m sure there will be great networking opportunities out there and looking forward to great food there too.

    What networking opportunities are you pursuing this year?

    Irie!

  • Square Grouper Jupiter

    SG1

    “Seas the day.”

    (Storyteller Travel)

    Summertime is conference season for everyone working in Higher Education Career Services.  We have multiple organizations that provide fantastic opportunities to network with colleagues.

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE) and Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (Florida ACE) are three of the organizations I have membership or participate in professional development.  My current role aligns more with NACE these days, but I stay up to date with SoACE and Florida ACE.  I have a lot of my tree branches who are extremely active with the regional and state associations.  I am proud to say one of my tree branches is the current President of SoACE.  I have others coming up through the ranks so happy to watch them grow daily.

    The Florida ACE annual conference was held in Jupiter, Florida this year and several of my friends and tree branches attended.  I was not an official attendee for this conference since I was just returning from the NACE conference in Portland.  I received several texts and emails from my folks in attendance that they wanted me to come down for the conference to say hello.

    Decided to drive down to Jupiter for the last day of the conference which was a Friday.  My current school is closed on Fridays during the summer so got up with the intent to catch the last portions of the conference and get a chance to catch up with my folks.  Jupiter is about a 50-minute drive south from Fort Pierce so made my way down.

    Arrived at the conference location and located the Florida ACE group on the second floor.  They were wrapping up the conference with awards and door prizes, so I hung back to avoid disrupting the conference, but my friends spotted me towards the back of the room.  Got a few smiles and waves but this did not distract from the conference.

    I was able to see and catch up with friends once the conference ended.  It was great catching up with people I have not seen in a while.  Some of this is because of COVID and some was because I moved down to Fort Pierce.  Either way, this was a fantastic opportunity to see some great people and reconnect! 😊

    The original Square Grouper is in Jupiter, and I had never visited this location before.  I am a regular at the Fort Pierce Square Grouper and wanted to check out the OG location for myself.  FYI, one of my friends refers to the Jupiter location as the OG (Original Gangster) location so decided to join in on the fun. 

    Google maps got me to the Square Grouper in about 10 minutes from the conference hotel which was down the street.

    Made my way into the OG location to see how/if it was different from the Fort Pierce location.

     The bar setups were very similar, and the food menu was the exact same—not surprising.  The difference I saw was what was beyond/behind Square Grouper.  The Fort Pierce location sits on the Fort Pierce inlet and is great for watching boats on the water.  The Jupiter location has a dock directly behind it with boats sitting.  Not a horrible look but the views are almost night and day for me.  Love the freedom and great pictures I get at the Fort Pierce location. 

    I’m sure the Jupiter location has a group of regulars who love their views, but I would not trade the Fort Pierce view, vibe and feel for anything.  Plus, the Fort Pierce Square Grouper is 15 minutes from where I live as opposed to having to drive 50 minutes to Jupiter.  FYI—the Jupiter location seems to get better live music options since it is closer to south Florida and the Miami music scene. 

    https://squaregrouper.net/events/month/?venue=jupiter-inlet

    Happy I made the stop in Jupiter to see what the OG Square Grouper has to offer.  Need to explore more in the Jupiter area since the beach is so nice down there.

    Irie!

    “Life takes you down many paths, but my favorite ones lead to the beach”.(Good Housekeeping)

  • 2022 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Conference

    NACE2022

    The 2022 NACE Conference was held in Portland, Oregon this year.  This was our first in-person conference since 2019 and there was a lot of excited and anxious people in attendance.  Safety protocols were taken to keep us safe, but you can never truly feel safe with over 1,700 people in attendance.

    I have been a member of NACE for the past 15 years and have continued to look for ways to expand my role within the organization.  I have served in multiple roles which have allowed me to grow a network with professionals across the world.

    I am currently finishing up my role as a Co-Chair for the Mentorship Enhancement Task Force.  I received a phone call from the incoming NACE President in July 2021 to talk about the task force and the importance he placed on mentorship.  He asked me to Co-Chair this critical task force and work to revamp the program and increase awareness/participation for NACE members.

    Fast forward to the NACE conference in Portland and my task force was provided a session to discuss the work we have been doing for the past 12 months and highlight the improvements we recommend to the Board of Directors.

    I have attended past NACE conferences in Anaheim, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, and Orlando but this was my first opportunity to present to my colleagues.  We were given a prime slot on the second day of the conference to present our work and recruit new mentors into the program. 

    My Co-Chair who is based out of St. Louis, Missouri and I spent multiple Microsoft Teams virtual sessions going over the presentation format, slides, and flow.  We decided to give a big overview of the program changes and then jump into a panel discussion with current NACE mentors and mentees to get their perspective on the impact of mentoring for each of them.

    We soon discovered the NACE conference committee booked our session in the LARGEST room at the event.  We had no preconceived perspective on how many people would attend our session, but we did not imagine we could fill every seat in this large space.  NOTE—we did not get close to filling all seats. 😊

    No worries!  We had a very good crowd, and the folks were able to get a more personal touch from my co-chair and I.  These folks were able to ask the panelist questions and we had on the spot sign-ups for new mentors and mentees.

    We shared the work of the task force and identified our strategies and marketing plans to create a world class mentoring program.

    The new program will have 3 mentoring layers:

    • 1 on 1 mentoring (traditional)
    • Reverse mentoring (new)
    • Mentoring Circles (new)

    Mentoring research identifies Reverse mentoring and Mentoring Circles are unique ways to increase mentoring awareness and participation.  We discussed the benefits of each mentoring model and introduced the software we recommended to match mentors with mentees.  The current matching process is manual and does not consider the demographics of the mentor or mentee.  This software matching process was a big hit with the NACE board and folks in attendance during our session.

    The marketing plan will utilize all social media platforms and the NACE website to promote the changes and encourage NACE members to join the program. 

    I was excited to see the NACE President, David Ong in attendance during our session.  This was his pet project for the year, and he was extremely happy with our progress and excited to roll out the new program to the general membership.

    David gave us a by-name shoutout during the general session late that day to thank us for the work we put in over the year.  This was the highlight of the conference for me and got more members wanting to discuss the mentoring program and to sign up.  I walked around with sign-up sheets for the rest of the conference and got many mentors and mentees signed up.

    My official Co-Chair role ends on 7/15/2022 but we still must complete one more project before our term ends.  I have decided to take a year off from serving on another NACE committee or task force.  This was my second national commitment to the career field in the past two years—time to take a small break and concentrate on my local duties. 

    I plan to get back into the national work of our career field in 2023 by either serving on another committee/task force or taking a larger step up to become a NACE Board Member.  This would provide me with additional leverage within the career field as we set policy to keep us relevant.

    Yes, I’m still dreaming big! 😊

    My 2023 conference travel plans will be less than this year.  The 2023 conference will be held in Lake Buena Vista (Disney World) so I do not have to endure another 7 hours of traveling.  My travel time over to Disney World will be just over an hour and I don’t have to worry about flight layovers in Salt Lake City or Minneapolis. 

    Look forward to getting the band back together next year.

    Irie!