05/01/2025
The Power of the NCDA Leadership Academy
By Sujata Ives
The word leadership conjures up many mental images through various contexts and cultures. It requires a business mindset versus a healer’s mindset. As I have viewed it from my intercultural perspective, leadership is a calling and commitment to greater responsibilities that are local and global at the systemic level. Dr. Darla Deardorff’s studies explored and clarified these concepts throughout her publications (Duke, n.d.). Perhaps you have felt such a calling and commitment to take on greater business responsibilities in leadership? Perhaps you could be an NCDA leader?
The NCDA Leadership Academy (LA) was created in 2006 with the goal of identifying and nurturing future generations of NCDA leaders. Every two years, approximately six NCDA member applicants are selected to join a hands-on, experiential leadership development opportunity designed for promising, knowledgeable, experienced, and ethical national and state career development association leaders.
The Leadership Academy Experience
NCDA leadership is purposefully and strategically sought. NCDA’s leadership goals can be met through a program that specifically caters to creating competent and suitable future leaders for this thriving professional association. The experience provides intentional, purposeful, and rigorous progress via:
- Leadership workshops and training sessions throughout the year, especially at NCDA’s annual global conference. These are facilitated by co-chair leaders, mentors, and experts in the field of leadership.
- Small group and individual meetings with current and past NCDA leaders and mentors. These provide the chance to test ideas and ideologies for the purpose of conducting a viable study that can be useful to this organization.
- Opportunities to learn about NCDA's history, governance process, strategic initiatives, goals, and statements. Upon the completion and presentation of study results, mentees can choose a seat at various tables, learn, and offer their talents in helping the organization to grow, adapt, and evolve.
- Preparation for a variety of future NCDA leadership roles, including committees, councils, task forces, and state associations, if the mentee so chooses.
- Completion of a year-long study known as the “Leadership Action Learning Project.” All project results are made available to current leaders and members.
The Leadership Action Learning Project
Identified by NCDA’s Board and committee members and aligned with the NCDA Strategic Plan, a Leadership Action Learning Project is selected by the Leadership Academy participant based on personal goals and career development preferences. Each participant is paired with a Board mentor to support them in completing their research methodology, analysis, and formal written report. The Board Mentor has an important role in the Mentor-Mentee relationship because they dedicate their time, expertise, and wisdom to their mentees. They spend a few hours a month with their Mentees, attend Academy chair meetings, and instill instructional and affective knowledge to formulate adept future leaders. The final reports are published on the NCDA Leadership Academy webpage, and participants also present their findings to the Board of Directors and LA Committee Chairs at the NCDA global conference.
Leadership Academy Projects Class of 2024
Below is a brief synopsis of NCDA’s Leadership Academy Projects from the Class of 2024. These five members worked on their projects from January of 2023 until their presentation at the NCDA conference in San Diego in June of 2024.
Dr. Sujata Ives’ project explored NCDA members' views regarding the NCDA organizational values (Yoon, 2019). Participants were provided quantitative and qualitative questions regarding the constructs of Cultural Humility, Interculturalism, and Leadership Styles. Through survey responses from 178 NCDA members, Dr. Ives explored members’ ability to define the constructs, their engagement with the NCDA community, and the effect of leadership. She found confusion among international members understanding the terms “Diversity” and “Cultural Inclusion” as well as a need for professional development surrounding the impact of leadership styles on cultural humility, attitude, skills, and competencies. Most profoundly, she found that foreign-born members preferred an Intercultural leadership style and tenets that are based on dialogues, narratives, and the storytelling model which can yield increased member engagement and international collaboration (which are NCDA Goals). Out of this project also came a book and workbook, “Activate Success: tips, tools, & insights to be a leader in your niche” as well as an Interculturalism working group and presentation in the NCDA Private Practice constituency.
Dr. Angelica Gil conducted research to better articulate the benefits and value of NCDA membership. To understand how current NCDA members felt about their membership, Dr. Gil developed a survey and collected 146 responses that revealed professional development as the primary reason for joining NCDA. Dr. Gil found that while many members expressed value in networking, conferences, and publications, some cited costs and limited knowledge of resources as barriers to these benefits. She recommended that NCDA aim to increase intentionality, awareness and value of membership benefits through target marketing, while keeping economic limitations among constituency groups in mind.
Delasia Rice studied how NCDA can intentionally develop minoritized members (e.g., Black, Brown, queer, and trans individuals) into leadership roles within the association. Interviews with past and current leaders, along with a survey of 169 NCDA members, revealed the importance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in leadership development and the need for ongoing conversations about qualified minority representation. Delasia’s findings highlighted challenges in recruiting and retaining minoritized members, as well as the importance of mentorship and networking opportunities. She recommended an expansion of the Leadership Academy as well as strategically looking at other professional organizations’ plans for developing underrepresented members into leaders.
Shelby McIntyre examined how NCDA members experience and engage with NCDA’s Professional Development (PD) resources and identified ways to improve them. Through a survey and focus groups she facilitated, Shelby discovered a desire from members for improved search/navigation of PD resources and the distribution of curated packages of PD content organized by topic/keyword. Shelby also offered recommendations of future LA projects surrounding PD, indicating the importance of the topic to members.
Ken Meeker explored the diverse pathways through which NCDA members enter the career services profession, and highlighted key factors that influence career choices, training, and professional development. Survey responses revealed that over 50% of respondents work in education or counseling, with many holding NCDA credentials, while others expressed an intention to pursue credentialing. Findings suggest the need for NCDA to expand its outreach beyond higher education to include professionals from vocational rehabilitation, government services, and social service nonprofits, particularly those who engage with marginalized populations.
The Power of NCDA
Leadership Academy participants are grateful to NCDA for sharing the Mission, Vision, Diversity Statement, and Strategic Plans that guided the 2024 projects. They felt it was an honor and joy to be chosen, mentored, and presented with significant information for NCDA’s succession and sustainability through intentional leadership. The entire Leadership Academy program, including previous class participants and projects, can be found on the NCDA website and future classes will be called for beginning the fall of 2026. NCDA President Marty Apodaca wholeheartedly supports and values the Leadership Academy. He chose Dr. Sujata Ives as a Co-Chair of the Leadership Academy Development Committee for the purpose of identifying and nurturing future generations of NCDA leaders. Future applicants interested in the program should check the website or watch their email for opportunities. Often, the most difficult question for participants to answer is: “Why do you want to be an NCDA leader?” If you want to be considered for the NCDA Leadership Academy, start practicing your answer!
References
Duke. (n.d.). Dr. Darla Deardorff publications. https://sites.duke.edu/darladeardorff/publications/
Ives, S. & Horton, S. (2024). Activate Success: Tips, Tool, & Insights to be a Leader in Your Niche, Spotlight Publishing, Arizona.
Yoon, H. J. (2019). Eight NCDA values: Linking the past, present, and future. Career Convergence. https://careerconvergence.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/218723/_self/CC_layout_details/false
Dr. Sujata Ives, PhD, GCDFI, OWDSI, is a workplace global consultant and leader in the field of career development and employment counseling. She is a sought-after international speaker and international best-selling author of the book and workbook “Activate Success: Tips, Tools, & Insights to Be a Leader in Your Niche” available on Amazon & Kindle. Sujata is the 2023 recipient of the National Career Development Association’s Diversity Initiatives Award and in the NCDA Leadership Academy 2024 class, immediate Past President of the Maryland Career Development Association (MCDA), Chair of the Leadership a member of the Global Connections Committee and a member of the Awards Committee. Sujata has an earned Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in brain science, and is a Harvard trained Mediator.
Dr. Ives and the Leadership Academy express thanks to the more than a hundred dedicated members who supported these projects and to Dr. Angelica Gil, Delasia Rice, Shelby McIntyre, and Ken Meeker for their outstanding contributions to this article. Dr. Ives can be reached at wwwdrsujataives.com and at LinkedIn.