Kentucky Career Development Association

KCDA is excited to invite you to the first Lunch & Learn of the Fall semester on Friday, September 26! This virtual session will kick off the 2025–2026 KCDAyear with updates, opportunities, and plenty of space to connect with colleagues across Kentucky. The KCDA Board has been busy this summer planning an engaging year designed to expand your resources, strengthen your network, and spotlight the great work happening in career development across our state. At this session, we’ll cover: • Summer Board Updates – What we’ve been working on and how it benefits you. • What’s Coming Up? – A sneak peek at this year’s Lunch & Learn topics, plus ways for you to get involved (including the Spring Drive-In). • Check-In Across Kentucky – A chance for members to share what’s happening on your campus or in your organization this fall (and spring) and learnhow KCDA colleagues can support your efforts. This is more than just an update—it’s an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and shape the year ahead together. 📅 Date: Friday, September 26 🕛 Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET) 📍 Location: Virtual (link to be provided upon registration) We hope you’ll bring your lunch, your ideas, and your voice to the conversation.

Don’t miss KCDA’s October Lunch ’n’ Learn. We’ll be meeting next week as Erin Heakin leads us through some interactive discussions around Career Counseling Case Studies. We may be moving closer to Halloween but this session won’t have any tricks - just insightful “treats” as we navigate the career counseling landscape together! CAREER COUNSELING CASE STUDIES Date: Friday, October 17, 2025 Time: 11:00 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT Format:  Online Zoom meeting Session Information: Join us for an interactive Lunch ’n' Learn designed for career development professionals from across the state to sharpen their coaching skills and share ideas. Participants will break into small groups to discuss real-world case studies, explore best practices, and exchange strategies for supporting students’ career growth and success alongside their peers.   Bio: Erin Heakin is the Associate Director of the University of Louisville Career Center and the outgoing president of the Kentucky Career Development Association (KCDA). With a passion for helping students navigate their career journeys, she brings experience in career education, coaching, and workforce development. Erin is dedicated to fostering collaboration among career development professionals and advancing best practices in the field https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11c3b1_695859c0329e4fc5a4edcfb016d20142~mv2.png

Don’t miss KCDA’s November Lunch ’n’ Learn this Friday. Matt Purdy will lead a discussion about better spotlighting and utilizing our student employees - one of our best resources! Rising Stars: Giving Student Employees the Spotlight They Deserve Date: Friday, November 21, 2025 Time: 11:00 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT Format:  Online Zoom meeting Session Information: Join us to learn more about ways to showcase your rising stars - your student employees! Shining a spotlight on them is vital to the work we do, but it also strengthens the way in which we serve our constituencies. Matt Purdy will lead our discussion!   Bio: Matt Purdy is a student affairs leader and employer relations strategist with more than 17 years of experience helping students, employers, and organizations connect for success. As Director of Career Services at Murray State University, he oversees career development initiatives, employer engagement, and experiential learning programs that prepare students for life after graduation. Known for his positive energy and student-centered approach, Matt has led major technology migrations, expanded employer partnerships, and presented at regional and national conferences on topics ranging from leadership to career readiness. His background in marketing and sales, combined with a passion for student success, drives his commitment to creating meaningful career opportunities for all Racers. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11c3b1_f1259e0a7cd540fb95885944d70c59e6~mv2.jpg

February 20, 2026 • 11:00 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT Promotion to Participation: How Gen Z Decides What’s Worth Attending with Lindsey Badstibner ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​ Topic Information: The problem: Gen Z isn't attending events. Where are they? What social platforms have their attention? Why is LinkedIn so vital for Gen Z? Why should you care about 3:1 (content ratio, recruitment, and retention)? Join us to find out!    Bio:  Lindsey Badstibner is a marketing and communications professional at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, where she serves as Senior Marketing & Promotion Specialist. She supports college-wide marketing, storytelling, and digital strategy efforts, helping academic programs, faculty, staff, and students communicate their work clearly and effectively to a range of audiences. Her work spans content strategy, social and digital media, web content, email campaigns, and event promotion, with a focus on audience-centered messaging and brand consistency. Lindsey regularly partners across departments to translate complex initiatives into accessible stories that support recruitment, engagement, and institutional visibility. Lindsey previously worked at Gatton as a student content manager, giving her a firsthand understanding of the student experience and how audiences engage with institutional messaging. Having graduated from the University of Kentucky in May 2025, she brings a perspective that is both informed by recent student experience and grounded in professional practice. She holds a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations and a B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Kentucky, and brings a background in agency, nonprofit, and higher education communications. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11c3b1_7aaf05eed46b44068e6feca730a8c92a~mv2.png

What Do Employers Actually Look For When Evaluating Early Career Candidates: Recruiting & HR: Lessons from the Trenches. with Courtney Emery and Marc Manley with Courtney Emery and Marc Manley April 17, 2026 • 11:00 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT _______________________________________________ Presentation Synopsis: Join HR leader and Career Strategy Coach Courtney Emery and healthcare executive Marc Manley, for a conversation about human resources, early talent management, and trends in recent hiring and application processes including Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hiring process.  A longer description of the presentation can be found below the speaker bios. _______________________________________________ Speaker Bios: • Courtney Emery, MBA- HRM, is a Senior Human Resources Leader with more than 12 years of progressive HR roles. She partners with business leaders to develop people strategies that drive performance, engagement, and organizational growth. In addition to her corporate role, Courtney is a Career Strategy Coach who helps high-achieving professionals navigate career transitions, strengthen their personal brand, and stand out in competitive job markets. • Marc Manley, MSN, RN, is a healthcare executive who has not forgotten how to think like a bedside registered nurse—with a badge that now says “COO” instead of “Charge.” For more than 30 years, he has led hospitals and health systems in operations, service line development, physician relations, and even prehospital medicine, always with one non‑negotiable priority: take exceptional care of the people who take care of patients. Marc is a transformational leader known for rolling up his sleeves with multidisciplinary teams, from boomers to Gen Z, and turning “we’ve always done it this way” into sustainable, people‑centered change. He blends operational discipline with clinical credibility, helping teams improve performance without losing their soul (or their sense of humor). Recognized for his clinical insight, mentoring, strategic thinking, and calm-in-a-crisis leadership style, Marc has built a reputation for solving complex problems while building stronger, more connected teams. When he’s not navigating the chaos of healthcare operations, he’s usually in the kitchen, at a ballgame, or trying to keep up with his kids—who are unimpressed that he can run a health system but not a group text. _______________________________________________ Full Presentation Description: Attendees will learn timeless strategies that help candidates stand out in competitive applicant pools, along with emerging recruitment trends shaping the job market in 2026. The session also explores how tools like AI are influencing the job search—both helping candidates and creating new pitfalls. Practical guidance will include resume and cover letter strategies, as well as important considerations around drug screening and background checks that early career professionals should understand before entering the workforce. Their presentation highlights real-world risks and trends affecting hiring today. Through engaging stories that mix humor with serious lessons, attendees will explore scenarios such as: • “Speed Kills” – a cautionary tale about the risks of rushed hiring decisions (“the Saturday hire” story) • AI recruiting pitfalls – when the “perfect” resume turns out to be fraudulent • Asking the wrong questions – navigating the landmines of inappropriate or risky interview questions • Compliance mistakes – including high-risk failures such as improper credential verification By the end of the session, participants will walk away with actionable insights into how hiring works behind the scenes—and what they can do to assist our students and clients by positioning themselves as trustworthy, prepared, and standout candidates. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11c3b1_8b8d2dad9c0e4a8a86fc5879c41aac63~mv2.jpg