Greetings FCDA Members!

It is such a pleasure to be assuming the office of President for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. I have big shoes to fill from my talented and accomplished predecessors, Renee Hudson, Stacy Van Horn and Carolyn Jones. I joined FCDA in 2017, as one of my initial professional steps upon relocating from Atlanta, GA to Jacksonville, FL. And, as a seasoned career coach, I immediately found a welcoming, energetic and highly skilled group of peers at my new professional home.

Under Carolyn and Stacy’s leadership as president of FCDA, I witnessed a commitment to inclusion and professional growth, while honoring the diverse nature of the career development/services industry. And across this challenging 2019-2020 fiscal year, Renee has modeled resilience and professionalism. She has led FCDA through the necessary steps to represent and serve our membership in the face of a growing global health crisis and the realities of systemic racial injustice in the U.S.

I extend my appreciation to Board members who completed their service on 06/30/20. Rachel Keener Killam, Chair of Membership, and Emily Flositz, Chair of Communications and Social Media, consistently shared their energy and creativity to enhance the level of service, support, and engagement to our members, while growing our numbers at FCDA. And Alex Stewart, Graduate Student Representative, showed FCDA that there is a tremendous skillset, optimism and potential being unleashed among emerging professionals.

I remain grateful and excited to be sharing leadership responsibilities with our continuing Board members for 2020-2021: Dawn Kesselman, Secretary, Courtney Hand, Professional Development Committee Chair, and our Treasurer Chad Brown. Over this past fiscal year, Dawn, Courtney and Chad have shown an unwavering focus on friendly and professional collaboration, to elevate the representation and support for our membership.

And we are so happy to be welcoming our new Board members Jackie Gill, Membership Committee Chair, and Lashay Vazquez, Social Media & Communications Committee Chair. Our continuing goals at FCDA will be to advance awareness of our roles and work in this industry, expand our engagement as a professional body, and nurture a culture of diversity, inclusion, ethical conduct, and growth. And through the voices and engagement of our members, we will continue to join together to uphold a platform of social justice, cultural awareness, the future of work, and stewardship. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.  

– John E. Long, ED.S., BCC, CMCS
President, Florida Career Development Association (2020-21)