This episode kicks off a series of conversations that originated with the DEI Symposium, held at NCDA’s 2025 Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Cheryl Love leads a panel discussion of the challenges and strategies for providing career services amid today's social and political turmoil. The panel - including Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, Dr. Frank Gorritz, and Ruben Britt - shares insights into the impact of the current political and social climate on career development. The discussion emphasizes the importance of wellness, cultural competence, empathy, and advocacy for minoritized communities. The speakers also highlight the role of career counselors as frontline responders, providing not just career advice but also emotional and psychological support to their students and clients. The episode concludes with a call to action for practitioners to join the NCDA's Diversity Initiative and Cultural Inclusion (DICI) committee and contribute to the ongoing movement for social justice and equity in career development.
Dr. Cheryl Love is a Career Counselor and a College Specialist for the Arts, Humanities, School of Education and School of Public Policy in the Career Center at the University of California, Riverside. In this role she also serves as the Liaison to the African Student Programs, the Black Student Success Initiative, Basic Needs, UCR Transfer Work Group, and the Kessler Scholar Program.
Dr. Natasha Barnes-Gwynn, CCC, NCC, FCD-I is a Clinical Professor at Southern New Hampshire University. She also serves as a career consultant through her private practice, Increasing Our Understanding (I.O.U.) Consultation, LLC. Dr. Barnes-Gwynn is a newly appointed board member for the Council of Accreditation and Related Educational Programs.
Dr. Frank Gorritz FitzSimons, LPC, is a counselor educator in Florida. He is a nationally recognized scholar and counselor educator on topics including providing affirmative counseling care to queer and transgender communities of color, providing multicultural supervision, utilizing diverse approaches to counseling work, as well as addressing and disrupting white supremacy in counselor education.
Ruben Britt, Jr. is an educator, author, lecturer, and nationally certified career counselor with over 49 years of experience in education as both a teacher and career planning counselor. A nationally recognized expert on career coaching and educational issues, Ruben has served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education, the Educational Testing Service, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education, and several colleges and community organizations.
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