More than 175 attendees were treated to the wisdom of internationally respected researcher, author, and presenter Dr. John Krumboltz—not to mention many of their own MCDA colleagues—during MCDA’s very successful 2007 Minnesota Careers Conference, held May 4 at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education & Conference Center in St. Paul.

Meanwhile, another 100+ attendees participated in the two pre-conference Professional Development Institutes (PDIs) on May 3—one led by Krumboltz, the other by world-renowned change agent Dick Richards.

Here’s a brief recap of what turned out to be another wonderful two-day event.

Professional Development Institutes
Krumboltz—a professor of counseling psychology at Stanford University and co-author (with Al Levin) of Luck Is No Accident: Making the Most of Happenstance in Your Life and Career (Impact Publishers, 2004)—led off his “Helping Clients Create Their Own Luck” PDI by telling participants they would be doing most of the day’s work. “I’m just here to have fun,” he deadpanned. He then proceeded to prove himself wrong over the next several hours, helping participants see the value, and the inevitability, of unplanned events in clients’ lives and offering guidance on how to help clients capitalize on those events instead of resisting them.

Richards, meanwhile—author of Is Your Genius at Work?
4 Key Questions to Ask Before Your Next Career Move (Davies-Black, 2005)—spent his “Genius and Purpose” PDI teaching participants how to practice recognizing genius and life purpose in their clients (and themselves). Among the many benefits of recognizing one’s genius: a stronger sense of identity and a clearer sense of career direction.

Main Conference
Krumboltz kicked off the main Minnesota Careers Conference with a highly entertaining and informative keynote presentation that featured his familiar brand of storytelling combined with audience participation. It was a particularly special treat to hear how Krumboltz’s own experiences—starting in his childhood—led him to see the power of happenstance in people’s careers.
But Krumboltz wasn’t the only one sharing his experiences at the conference. Indeed, this year’s member-led breakout sessions were among the most diverse (in terms of content) in recent memory.

Of course, the Minnesota Careers Conference wouldn’t have been complete without MCDA’s annual Awards Presentation.

This year’s award winners:

Jules Kerlan Outstanding Achievement Award: Elizabeth Craig

Marty Dockman Merit Award: Janelle Nivens

Sunny Hansen Graduate Student Award: Jenny Reese

Thanks to everyone on the 2007 Minnesota Careers Conference planning committee for all of their efforts to make the conference a great one:
Janelle Nivens (co-chair), Janet Pelto (co-chair), Cindy Edwards, Patty Bales, Melody Kruzic, Bridget Kenadjian, Vic Massaglia, Nancy Swenson, Paul Timmins, Alissa Minion, Amy Olmscheid

Awards Committee: Lynne Schumann and Martha Krohn
Sponsorship Committee: Shelley Jensen-Decker, Bill Baldus, Irene Rossman, Betty Petron

Thanks as well to the conference sponsors and exhibitors:
Gold Sponsors: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Fairview
Bronze Sponsors: Career Liftoff, ISEEK, Capella University Career Center, WomenVenture, CPI Professional Edge, StarTribune, OI Partners
Other Contributors: The Bailey Consulting Group, University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education