Announcing the SoACE 2018 Conference Keynote Speakers

Monday Keynote Speaker

Dr. Adam Peck has served as Assistant Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas since 2008 and has been a student affairs practitioner for more than 24 years. He is the author of more than forty scholarly publications and has presented more than 100 national and international webinars. He served as editor and co-author of the book, “Engagement & Employability: Integrating Career Learning Through Cocurricular Experiences in Postsecondary Education” (NASPA Press, March 2017). He is currently editing, “Leadership Development in Student Employment, New Directions for Student Leadership” with executive editors Susan Komives and Kathy Guthrie.

Dr. Peck is actively engaged in a number of professional associations. He is a former president of the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators, the former Texas State Director for NASPA and currently serves as Corporate Sponsorships Liaison for NASPA Region III. He serves as editor of the Research to Scholarship section of the Journal of Campus Activities Research and Scholarship. He has been named one of the “Champions of Assessment” by Campus Labs and received the “Founders Award” from NACA for contributions to the field of student activities.

Dr. Peck earned his bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Lewis University, a master’s degree in Communication Studies from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

Keynote Session Title: “Bridging Leadership Development in College with Professional Development in Careers”

 

Tuesday/Wednesday Keynote Speaker

Nalayini Thambar is the Director of Careers and Employability at The University of Nottingham which has campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia.  A Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and a qualified careers adviser, her work has involved teaching, professional practice and leadership across all areas of student employability.  Her doctoral thesis was an exploration of the professional identity of university careers advisers in a changing employability climate. Previously, Nalayini was Assistant Director at the University of Leeds Careers Centre, responsible for Business Engagement. Following significant expansion of Nottingham’s UK Careers and Employability Service in 2013, Nalayini established the delivery of expert services to students within Faculties and Schools, and the development of non-clinical placement activity across the UK campus. She is now leading work to develop the articulation of professional competencies within the curriculum across the University.  As Director of Quality for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), Nalayini is responsible for establishing professional standards, codes of conduct and quality assurance processes for careers and employability activity across UK higher education.

Keynote Session Title: “The Robots are Coming! Supercharging our Expertise to Futureproof our Profession.”

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Register for the conference by October 7, 2018 to get the Early Bird Rate! For more information on the 2018 Annual Conference, please visit the SoACE website.

Kent Phillips, 2017 Southern Star Award Recipient

The Southern Star Award may be presented to a person or persons to recognize significant and outstanding contributions to the profession, to society, or to SoACE.  The Southern Star Award is a prestigious recognition of service and contributions exceeded only in significance within SoACE by the Founders Award. SoACE was proud to present Kent Phillips, recently retired Educator Relations Manager at Disney World Wide Services, with the 2017 Southern Star Award at the Annual Conference in December. This award was also presented to Sam Ratcliffe, who was featured in February.

When then-Past President Mary Mahoney presented Kent’s award in December, which was accepted by Disney colleague Wayne Hampton, she shared the following statement from Kent’s career-spanning employer:

In our lives we have all been touched by working with very special people and this individual is one of those people.” He has dedicated his life to the Walt Disney Company and specifically to the Disney College Program and we are forever grateful.

There is no one I can think of that has made any greater impact on the Disney College Program than Kent Phillips. From the beginning, Kent knew how critical our relationships with our faculty partners and career centers were in building a “uniquely Disney” intern program. But, Kent didn’t just form these relationships, he embraced each of them, with his heart, and made these individuals “cherished friends”. He has taught so many life-long lessons to every recruiter, coordinator, intern and leader he has worked with. And, so many of these lessons have formed the foundation of what the College Program is today. These are core beliefs that will forever be part of this very special program. We are all so fortunate that Kent has been part of the Disney College Program…and our lives…for all of these years. We are blessed to have had the opportunity to learn and grow from someone that embodies integrity, high values and a respect for all. He has left his imprint on this program and will forever be our legacy. Kent Phillips spent 46 years with Disney and all of his career was spent in human resources. He was there when the Disney College Program was begun in 1981.

Kent’s response when learning that he had received the Southern Star Award:

Thank you very much for this honor. When attending my many SACE and SoACE conferences, I was always in awe of the outstanding individuals receiving this prestigious award. I am so blessed to have been able to work with educational colleagues and students regarding the magical opportunities Disney created. To be considered the face of these programs is really special to me. I tried to always show friendship, honor and integrity in all my actions. SACE offered me my first real opportunity to work educational/internship magic on a global scale. I am so proud of my time with my SACE/SoACE cherished friends and the accomplishments I helped happen in our field. I am sorry I could not attend this year, but hopefully I will see you at a future conference.

To learn more about Kent’s profound contributions during his 46-year career at Disney, check out this great profile on the Disney Internships & Programs blog.

The call for nominations for the 2018 Southern Star Award and all SoACE Awards is open now through October 5, 2018. Please consider nominating a colleague. A list of past award recipients and selection criteria can be found on the Awards and Recognition page of the SoACE website. Please check your email for more information, including the nomination link.

Participate in the SoACE ERKG Twitter Challenge for a $50 Gift Card!

by Dia Buchanan, Belmont University

What happened to the month of August?! Time flies when you are having fun… or just when you are extremely busy. The beginning of the semester has come and gone but don’t let this opportunity for promotion pass you by. We hope you have had a great start to the Fall semester and want to see all of the connections you are making with employer partners. Our #SoACE2K18 Challenge is currently underway and you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate! You are already making connections, why not snap a photo and post to Twitter in the process? The instructions to enter the contest are simple.

  • Post a photo on Twitter with you and an employer
  • Tag @SoACEerkg
  • Use hashtag #SoACE2k18

Complete these steps between September 10th and October 8th and $50 could be yours! The photo with the most LIKES & RETWEETS will receive the prize. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @SoACEerkg, along with the primary @SouthernACE account.