Human-Centered Career Development in the Age of AI

As AI reshapes how people explore careers, search for opportunities, and navigate the workplace, how can career development professionals embrace its possibilities while preserving the human judgment, connection, and insight that are central to our work?

Join PACDA colleagues and career professionals for a series of in-person networking events throughout Pennsylvania with facilitated discussion, networking, and small-group conversation. Together, we’ll explore how AI and emerging technologies are influencing our work, exchange perspectives across settings, consider what must remain distinctly human in career development, and build relationships across the region.

Career professionals from higher education, workforce development, private practice, K–12, corporate settings, and other areas of the field are welcome. Participants will:

• Examine how AI and emerging technologies are influencing career development practice and the people career professionals serve.

• Explore where human judgment, relationship-building, and professional insight remain essential within increasingly technology-enabled career development.

• Exchange practices, perspectives, and emerging challenges with career development professionals working across settings.

• Identify at least one insight or practice to carry back into their own career development work

State College Event

Facilitator Bio: Shelley’s private practice (Dreamcatcher Career Coaching) provides job seekers with job search strategy and support. She authors a weekly blog (“Shelley Shares”) for Networklehighvalley.com about a range of career topics. Shelley is also the founder of GRADvertise™, a branding and career launch service for recent college grads. She has received national and regional recognition for her leadership in networking and career coaching. Shelley launched her career in hospitality and healthcare and then pivoted to career counseling at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

Shelley is co-chair of PACDA’s Membership & Communications Committee. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality from Penn State University. Shelley is a Certified Career Services Provider (NCDA), a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), is a certified Professional in HR (HRCI), and is certified in Academic Advising.