Agnes Banyasz is a career strategist and intercultural communications coach with 30 years’ experience that spans industries and continents. For 10 years she managed the first faculty-based careers center at the University of Melbourne that offered customized career services to business students and alumni. She is a CICA accredited Certified Leading Professional, maintains memberships to key professional associations and has participated in conferences all over the world. This connectedness to local and international best practice allows her to build strong and rewarding relationships with clients. Outside work, Agnes likes to swim, walk, be with family, watch movies and listen to jazz.
Vandana Gambhir Chopra, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi, and the Former Country Director of India for APCDA. She started her professional career as a medical physician, excelled and later received her doctorate in Psychology. Known as an expert in Psychometrics, Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management and Vocational & Career Counseling, she helps corporations with their employee wellness and productivity through training and assessments. Her field of involvement in psychology research work spans across career competencies, personality, social psychology, competency mapping, positive psychology, consumer behavior and geriatrics mental health.
Yayoi Kitamura has worked for 10 years at the Faculty of Arts and Letters of Kyoritsu Women’s University, teaching about media studies, web editing, and collaborative learning. Her interest is in learning environment facilitation that solves the free-rider problem caused by group work from the perspective of peer mediation and restorative justice. She has been conducting a qualitative survey of graduates’ Self-Narrative Editing since 2006, and since last year, the public sphere awareness and collective self-esteem of students connected what Putnam calls the “secondary group.”
Serene Lin-Stephens is a careers researcher and consultant for over 20 university courses across disciplines. Her postgraduate qualifications span across Higher Education E-learning and Career Development. She is intrigued by ways to embed career development in higher education, including develop appropriate resources and technologies to support it. Her days are filled furthering her research interests through working closely with course conveners and industry stakeholders in a collaborative effort to enhance student outcomes and meet workforce needs.
Marilyn Maze Ph.D., Financial Administrator of the Asia Pacific Career Development Association, has organized the annual APCDA Conference since its inception, conducted numerous research projects on hot labor market and career counseling issues, and presented at international conferences. Dr. Maze received the President’s Award from NCDA in 2016, the NCDA Credentialing Commission Service Award in 2016, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maryland Career Development Association in 2010, and she became an NCDA Fellow in 2019. Dr. Maze formerly developed the ACT Profile (previously called DISCOVER).
Sachiko Morita, associate professor at Kochi University, career development support unit leader, specialized in international comparison of career development. She has 10 years of professional experience as a systems engineer and human resource department in IT company. In recent years, she focuses her research on the career guidance and practitioner’s expertise development of Scandinavian countries where ICT and lifelong learning are advanced. She has received educational encouragement awards from 2 national universities she has worked for.
Danita Redd, lifetime APCDA member, has been a higher education counselor and professor in the USA for over 30 years where she teaches Career Development and Life Planning and specializes in advising students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine. As an ambassador for Shared Hope International, she assists in raising public awareness about steps one can take to eradicate sex trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice. She was trained by the Foundation for Human Enrichment to provide somatic assistance to people with PTSD. She is a published writer and has been an international volunteer in Mexico.
Atsunari Sakuma, JCDA Career Development Advisor, National Certified Career Consultant in Japan, master’s degree of Management. After 25 years sales strategy development and salespeople development at Procter & Gamble, including Singapore assignment from 2002 to 2004, and 5 years international business development of some Japanese companies, he changed career to be a CDA in 2017. He’s been mainly supporting adult career plan development, especially for those who seek further employability education, such as graduate school, professional qualification school, public vocational training school, etc. He likes learning and sharing, attending NCDA Conference from 2018 and joining in APCDA Glossary Project from 2021.
Carla S. Siojo, was formerly the Director of the Office of Placement and Career Services at the Ateneo de Manila University for 8 years. She earned both a Bachelor of Arts Major in Psychology and Master of Arts Major in Pastoral Ministry: Family Ministry and Counseling at the Ateneo de Manila University. She has served as the Philippine Country Representative for several years and as APCDA President in 2019. She is involved with other professional organizations such the National Career Development Association (NCDA), Association of Placement Practitioners of Colleges and Universities (APPCU) in the Philippines, the Career Development Association of the Philippines (CDAP), and RMT-Center for Family Ministries Alumni Association, Inc.
Ma. Leonila Vitug-Urrea, PhD, is currently the Guidance Director of the University of the East. She is a licensed teacher, guidance counselor, and psychometrician in the Philippines. Besides being a practicing school counselor and career coach, she is a mental health psychosocial support volunteer counselor to survivors of natural calamities. She works as mental health and psychosocial facilitator of PAP (Psychological Association of the Philippines) Katatagan online. She is an officer of the Association of Placement Practitioners of Colleges and Universities (APPCU) and worked on the Ethical Guidelines, the Glossary of Career Development Terms, and social media promotion of the Asia Pacific Career Development Association (APCDA).
Sing Chee Wong is a Career Consultant and Trainer with more than 30 years of experience in career coaching, counselling and training. She is an accredited trainer for career development and has also qualified for NCDA’s “Certified Master of Career Services”. In 2020, Sing Chee was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by APCDA, and acknowledged as the “International Career Practitioner of the Year” (2021) by NCDA. She is the Founding President of Singapore’s “People and Career Development Association,” which aims to develop career practitioners and those interested in career development.
Heather Zeng, LPC, a counselor educator, completed her Ph.D. from Colorado State University. With over twenty-five years of career counseling experience working with military members and their families, At-Risk Youth in rural and urban settings, immigrant populations, and multi-national contexts, she has supported a range of career issues, challenges, and transitions. Dr. Zeng’s work in policy centered on Career Guidance systems, Vocational Technical programs, and School Work Transition. Dr. Zeng has been a Career Expert for USA Today’s Online Career Center, where she forged some of their first live chats and interactive article features.
