September 2025

Editor's Message
by Ruth Sternberg, NCOPE – NRWA Newsletter Editor

Colleagues,

As we prepare for a busy fall, I’ve been reflecting on how professional development shapes not only our skills but also our confidence, community, and vision for the future.

We just celebrated Labor Day in the U.S. This year, there’s a lot to think about, especially how the nature of work is shifting, and how we can help people adapt. 

This issue of The Watercooler is full of opportunities to help you learn about trends, expand your impact, and grow in new directions.

We begin with a major announcement from NRWA President Cathy Lanzalaco on the exciting organizational changes that will take effect in 2026. These adjustments will create a stronger, more agile NRWA, designed to meet the evolving needs of our profession while opening clearer pathways for members to contribute and lead.

Next is a reminder that it’s not too late to register for the 2025 conference in Chandler, AZ, featuring inspiring speakers, special events, and lively networking opportunities. And don’t miss the chance to show your NRWA spirit with this year’s conference T-shirt, featuring a bold new design. (I ordered mine!) Also, don’t forget that attendees will get the chance to win a free 2026 conference registration!

We then highlight ways for you to elevate your professional brand. Through our “Ask the Experts” initiative, you can contribute your insights and be recognized as a thought leader in our annual ebook. 

And speaking of expertise, Donna Tucker brings us a crisp grammar reminder. Don’t overlook this tip that can strengthen your writing! And don’t overlook our monthly trivia question!

Finally, we close with a roundup of upcoming certification and training opportunities. Whether you’re preparing for NCRW, NCOPE, or NCCSC, or joining the Writing Excellence Boot Camp, fall is a perfect time to invest in your professional growth and end the year with new credentials and confidence.

As you read through this issue, I encourage you to think about your own path of development. Which opportunities will help you rise to the next level? How can you contribute to the growth of our field? Let’s move forward together, committed to excellence and ready for what’s next.

Collegially yours,

Your Guide to This Issue

• A Future-Focused NRWA: Big Changes Ahead
  
• Learn, Win, and Make New Friends at This Year’s NRWA Conference
  
• Wear Your Commitment to Excellence
  
• Show Off Your Expertise
  
• Grammar Matters
• Trivia
• Upcoming Certifications & Trainings

A Future-Focused NRWA: Big Changes Ahead
By Cathy Lanzalaco, NCOPE, NRWA President

We’re excited to share a major update about the future of the NRWA!
The board of directors has unanimously approved a series of bold, forward-focused changes that will take effect in January 2026. These decisions are the result of months of thoughtful planning, reflection, and input from current and past leaders who are dedicated to strengthening our organization’s operations and governance.

Why the Change?
The career services industry is evolving rapidly, driven by new technology, shifting market trends, and changing expectations from clients and employers.
We also assessed our organization, and we recognized that our existing structure wasn’t designed to respond as quickly or effectively as today’s environment demands.

To meet this moment and prepare for the next, we made the intentional decision to strengthen our foundation. These changes will position the NRWA to be more agile, more strategic, and better equipped to deliver greater value to our members while leading our profession forward.

What’s Changing in 2026

• Redefined Executive Board with extended two-year terms for president, president-elect, and secretary, providing stronger continuity and vision.

• Streamlined Governance: a leaner board (reduced from 19 to 5 members) with clearly defined roles, accountability, and efficiency.

• New Leadership Council where appointed chairs collaborate more effectively with one another and their committees, while receiving leadership training, mentorship, and support to elevate their executive presence.

• Strengthened Partnership with Celtic, our association-management company, to ensure operational excellence, continuity, and long-term sustainability.

What This Means for You
These changes are not just procedural; they are transformational. As we roll them out, you’ll experience:

• Clearer pathways for volunteering.

• More meaningful opportunities to step into leadership.

• New ways to contribute to the NRWA’s direction.

This also means a greater return on your membership investment. With a leaner, more nimble structure in place, the NRWA will be positioned to anticipate market shifts, respond faster to member needs, and deliver a wider spectrum of solutions to help you remain competitive, credible, and connected.

You’ll see faster innovation, expanded learning resources, and an organization that’s not only more agile, but more aligned with what matters to you. We’re also creating more ways to elevate your voice, increase your visibility, and expand access to opportunities that support your long-term success.

If your goal for membership is to strengthen your craft, grow your business, develop your leadership brand, make a bigger impact in your work, or shape the future of the industry, this new structure is designed to support you every step of the way.

Whether you're a long-time member or new to the NRWA community, there has never been a better time to belong, get involved, and help shape what’s next. We are actively building something sustainable, strategic, and member focused, and we’re glad to be building it with you.

Guided by Member Feedback
In 2024, more than 100 members participated in a survey that reaffirmed the NRWA’s strengths while also making clear where we can do better. Here’s what we learned:

• Strengths: Members join primarily for continuing education (73%), networking (57%), and certification (55%). They especially value writing resources, teleseminar discounts, the Facebook member forum, and professional collaborations. 71% of members say they’ve formed professional connections through the NRWA.

• Satisfaction: 65% of members reported being satisfied or highly satisfied with their membership, and 87% said they are likely or highly likely to renew. This is strong, but it also means there is room to improve value and retention.

• Challenges: Nearly half (45%) of members admitted they weren’t aware of all the benefits available to them. Cost and value surfaced as key reasons why some have considered not renewing. Others cited frequent leadership changes or feeling disconnected.

• Advocacy: An overwhelming 83% of members said the NRWA’s role in advancing professional recognition and standards is significant or highly significant—a mandate for us to step into a stronger, more visible leadership role in the industry.

We heard you. You told us you need more support. You want expanded programming, and you’d like a greater sense of community. We also recognize that the career services industry is changing, and for us to meet those challenges, we need to change the way that we operate.

Looking Ahead
We’ll be sharing more updates in the coming weeks, including detailed role descriptions, volunteer opportunities, and how these changes will affect elections and committee structures.

Together, we’re shaping a stronger, smarter, and truly future-focused NRWA.

Learn, Win, and Make New Friends at This Year’s NRWA Conference

The conference is coming fast!
We will meet in Chandler, AZ, (greater Phoenix) at the Crowne Plaza Resort Oct. 13–16.

If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late! We would love to see you! There are so many great sessions planned, including special presentations:

Jessica Pierce: Navigating the Future of Work with Purpose and Passion
Jessica Pierce, founder and CEO of Career Connectors, takes the stage with a bold and energizing keynote on the Future of Work: Top Trends for 2026. A nationally recognized voice in workforce development, Jessica brings over 15 years of experience helping more than 75,000 professionals align their careers with purpose. At this year’s NRWA conference, she’ll dive into the top workforce trends that will define 2026, including the rise of Gen Z, AI-driven talent strategies, and how career professionals can stay ahead of the curve. Known for blending real-world insight with inspiration, Jessica will leave you not only informed but motivated to lead change in your own practice and community.

Nicholle Overkamp: From Stuck to Unstoppable
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, underpaid, or like you're spinning your wheels, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not broken. In this straight-talking, energizing session, Nicholle delivers real-world strategies to help business owners and solopreneurs finally gain traction—and stop fearing AI. Instead, you’ll learn to use it as the powerful growth tool it’s meant to be.

Expect:

• Actionable business-building tips.

• A no-fluff, motivating message.

• Fresh ways to use AI in your business today.

John Gates: Salary Negotiation Secrets from Inside the Hiring World
John is offering us a special opportunity to learn more about his proven salary-negotiation methods with a pre-conference workshop. These can help resume writers and coaches boost their clients’ pay outcomes. What happens behind the recruiter’s desk? John Gates knows. With three decades leading global talent acquisition and 75,000 job offers under his belt, John’s pre-conference workshop delivers high-impact, no-fluff insights to help resume writers add real value for their clients. As a best-selling author and creator of The Salary Coach Method, he’ll show you how to position resumes to support better pay, prep clients for tricky money talks, and grow your business with confidence. Expect practical tools, mindset shifts, and a clearer understanding of what really works in salary negotiation, direct from a Fortune 500 insider.

Many of our fellow NRWA colleagues will share their wisdom as well, including popular presenter Tom Powner, who returns with “AI Isn’t Replacing Career Pros; It’s Empowering Them,” a must-attend session for anyone looking to harness tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to streamline services and boost results without losing the human touch.

We also have a few goodies.
In addition to the usuals (fun merch and raffle prizes), we’re giving away our biggest prize yet: a FREE 2026 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION.

What: Valued at $695, this prize allows one lucky winner to register for next year’s conference free of charge.

Who: Attendees at the conference close* on Thursday, October 16, are eligible. In addition to the drawing, we’ll be recognizing Industry Hero and Vivian Belen award winners and announcing the location of next year’s conference.

Must Be Present to Win

Here are more special features:

NRWA President Cathy Lanzalaco is hosting a President’s Table at breakfast on the first day of the conference. It’s a space for first-time attendees to sit down, ask questions, and learn how to make the most of their experience at the conference.

Can’t choose between sessions? Conference committee member Shoni Bell has built a "newbie" conference roadmap for new members. No guessing, no scrambling, just clear guidance on how to navigate the sessions, the networking, and everything else that makes this event so valuable.

On Tuesday, Career Stories Unplugged is an opportunity to share and hear “you can’t make this stuff up” stories from your colleagues about their own career experiences. This is what we always do when we’re sitting with colleagues, right? Let’s laugh, cry, and shake our heads together! Come prepared with a story to share during this casual, relaxed, and thoroughly supportive event.

You can also participate by contributing a door prize.
It’s a great way to enhance your brand's presence. By supporting the NRWA annual conference in this way, you're not only boosting your brand but also contributing to a richer, more engaging industry event.

Door prizes can include a product, service, book, gift card, or any other item of value. We will acknowledge each contributor in front of the entire conference, acknowledging your valuable support and enhancing your industry stature.

To learn more or to discuss your sponsorship, please get in touch with the NRWA at adminmanager@thenrwa.org.

Wear Your Commitment to Excellence

The countdown to Chandler is on, and the official 2025 NRWA conference T-shirt is here to kick things off, with a design by Brenda Mariah, former NRWA president and winner of our T-shirt design contest!

This year’s theme—Phoenix Rising!—comes to life with a bold phoenix design on the front and the full NRWA conference history on the back, from our first gathering in 1998 to this year’s event in Arizona.

Show your NRWA spirit with our official 2025 conference T-shirt. This shirt is more than apparel; it’s a badge of belonging.

Why you need it:

• Perfect to wear on travel day, during conference check-in, or at casual networking events.

• A piece of NRWA history you’ll keep long after the conference ends.

• Instant conversation starter—because everyone will want to know where you got it.

Get yours now and wear it with pride!

Show Off Your Expertise

Each month, the NRWA collects intel from its members. 

We provide “Ask the Experts” questions and ask you to provide answers based on your professional experience working in career development. 

Each year, we take the selected responses and compile an ebook available for anyone to download.

Your name could be one of those highlighted as an expert contributor. 

Questions cover every angle of job searching, from resume construction to interviewing, and you will likely find a few that you cannot resist weighing in on. Check out this month’s questions.

When you participate, you're doing more than just lending a hand. You're enhancing your professional profile, sharpening your advisory skills, and establishing yourself as a leader in the career development community. The questions you answer help you become a better advisor, boost your reputation, and showcase you as an expert in our field. This exposure can lead to new clients and collaborations, helping you shape your professional journey as you help others shape theirs.

Grammar Matters

Here’s your monthly grammar tip from Donna Tucker:

Some words seem so similar, you might wonder if there’s any real difference at all—such as “enable” and “allow.” Both suggest giving someone the green light to do something, but there’s a subtle distinction that’s easy to miss.

Before you use one or the other in your next sentence, let’s break down what sets them apart—and why choosing the right one can make your meaning clearer.

The distinction between allow and enable:

• Allow means to not prohibit something, to let it happen, to remove any constraint that would prevent something from happening.

• Enable means to make something possible.

Samples:

• Innovative technology enabled agents to connect with customers face-to-face.

• The CEO enabled staff to leave work early the day before a holiday.

• The HR policy allowed employees to work remotely twice a week.

• The new law allowed people with disabilities to vote for the first time.

Trivia

Test your knowledge with this question. Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter:

Which Olympic gymnast was cut from the national team at age 13 for being “too uncoachable,” only to later win Olympic gold?

A. Simone Biles
B. Mary Lou Retton
C. Dominique Dawes
D. Shawn Johnson

Check Out These Upcoming Trainings!

It’s hard to believe the year is more than half over! It’s a great time to check your professional development goals and your training budget and take advantage of the NRWA’s learning opportunities before the end of 2025.

Here are several coming up:

Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)
Demonstrate your writing, strategy, and formatting expertise through a comprehensive certification process.

Feeling unsure where to begin? The Writing Excellence Boot Camp will walk you through the certification process and help you improve your writing so you can be ready. Register here for the course:
Course dates: Oct. 8 – Nov. 12, 2025 | Tuesdays | 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET
Application Deadline: October 1, 2025

Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE)
Craft powerful LinkedIn profiles and learn how to leverage AI, recruiting tools, and online networking. Register here.
Next course dates: Nov. 6 – Dec. 18, 2025 | Thursdays | 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET – Registration Opening Soon

Nationally Certified Career Strategy Coach (NCCSC)
Gain real coaching experience and learn to guide clients through career transitions with confidence. Register for the next cohort, which runs:
Next cohort: Oct. 28 – Dec. 16, 2025 | Tuesdays | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET

Professional Development 

The NRWA offers live and on-demand webinars, a self-paced Resume Writing 101 course, teleseminars, and more opportunities for learning throughout the year.

Certification Programs 

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