Sam Leonard Beck, Director of Student Professional Development in the Ernst & Young Professional Development Center, is an experienced career counselor, university director and educator.  Sam has over 20 years of experience in career development in higher education, including 14 years as Director of Career Development at High Point University.  Sam also works as a Career Consultant with Ricklin-Echikson Associates, an industry leader in providing global transition assistance and career management services to corporations and individuals. Sam designs and implements workshops and programs in the Professional Development Center on areas such as networking, communication skills, personal branding, social media and new career management.

In her previous position, Sam developed an innovative career program integrating technology, theory and practical applications to provide broad-based career services to students at all levels.  Sam has been a leader in state career organizations, serving as President of the North Carolina Career Development Association and on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Employers.  Sam regularly presents on career topics on the state, regional and national level including presentations at the National Career Development Association Conference, the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers Conference, the North Carolina Counselors Association Conference and the North Carolina Career Development Association Conference.

Sam received her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude with a double major in Speech Communications and History from Wake Forest University.  She received a Master of Arts degree in History from Wake Forest University and completed additional coursework in the Wake Forest University School of Law, the Wake Forest University graduate program in counseling and the UNC-G graduate program in counseling and educational development.  Sam is a North Carolina Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, a National Certified Career Counselor and a Master Career Counselor. She was the 2009 recipient of the Roy N. Anderson Award from the NCCDA for outstanding leadership and service to the career development profession.  Sam also earned a Black Belt in Gensei-Ryu Karate and taught in the karate class at High Point University as well as serving as an adjunct instructor in Academic Development.

Sam’s career interests include the MBTI, Values/Skills Clarification, Technology and the Job Search, Communication Across the Curriculum, Graduate and Professional Education and Avoiding Career Burnout.  Sam lives on a working farm in Davidson County with her husband, three children and multiple animals.

You can also read my CV here.

What do all those letters mean after your name?

Sometimes students ask me what all the intitials after my name mean. I am obligated to provide students with the credentials that I hold in order to assure them of my education, background and training.

NCC & NCCC

National Certified Counselor & National Certified Career Counselor

Individuals who hold the NCC have met high standards of education and experience and have passed a national examination. They also adhere to NBCC's Code of Ethics within their professional practice.

NCLPC

North Carolina Licensed Professional Counselor

A Licensed Professional Counselor, also known as an LPC, is a professional with either a master’s degree (MA, MS, M.Ed., M.A.Ed., or MAE), a specialist degree (Ed.S.), or a doctorate degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.), in counseling or a related field. This person also has passed the National Counseling Exam (NCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). In North Carolina, this person will have met the requirements for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential, administered by the North Carolina Board for Licensed Professional Counselors (NCBLPC). See website links for NBCC and NCBLPC for more information.

MCC

Master Career Counselor

The Master Career Counselor (MCC) is an NCDA member who holds a master's degree in counseling or related field and has been active as an NCDA member for a minimum of two years. A MCC has at least three years of post-master's experience in career counseling and also maintains the NCC, state LPCC, RPCC, or licensed psychologist credential. MCCs must have successfully completed at least three credits of coursework in each of the six NCDA Competency areas and have completed a supervised career counseling practicum or two years of supervised career counseling work experience under a certified supervisor or licensed counseling professional. MCCs are skilled in administering and interpreting career assessments and provide the highest quality of career counseling services.

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