Suzanne Ricci to join Everforth Apex panel on workplace ageism

Computer Coach Chief Success Officer Suzanne Ricci will join a free virtual Everforth Apex panel Oct. 28 focused on age bias and career strategies for experienced professionals. The discussion will cover AI, upskilling, personal branding and how seasoned workers can position experience as an asset in a changing job market.

Why it matters: - The panel targets experienced professionals who may face age bias while job hunting, especially in fast-moving technology roles. - The event aims to give attendees practical tactics they can use immediately to stay competitive in a market that rewards current skills as much as experience. - The conversation arrives as workers across career stages are being pushed to adapt to AI, new certifications and changing digital expectations.

What happened: - Suzanne Ricci, chief success officer at Tampa-based Computer Coach Training Center, will join enterprise change strategist Teri Christian as a featured panelist for Everforth Apex's free virtual event, "Experience Doesn't Have an Expiration Date: Let's Talk Ageism." - The panel is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EDT. - Registration is free and open to the public.

The details: - The panel will focus on whether years in the workforce are an asset or a liability during a job search. - Organizers say the discussion will address the reality that age discrimination is prohibited, yet older workers still encounter subtle and overt bias. - Planned strategies include positioning experience as a career differentiator, showing adaptability, staying current with AI and emerging technology, addressing age-related bias in interviews and networking, and building a modern professional brand. - Ricci said experienced candidates need to frame their backgrounds for today's market and pair long-term judgment with current skills such as AI, cloud and fresh certifications. - Ricci has guided thousands of career changers and job seekers since 2000 through career planning and customized training and certification paths. - Ricci wrote "Luck Is Not a Strategy: A Hands-On Guide to Planning Career Success" and the companion "Luck Is Not a Strategy Job Search Guide." - Ricci began her career as a web designer and now holds more than 25 technical and business certifications, including a ChatGPT certification. - Ricci's community recognitions include COVID-19 Hero of Tampa Bay, the inaugural Tampa Tech Bridge Builder award and Inno on Fire honors for work with HireUp Florida. - Christian brings more than 25 years of experience helping organizations move from manufacturing-era thinking to modern digital operating models. - Christian created the Digital Operations, or DigOps, model and wrote "Digital Operations, How to Survive and Thrive in the Industry 4.0 Jungle," drawing on experience in Lean, Agile and large-scale enterprise delivery. - Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and personal experiences for an open conversation about ageism, change and career growth.

Between the lines: - The event reflects a broader labor-market tension: employers want current technical fluency, while experienced workers are trying to prove that long careers still translate into speed, adaptability and value. - By centering AI and personal branding alongside age bias, the panel signals that the challenge is not only discrimination but also how experienced professionals present themselves in modern hiring processes. - Ricci's background in certifications and career training gives the panel a practical, job-search-focused angle rather than a purely policy discussion.

What's next: - The free panel will take place online on Oct. 28, 2026. - Attendees can expect a live discussion with practical guidance and space for audience questions. - Computer Coach says its broader mission includes helping individuals and businesses build in-demand AI skills through the AI Workforce Training Institute, launched in 2023.

The bottom line: - Everforth Apex is using a free public forum to tackle ageism with a practical message: experience still matters, but workers need to translate it into current, market-ready skills.