Counseling and Human Services Faculty Appointed to Leadership Positions in Professional Organizations

Three members of the Counseling and Human Services faculty in the Syracuse University School of Education have recently been elected to leadership positions by regional and national professional counseling organizations

Linwood G. Vereen, associate professor, has been elected president of the Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC). The AHC is one of the four founding divisions of the American Counseling Association, the world’s largest association representing professional counselors in various practice settings. The AHC is a national organization made up of counseling professionals who work in a variety of settings whose bond is a philosophy rather than a work setting, and who use their skills and expertise to empower and advocate, and make a difference.

Vereen will serve three years on the Executive Board in the roles of President-Elect, President, and Past President. His service will have a significant impact on the professional association and its relationship to professional counseling at all levels.

In March 2015 at the ACA’s annual conference in Orlando, Vereen will also receive the Distinguished Journal Reviewer Award from the AHC. This national award recognizes service to an exemplary editorial board member for the division’s journal.

Melissa Luke, associate professor, was elected to the Professional Trustee position for the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (AGLBTIC). In this position, Luke will be spearheading a research, scholarship, and grants initiative for the association. In her three year term (2015-2018), she will be responsible for soliciting nominations for research awards and will serve as head reviewer for the grant initiative while also serving on the association’s executive council.

Derek X. Seward, assistant professor, has been elected president of the North Atlantic Region of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NARACES). NARACES is the regional association for the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), a premier professional organization. NARACES promotes Counselor Education and Supervision master’s and doctoral students, faculty, and site supervisors in the Northeastern United States. In his role as President in 2016-17, Seward will lead the regional executive board and participate as a voting member of the national ACES executive board, thereby having a regional and national impact on our professional trajectories, initiatives, and evolutions within the counseling discipline.

The School of Education’s programs in Counseling and Human Services are nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The department was the was the recipient of the 2013 National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) Professional Identity Award, a recognition that signifies the faculty’s excellence in and commitment to promoting the counseling profession.