Board of Governors
These are your elected officers, serving the European Branch of the American Counseling Association.
President
Jill Van Horne PhD, (LPCS, RPTS, NCPSC, NCC, EAGALA certified
Jill Van Horne PhD (LCMHCS, NCPSC, NCC, RPTS, EAGALA certified)- is Director of the Professional School Counseling Program/Associate Professor at Appalachian State University. Her 20+ years of experience includes school counseling, hospitals, outpatient treatment, and consultation in community & schools. Her interests include multi-sensory techniques with children and adolescents and extending dialogue between professional school counseling & clinical mental health around the world. Prior to her position of President-Elect she served on the Board of Governors of the EB-ACA and the North Carolina Association for Play Therapy.
Immediate Past President
Rachael Marshall, Ph.D.
Dr. Rachael C. Marshall is an Assistant Professor and Fieldwork Coordinator at California State University, Sacramento in Counselor Education. With her Master’s in counseling, she worked as a clinical and career counselor in Universities, homeless shelters, and schools. Her work focused on trauma, grief, and advocacy with first-generation college students, immigrants, international students, and LGBTQ+ clients. She then completed her PhD in Counselor Education from the University of Tennessee Knoxville where she worked as a career counselor. She currently researches career identity development for specialized populations and counselor identity development in relation to self-care, wellness, and mindfulness.
President-Elect
Benton Johnson II, Ph.D.
Dr. Benton Johnson II is Core Faculty at Walden University in the School of Counseling & the Administrator’s cultural humility group co-chair. He is Founder of Ephphatha Consulting Services, Inc., Chicago & Moline, IL. providing counseling using sign language & serving children with autism. He does business inclusion & diversity consultations worldwide & served as the Board Chair of Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences; Illinois Counseling Association’s (ICA) division for Assessment and Research in Counseling while being the Chair of ICA Diversity in Leadership Task Force and a member of European Association of Psychological Assessment.
Secretary
Diandra J. Prescod, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ACS
Dr. Diandra J. Prescod is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of School Counseling at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. For five years, she served as Program Coordinator for one of the five existing CACREP accredited Career Counseling programs in the United States. Her research focuses on career development interventions for STEM students and women/students of color in higher education. Diandra has delivered over 50 national/international presentations focusing on counselor education and career development theory and practice. Her work has been published in many national journals including the Career Development Quarterly, Journal of School Counseling, and Journal of Employment Counseling.
Treasurer
Dr. Charles E. Myers
Dr. Myers, Missouri Stata University professor of counseling, has served in several leadership roles, including President for North Central Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) and Elementary Vice-President of Florida Counseling Association. Dr. Myers has served on many committees, including ACES’s Governing Council, International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling Advocacy Committee, and Association for Play Therapy Ethics and Practice Committee. His international involvement includes presenting AB-ACA, Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and International Conference; providing counseling in Haiti; and teaching on Torrejón Air Base in Spain. He specializes in trauma and expressive and experiential interventions in counseling.
Equity and Diversity Committee Chair
Sandra Peynado, LPC
Sandra Peynado is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She currently works with the military community, providing counseling and psycho-educational classes for service members and families in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Marines. She is also an adjunct instructor at Purdue University Global. Her professional interests and work have been around trauma, military family coping, advocacy, and social justice.
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International Committee Chair
Philia Issari, Ph.D
Dr. Philia Issari is an Associate Professor, founder, and Director of the Centre for Qualitative Research at National and Kapodistrian University (Athens, Greece). She has extensive experience as a counselor educator; her research, teaching and clinical practices focus on multicultural, social justice, narrative, constructionist, dialogic and collaborative ideas. She is working jointly with NGOs in research projects and counseling interventions for refugees in Greece and other European countries. She currently serves on the EB-ACA International Committee, the TAOS Institute Associates Council, the Steering Committee of the European Network of Qualitative Inquiry, the Advisory Council for Substance Abuse, Hellenic Ministry of Health, and as President of the Association of Narrative Counseling, Therapy and Art.
Social Media and Marketing Committee Chair
Louis Gonzalez, M.S. School Counseling, PPS
Louis Gonzalez (He/Him) is a proud queer Latinx first-generation student who just graduated with his Master’s in School Counseling. He is in his first year as a High School Counselor in Sacramento and the Teen Director for Centers for Spiritual Awareness, West Sacramento. For four years, he worked in Equity and advising at the College of Education at Sacramento State. In his “free” time, he hosts Queer·i·ous: The Podcast! and sits on the planning committee for Counselor Education's CSUS Alumni Association. His research interests are social/educational reform, gender and sexuality diversity, inclusive fashion, pop culture’s effects on young adults, and mental health awareness amongst BIPOC and APIC K-12 students.
Board of Governor's Member
Kristopher G. Hall, Ph.D.
My experience on boards has spanned national and local participation. I am currently on the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni board and have served for several years. I'm a founding member of the Black Employee Alliance at my university and am often called to assist the university on various ad-hoc committees. I feel that I would be able to adapt to the needs of the EB-ACA board as the goal is to bring ideas to the table to meet the mission. How that happens changes from board to board and I often have to adjust to the group. I feel that this would not be a problem if allowed to join the EB-ACA board.
Board of Governor's Member
Heather Summers, M.S. School Counseling
Heather Summers (she/her/hers), completed her master's degree in School Counseling at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. Her work experience includes six years of experience as a middle school counselor, facilitating groups and individual counseling, crisis intervention and prevention, with an emphasis on social justice and equity. She is a certified school counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, Trauma and Crisis Intervention Specialist, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion specialist through the American School Counseling Association. Her research interests include social justice and anti-racist counseling in schools and with youth. Heather is an active member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American School Counseling Association (ASCA), Florida School Counseling Association (FSCA), and the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). Heather was recognized as “Middle School Counselor of the Year” for Osceola County Public Schools, 2020-2021. She is a member of EB-ACA and has been a member and former officer of Chi Sigma Iota and is current president of CEDSO at UCF.
Board of Governor's Member
Kristopher Garza, Ph.D. NCC, LPC-S
Dr. Kristopher Garza is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Dr. Garza is also a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC Associate Supervisor, and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Dr. Garza’s area of expertise and research interest include career theory and counseling, college and academic preparation, professional ethics, rural mental health, first-generation college students, self-efficacy, resilience among adolescents and college students, retention factors in academia, stress management, and multicultural related issues.
Board of Governor's Member
Amanda DiLorenzo-Garcia, Ph.D.
Dr. Amanda DiLorenzo-Garcia is Mobile Crisis Response (MRT) Coordinator at the Alachua County Crisis Center and is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Central Florida. She completed her doctorate at the University of Central Florida and her Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Florida. Dr. DiLorenzo-Garcia's research interests include ambiguous loss and readjustment, grief and trauma, and self-compassion. Dr. DiLorenzo-Garcia studies the loss and growth experienced by family members of mass shootings survivors and primary survivors. Internationally, she has worked in Haiti since 2011 through P4H Global, a sustainable development nonprofit, and completed counseling related work in Dominica.