Leadership & Board

Sheldon Aaron is an Assistant Professor at William James College in Newton, MA. In his professorship, Sheldon teaches human sexuality, couples and family counseling, counseling theories, multicultural counseling, and clinical practice seminar course. Sheldon is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, a National Certified Counselor, and holds Level-1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Sheldon completed his master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Eastern Illinois University and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at the University of Central Florida. In his clinical role, Sheldon specializes in working with LGBTGEQIAP+ adolescents and adults, and individuals presenting with depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, relational difficulties, and general adjustment related symptoms. Sheldon's research interest includes counseling instructor and student development, advancement of cultural humility and sensitivity when working with students and clients of color and those who identify as LGBTGEQIAP+. Sheldon is also interested in research advancing professional standards of care with these populations. Sheldon is an active member of ACA, ACSSW, ACES, AMCD, and SAIGE.

Dr. Amber L. Pope is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology and Counselor Education Department at William & Mary. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, and an approved supervisor for LPC and LMFT licensure in both states. Dr. Pope specializes in the areas of relationship and family counseling, sexuality concerns, gender and sexuality development, LGBTQ+ affirming counseling, and culturally responsive counselor preparation. Dr. Pope stays involved in professional development and leadership as an active member of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) and the Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness (ACSSW). For the past two years, she served as the chair of the ACSSW Research and Scholarship committee, leading the development of the upcoming Exemplary Practices for Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness. She currently serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling and the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness. Dr. Pope has published 20+ journal articles and two books in the areas of LGBTQ+ affirming counseling, LGBTQ+ intimate relationships, mental health counselor training, and clinical supervision.

Jerry L. Mize, MA, MEd, LPC, NCC, is an Instructor and Online Undergraduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University, where he teaches courses in statistics, psychopathology, therapeutic communication, and stress and coping. He is also a Doctoral Candidate in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of the Cumberlands and maintains an active clinical caseload as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia. His clinical work focuses on sexuality, relationships, identity development, trauma, and couples counseling.

Jerry brings a strong commitment to supporting the Association for Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness (ACSSW) in its continued growth, expanding mentorship opportunities, and strengthening scholarship, advocacy, and education in counseling sexology. Informed by his prior leadership experiences, he views ACSSW as an essential organization for counselors, counselor educators, students, and researchers seeking community, professional development, and evidence-informed resources related to sexuality and wellness.

Professionally, Jerry has remained actively engaged in leadership, scholarship, and service within the counseling profession. He has served on the Research and Scholarship Committee for the ACSSW and has contributed to departmental and national initiatives focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and professional practice. His leadership contributions have been recognized through his selection as a Michele Dowdy Emerging Leader by the Virginia Counselors Association (VCA) and as a Dr. Mark Pope Emerging Leader by ACSSW.

Scholarship areas Jerry examines include counselor competence, clinician discomfort, and the role of sexuality training in ethical and effective clinical care. His broader research agenda focuses on strengthening sexuality education in counseling, supporting evidence-based practice through research training, and advancing recognition of sexual health as an integral component of mental health. His work primarily utilizes quantitative methods, including scale development and regression-based approaches, to better understand counselor preparation and its implications for client outcomes. He has published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national conferences, and serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education, the Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, and Psychology & Sexuality.

Jerry regularly presents on sexuality- and relationship-related clinical practice at national conferences, including the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), with recent presentations addressing counselor discomfort with sexuality and affirmative practice with consensual non-monogamy. Across his teaching, scholarship, leadership, and clinical work, he remains committed to advancing the thoughtful integration of sexuality into counselor training and mental health practice.

To learn more about Jerry L. Mize, visit linktr.ee/jerrylmize

Dr. Bianca Augustine-Akogu, CCTP, is a Licensed Professional Counselor serving Virginia communities via telehealth. Holding a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Dr. Augustine-Akogu earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's of Arts in psychology with a counseling concentration from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Currently serving as a Clinical Assistant Professor at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Dr. Augustine-Akogu enjoys preparing future counselors and counselor educators to enter the field and involving them in her research. Her expertise lies in mental health counseling, particularly with individuals from oppressed identity groups, with an emphasis on those across the Black diaspora and those with sexual/affectional and gender-expansive identities. Additionally, her counseling practice encompasses areas such as wellness through liberatory practices, sexuality, relationships, identity development and affirmation, trauma, and grief. Her research interests span additional areas, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for racialized trauma treatment, intergenerational racialized trauma and resilience/resistance, creative interventions in counseling, and culturally responsive, socially-just care.

With a rich professional background that spans teaching at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, Dr. Augustine-Akogu has also worked with clients of diverse ages in community agency, inpatient, in-home, hospital, and private practice settings, with a primary focus on trauma and identity-related concerns. Passionate about counseling and teaching through a social justice and anti-racist lens centered on liberation, celebration, and affirmation, she integrates the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the African philosophy of Ubuntu into her practice.

Dr. Augustine-Akogu's commitment to advocacy and social justice is further evidenced by her involvement in various other professional roles. She currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling and contributes to the Research and Scholarship Committee of the Association for Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness, among other professional leadership appointments. Her active participation in local, regional, national, and international presentations aligns with her values of advocacy, social justice, and enlightenment.

Through her various professional roles, Dr. Augustine-Akogu strives to destigmatize mental health and forge stronger connections between mental and physical healthcare through the affirmation and celebration of diverse identities and enhanced delivery of trauma-informed services, care, and consideration across different settings.

Dr. Julia Lancaster is a remote assistant professor and clinical coordinator for South University's clinical mental health counseling program in West Palm Beach, FL. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and board approved supervisor for LPC and LMFT licensure in Virginia. She is the owner of a private practice, Mind, Movement, and More LLC, with additional training as a board certified-telemental health provider through CCE. She has been a reviewer for ACSSW's journal the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education since 2022 and a contributing author to ACSSW's peer review newsletter. Research and advocacy include cross-national collaborations with faculty from Swansea University, UK to reduce academic disciplinary actions and harassment against students in the sex industry. Further efforts are planned to develop training for student service providers with recent publications addressing the gap between student service providers readiness to support students in the sex industry and students' beliefs about that readiness and awareness. In addition, at the end of each day, she is a proud mom of two daughters who have always been encouraged to speak their truth.

Dr. Niko Wilson is an Assistant Professor and Core Faculty member in the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department at William James College, where she serves as Director of the Couples and Family Therapy (CFT) concentration. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Central Florida and her master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. Wilson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), National Certified Counselor (NCC), NBCC Approved Clinical Supervisor, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, AAMFT Clinical Fellow, and is EMDR trained. She is an active member of the American Counseling Association and serves as a reviewer for multiple journals as well as associate editor for the Journal of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness. As a clinician and supervisor, Dr. Wilson has extensive experience working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families across a variety of clinical settings. Her areas of expertise include relational and couples therapy, complex trauma, attachment, women's health, sexuality, anxiety, depression, addiction, and chronic health concerns. She integrates systemic, experiential, somatic, and trauma-informed approaches into her clinical work, having included EMDR and equine-assisted therapy.

Dr. Frances McClain, "Dr. Mac," received her MA in Counseling from Governors State University and her PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision from The Chicago School. Since 2010, she has been the Director of Clinical Training in the Counseling Psychology Department at The Chicago School. She was the Clinical Director at a community mental health center for 10 years prior to joining the faculty at The Chicago School. Throughout her career she has worked in several different capacities that includes individual, family, and group clinical work, clinical and administrative supervision, grant writing, program development and implementation, case management, psychosocial rehabilitation, community liaison work with both private and state psychiatric hospitals, and consultation with mental health centers around program development and accreditation preparation. She has presented at the local, state, and national level on topics related to cultural sensitivity, professional ethics and values conflicts, and human sexuality, especially as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community. She maintains a limited private practice where she provides pro bono psychotherapy services, as well as providing training and consultation for community agencies, area hospitals, Cook County probation, and Cook County Judges office staff. Dr. Mac is one of the co-founders of ACSSW and the second President. As one of the co-founders, she has played a significant role establishing some of the key components which have established ACSSW in the professional counseling and wider mental health community. Since 2021, she has coordinated the annual ACSSW webinars in partnership with The Chicago School, since 2020, she has been the editor of the ACSSW Newsletter which is published quarterly and maintains the ACSSW website. She is also an inaugural board member of the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness. Since 2018, along with both Drs. Zeglin and Schubert, the other co-founders of ACSSW, Dr. Mac has been a regular speaker at ACA, ACES, and SAIGE conferences promoting ACSSW's mission of the importance of addressing sexuality in clinical work from a sex positive paradigm and increasing counseling sexology and scholarship. While she was president, she put together a BIPOC task force to explore and identify the educational/training needs necessary to develop counselor competencies to effectively work with BIPOC communities around sexually related issues. Additionally, the task force reviewed current research and scholarship related to BIPOC communities and made recommendations for future areas of focus for research and scholarship.

Nikki M. Curry is a sexual wellness educator, counselor-in-training, and curriculum writer specializing in continuing education (CE) development and readiness review. Her work centers on embodied awareness, sexual health education, and culturally responsive mental health practices, creating spaces where individuals can explore identity, relationships, and well-being with curiosity, dignity, and respect.

Her work bridges education, clinical mental health, and instructional design, integrating executive functioning support and neurodivergent-informed practices to help individuals navigate life transitions, strengthen self-understanding, and cultivate sustainable wellness. Nikki partners with organizations and subject matter experts to develop behavioral health curricula and prepare continuing education programs for accreditation through evidence-informed instructional design and compliance review.

Nikki is currently completing her clinical fieldwork as part of her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The Chicago School and plans to pursue licensure as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in her home state of North Carolina. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Her work and leadership have been recognized through the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program, The Chicago School Creative Fellowship (2024 and 2025), and the Virginia Clinical Mental Health Association Master's Essay Award.

Outside of her professional work, Nikki is the proud mother of two daughters, a cat, and a dog. She enjoys practicing yoga, exploring creative arts, and finding meaningful ways to integrate wellness, creativity, and community into everyday life.

As the founder of Calm Pittsburgh, Dana Kirkpatrick brings over 25 years of expertise to her client-centered, compassion-based therapy for individuals, families, and couples. A neurodivergent therapist herself, Dana intentionally established her practice as an inclusive haven for the neurodivergent community and underserved populations. Her practical, skills-based approach was shaped by her early career supporting families with children on the autism spectrum, and she now seamlessly incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety, ADHD, and executive dysfunction. Additionally, Dana has spent the past 14 years helping couples build relationship health and satisfaction as a Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor through both IBOSP and AASECT, where she actively mentors the next generation of sex therapists.

Beyond her clinical practice, Dana is a staunch advocate for social justice, equity, and access in counseling, serving as Chair of the Social Justice & Advocacy Committee, Clinical Representative for Association of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness ACSSW, and a featured presenter on sex-positive therapy at national conferences like the ACA and SAIGE. Her therapeutic depth is also profoundly informed by her personal resilience; following a 2009 breast cancer diagnosis and the discovery of the BRCA2 gene, she mastered the arts of stress management and assertiveness, becoming a nationally recognized voice for young adult cancer survivors. Today, she offers unparalleled empathy to clients navigating their own cancer journeys, while finding her own balance outside of work with her husband, their two daughters, and their beloved dog, Kev.

Patricia Arredondo, EdD, has dedicated her career to addressing multicultural competencies in counseling and psychology training, research, and practice. She brings cultural worldviews into all areas of clinical practice in order to ground or contextualize the clinical applications. She has authored books, book chapters, journal articles, and training videos on culture-centered counseling, working with Latinx families, immigrant identity development, and women's leadership. Dr. Arredondo is a past president of ACA and AMCD, founding member of CSJ, and currently an Elder on the JMCD board of reviewers. She is a servant leader committed to advancing multicultural and social justice perspectives in the counseling profession.

Jane E. Rheineck, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, is a Professor in Counseling and Ph.D. Program Director at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dr. Rheineck has been a Counselor Educator since 2005 after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Rheineck has taught masters and doctoral level courses that focus on clinical practice and training, professional identity and ethics, women's career issues, multicultural and social justice in counseling, leadership and advocacy, and counseling with the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Rheineck's scholarship focuses on a variety of LGBTQ+ issues in counseling. Her scholarly work includes over 40 presentations, most of which are at the national level, and authored or co-authored several articles published in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, ADULTSPAN, CT Online, and the Wisconsin Counseling Journal. She has also published several book chapters with her work on Lesbian Health Issues is nationally recognized in the field of LGBTQ+ counseling practices. Her service is broad including CACREP site reviewer, serving the American Counseling Association as Treasurer and on the ACA Executive Committee twice, Past President of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), and The Associations for Adult Development and Aging (AADA). Dr. Rheineck currently serves on the American Counseling Associations Governing Council. Dr. Rheineck is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Wisconsin.

Dr. Stuart Chen-Hayes has 45 years of experience as a counselor specializing in sexuality and gender. Dr. Chen-Hayes is in a 34th year as a professor of Counselor Education and a 29th at CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx. A past president of the Illinois Counseling Association and of NARACES, and a co-founder and early past president of CSJ, Dr. Chen-Hayes later worked on public policy in New York City and New York State around school counseling regulations and consulted on transforming school counseling. At Lehman, Dr. Chen-Hayes moved the graduate program online, a first in CUNY, added CUNY's first online clinical mental health program, and is about to start CUNY's first advanced certificates in couple, family, and relationship counseling and in student affairs counseling. Dr. Chen-Hayes is the co-author of a school counseling text and is finishing a book on sexuality and gender counseling with individuals, relationships, schools, and politicians.