2024 School Counseling Summit

School Counselors: Continuing to Answer the Call

The 2024 School Counseling Summit is an event that will bring together professionals in the field of school counseling and those that support school counselors to discuss valuable insights and strategies for serving the whole child, whole school, and whole community.

The Summit will provide:

Short, Daily videos with experts in school counseling that will be available each day at 5am PT
Ideas on how to address the challenges faced by school counselors in providing support to students in a rapidly changing world
This summit will emphasize leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and systemic change as key drivers of progress.
An email each day with links to the summit videos

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where is the Summit being held?
The 2024 School Counseling Summit, is a free, virtual event. Each day of the summit we’ll send you interviews with experts in the world of education.
How do the videos get released?
Each morning at 5am you will receive an email with a link to a page that will have all of the videos for that day.
How long is the Summit?
There will be over 2.5hrs of content over the 3 days.
Are the videos available all week?
Yes! The videos for the 2024 School Counseling Summit will be available the entire week of the summit for you to watch at your convenience.

Dr. Loretta Whitson is the founder and executive director of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC), the second-largest state association representing school counselors in the nation.

Lezya Weglarz wears many hats in the school counseling profession. She currently serves as a Project Specialist for the San Diego County Office of Education where she supports K12 School Counseling across San Diego County.

Lauren is a school counselor at Cambridge Elementary in San Antonio, TX, a 2019 National School of Character. She is currently in her 17th year as a school counselor and serves as the Texas Coordinator for Character.org.

Matthew McClain has been a school counselor in rural Northeast Colorado since 2005. He spent 10 years counseling at the 5th and 6th grade level, then spent 6 years at the high school level, and is currently at the elementary level since 2021.

Dr. Sarah Kirk is the Owner and CEO of Yoga 4 Classrooms and a National Board Certified Counselor. Sarah provides training and consultation on a variety of topics, including trauma-informed practices, tiered supports for students, and positive behavioral supports.

Joshua Nelson is a 2023 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year Finalist, 2022 Florida School Counselor of the Year, 2021 School Counselor of the Year for Duval County Public Schools, and in 2020 received the distinguished National RAMP Award.

Kiley Luckett is a dedicated social worker and mental health advocate with a proven track record in supporting students' well-being.

Jason Thompson has been a school counselor in several Saint Louis school districts for twenty-two years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Master’s degree in counseling from Saint Louis University.

Dr. Renee’ Schoening is the Director of School Counseling and Social Emotional Learning Programs/Assistant Professor at Whitworth University. She has nearly 30 years experience as a Marriage and Family Therapist, School Counselor, and Professor.

Dr. Erin Mason is an Associate Professor in the School Counseling program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. She is also the program coordinator of the Counselor Education and Practice doctoral program; both programs are housed in the department of Counseling and Psychological Services.

Dr. Rock, a seasoned school counselor with over two decades of experience, is a full-time faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University since 2017. Licensed as a professional counselor and supervisor, she also holds national certifications in counseling and school counseling.

John Burnett has been an educator working in public schools for 13 years. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis, Masters in School Counseling from Cambridge College, and Ed.S. in administration from Freed Hardeman.

With background as a School Counselor, Scott currently serves as the school's Student Services Coordinator, and manages the special education referrals, as well as assists with providing support and consultation for students with their social and academic challenges.

Phil Echols, former teacher, school counselor, and administrator, serves as a Diversity Specialist for WakeMed Health and Hospitals in North Carolina and a Global Consultant for Public, Private, and International Schools.

Laura Ross is the lead counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville, Georgia where her focus is connecting with students to connect them to their education. She has been a school counselor for almost 16 years.

Dr. Yuri Nava is a passionate School Counselor Leader with almost 20 years of experience providing students with comprehensive school counseling services and multi-tiered systems of support.

Roberto Aguilar is a proud, first-generation, hijo de campesinos, Chicano/Latinx, school counselor from the Portland, Oregon area with over 20 years of experience at Milwaukie HS/Academy of the Arts.

With 20+ years of experience in the education field, Dr. Mann brings a bold, innovative, and solution-focused approach to her work.

Daniel has sixteen years of experience in education. For the first eight years he was a classroom teacher then instructional coach at the fifth and sixth grade level. The last eight years Daniel has been a building principal at the elementary level.

We're kicking off the 2024 School Counseling Summit with an inaugural webinar, uniquely designed to empower school counselors in catalyzing systemic change while championing the diverse needs of students. Join us for an enlightening session where distinguished experts will share insights and offer effective strategies to guide you in fostering a holistic approach to serving not only the whole child but also the entire school and community. Don't miss this unparalleled opportunity to be inspired, equipped, and connected for a purpose-driven school counseling experience.

Dr. Loretta Whitson is the founder and executive director of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC), the second-largest state association representing school counselors in the nation.

Dr. Loretta Whitson is the founder and executive director of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC), the second-largest state association representing school counselors in the nation. She is known as a visionary leader and a prominent figure in the field of education in California and has left an indelible mark on the landscape of school counseling. She has tirelessly championed the cause of school counselors, forging critical connections with legislators and key decision-makers to ensure that their voices are heard, and their contributions recognized. One of her most significant achievements was in the year 2000 when she led the effort to establish CASC, which a few years later became the ASCA nationally chartered school counseling association for California. This historic milestone solidified California's place within the field of school counseling and paved the way for further advancements in the profession.

Laura Ross is the lead counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville, Georgia where her focus is connecting with students to connect them to their education. She has been a school counselor for almost 16 years.

Laura Ross is the lead counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville, Georgia where her focus is connecting with students to connect them to their education. She has been a school counselor for almost 16 years. Laura was an elementary school counselor for 8 years and is in her 8th year as a middle school counselor. She has presented at district, state, and national levels on creating school-wide teacher-student connections, integrating academics into counseling lessons, using technology and data in school counseling, creating counseling lessons with a social justice and equity lens, and more. Laura’s school counseling blog about creating connections with students at www.theconnectingcounselor.com, will be back from hiatus in 2022 along with a brand new YouTube channel. Laura was the 2020 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) School Counselor of the Year. She serves on the Georgia School Counselor Association (GSCA) Executive Board as President-Elect and is a leader in her school district, Gwinnett County Public Schools, collaborating on committees with focuses on middle school counselor professional development, civic engagement, social-emotional learning, teen lures curriculum, student discipline, and equity. She is also a Counselors for Computing consultant and Girl Talk DEI Committee member.

Phil Echols, former teacher, school counselor, and administrator, serves as a Diversity Specialist for WakeMed Health and Hospitals in North Carolina and a Global Consultant for Public, Private, and International Schools.

Phil Echols, former teacher, school counselor, and administrator, serves as a Diversity Specialist for WakeMed Health and Hospitals in North Carolina and a Global Consultant for Public, Private, and International Schools. His expertise includes effective collaboration, coaching, diversity, and inclusion for large systems. As a former North Carolina School Counselor Association Board member, he has over two decades of experience in education, public speaking, facilitation, and international training and development. Dr. Echols has presented sessions on creating positive and productive professional cultures for ASCD, Learning Forward, and the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools, specifically in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Bangkok. Dr. Echols believes diversity enriches the community, and all have the capacity to learn and grow. His work is anchored in his mission to inspire and support individuals and groups in doing and being their best.

Kat has passionately served as a student and educator advocate for over 20 years in the roles of coach, student council advisor, school counselor at the secondary level and financial aid counselor/coordinator of student employment and adjunct professor at the post-secondary level. Through Kat’s leadership, her school counseling department received both state and national recognition, including ASCA RAMP recognition in 2020. Kat has facilitated professional development with various state and national associations, along with individual schools and districts. Kat exudes a commitment to community, having served on numerous local, state and national associations, boards and committees. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Masters in Education in Student Affairs and School Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Kat was named the ASCA 2016 National School Counselor of the Year and Northern Arizona University’s President’s Alumni Awardee in 2021.

Cory Notestine spent the last 14 years working in rural and urban school settings across North Carolina and Colorado as a school counselor and district leader. Over the past 7 years he's led successful district-wide SEL curriculum adoption and implementation; redesigned and integrated MTSS teaming, protocols, and service delivery; and created a behavioral matrix that was student-centered and restorative in nature. He is passionate about thoughtful and timely change management, the intersection of politics and education, and how to identify high-leverage action items to increase successful implementation.

Ashley is a School Support Specialist at CharacterStrong and has ten years of experience in education. She started her career as an elementary teacher and then served as a school counselor at both the elementary and middle school levels. During her time as a school counselor, she served advocated for students and the school counseling profession through her involvement in her district's school counseling leadership team and her state's Government Relations Committee. In 2022, she was recognized as her district's Middle School Counselor of the Year. Ashley is passionate about working with fellow educators as they support students with character development and social and emotional Learning.