ACSSW LEADERSHIP
Executive Council
President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and the Treasurer
PRESIDENT
Laurie Bonjo, PhD, NCC, PSC
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Amber Pope, Ph.D., LPC, LMHC, CCTP
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.
TREASURER
Kameela George, BS
Clinical Mental Health Counseling/University of North Florida
Secretary
Sheldon Aaron, LCPC, NCC
Doctoral Candidate/University of Central Florida
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Sheldon Aaron is a doctoral candidate with the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. Sheldon is also a new faculty member at William James College in Newton, MA. Sheldon graduated from Eastern Illinois University with his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Sheldon is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, a National Certified Counselor, and holds Level-1Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. In his clinical work, 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 interests include counseling instructor and student development, advancement of cultural humility and sensitivity when working with students and clients of color and who identify as LGBTGEQIAP+ and the advancement of professional standards of care with these populations. Sheldon is an active member of ACA, ACES, AMCD, SAIGE, and CSJ. Additionally, Sheldon is an emerging leader with SAIGE, and is one of the graduate editorial assistants for JMCD.
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PAST PRESIDENT
Shannon Shoemaker, LCPC, LMHC, NCC
Dr. Shannon Shoemaker is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) and a board approved supervisor, in Maryland and an LMHC Massachusetts. She is also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC).
Dr. Shoemaker earned her BS in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counselor Education at Bridgewater State College. She earned a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from The Pennsylvania State University. She has over ten years of clinical experience in school systems, community counseling services, and working with adults, adolescents, and families.
She is currently assistant professor at Hood College in the Psychology and Counseling Department. Dr. Shoemaker has presented at local, national, and international counseling conferences. She utilizes intersectionality, intercultural studies, and post-modern theories in her research, which focuses on minority groups, specifically the LGBTQ community and the Southeast Asian Indian population.
Dr. Shoemaker is a member of the American Counseling Association and numerous divisions including ALGBTIC, ACC, ACES, SAIGE, as well as ACSSW.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ACSSW Board of Directors include members of the
Executive Council, Representatives, and Trustees
GOVERNING COUNCIL
BOARD REPRESENTATIVE
Co-Founder, ACSSW
Chair, Education & Training Committee
Angela M. Schubert, PhD, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH
Dr. Laurie Bonjo earned a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia in 2013 after completing a Master's in Counseling at Penn State University. She is currently an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Counselor Education and Supervision at Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Bonjo believes that sexual health and sexual wellness goals are critical components of holistic counseling treatment. She is interested in qualitative and mixed methods studies, action research in educational settings, advocacy research with LGBTQQIA+ individuals and groups, particularly that which focuses on the intersection of sexual and gender identity with other cultural identities, social justice action research with underserved, underrepresented individuals and groups at risk for marginalization and disenfranchisement, feminist theory, queer theory, crip theory, critical race theory, decolonization and liberation practices, and identity development applications in school counseling.
As president of ACSSW, Dr. Bonjo plans to advocate that CACREP support the inclusion of sexology curriculum in counseling programs. She will continue the ongoing work for ACSSW to be recognized as a division within ACA and engage with leaders of other divisions to increase opportunities for partnerships and collaboration. Perhaps most importantly, she hopes to reinforce the inclusive culture of ACSSW so that the membership grows and increases representation and visibility of marginalized identities in ACSSW’s education, research, and advocacy.
ACSSW GRADUATE
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Jason Gorski, NCSP, LPC
Doctoral Candidate in Counselor Ed. & Supervision Program
Southern CT State University
ACSSW CLINICAL REPRESENTATIVE
Cheryl D Walker, MA, NCC, APC
Ms. Walker is an associate professional counselor and a candidate to become a certified sex therapist. She received her B.S. in marketing from Hampton University in 2000 and is currently pursuing her M.S. in clinical mental health and counseling at Argosy University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Over the past 15 years, she has been an active volunteer for several non-profit organizations as well as local school communities.
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Cheryl strongly believes that sexuality is a crucial component of mental wellness and the absence of an authentic and educated exploration of sexual values and sexual behaviors creates a degradation of the human spirit.
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She is currently a sex therapist with GlobeCoRe Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. She also conducts sex positive pyschoeducational groups to women throughout the city.
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Kameela graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and is graduating from the University of North Florida’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in August 2023. She has been focused on sexual health and wellness, pursuing a Mental Health Sexology Certificate, and doing research in the field to expand awareness of how religious trauma can impact sexual decision making in the LGBTQIA+ population. Additionally, Kameela was a member of ACSSW’s BIPOC Task Force and contributed to finding gaps in the extant literature to better inform creating educational/training competencies for mental health professionals to work effectively with BIPOC’s unique expression of their sexuality and address sexual health and wellness needs in this community. As a person of color herself, advocacy and social justice is an integral part of her counselor identity, and she continuously seeks opportunities to make sure BIPOC voices are heard. Kameela is a former President of UNF’s chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an international honor society for academic and professional excellence in counseling. Upon graduation, she will be working towards her sex therapy certification at the Jacksonville Center for Sexual Health. She is looking forward to providing services in the community and gaining more experience working with individuals with unique and diverse sexualities and sexual issues.
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Dr. Angela “Angie” Schubert is an associate professor and director of MSCC online learning for the Clinical Counseling department at Central Methodist University. Dr. Schubert’s area of research and clinical interests are in human sexuality and sexual development across the lifespan. Human sexuality is expansive and intersectional, and as such, Dr. Schubert is interested in exploring the human sexual experience as it pertains to perceptions of sexuality, gender, sexual behaviors, sexual constructs, and policies that work to support or oppress specific sexual-identified communities. Dr. Schubert’s teaching experience and expertise include the following topics: human sexuality, sexual issues, counselor identity, supervision, eating disorders, somatic processing, ethics, and diversity. Dr. Schubert is the co-founder and first president of the Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness (www.counselingsexology.com). She is currently under supervision to become an AASECT-certified sex therapist. She is on the editorial board for the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness (https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/jcssw/). Dr. Schubert is also an avid podcaster and co-host the following podcast Let’s Get Uncomfortable https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/letsgetu
Jason Gorski is a nationally certified school psychologist and a licensed professional counselor in the state of Connecticut. His clinical practice focuses on members of the LGBTGEQIAP2S+ community and the neuroqueer community. Mr. Gorski is a doctoral candidate at Southern Connecticut State University in his final year of study. He has presented locally, regionally, and nationally on issues related to sex and sexuality, neurodivergence, and working with gender expansive and transgender youth. Mr. Gorski's dissertation research focuses on the intersection of gender expansive/transgender identity and neurodivergence. Mr. Gorski brings a strong background in assessment, developmental psychology, advocacy, and sex-positivity to his work as a counselor and as a counselor educator. Mr. Gorski's style is warm, friendly, and he loves having fun while deconstructing paradigms that serve to oppress our students and our clients.
Trustees
TRUSTEE
Marty Jencius, PhD
Marty Jencius earned his Ph. D. in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina. His sixteen years of clinical experience included working in addictions, with at-risk youth and schools, in management consultation, and at a family counseling agency. He has been a counselor educator for 25 years. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 100 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. He has done seminal work in technology, introducing listservs (CESNET-L), websites, online journals, podcasts, and virtual reality to the counseling field. He has had the opportunity to teach counseling and make 20+ trips to Turkey and The Bahamas, Malaysia, Scotland, and Singapore. He is the past president of the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NCACES), the national ACES association, and a past representative to the American Counseling Association Governing Council. He is on the International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling board and remains active in ACES and ASGW. He will be ACA Treasurer from 2023-2024 and was inducted in 2023 as an ACA Fellow.
TRUSTEE
Patricia Arredondo, EdD
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.
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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.
TRUSTEE
Jane Rheineck, PhD, LPC, ACS, NCC
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. She is the CACREP site reviewer, serves on college and university committees, and has a presence at the national level. Dr. Rheineck’ s national contributions include, but are not limited to 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), national divisions of the American Counseling Association. Dr. Rheineck currently serves on the American Counseling Associations Governing Council.
Dr. Rheineck is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Wisconsin. She has a clinical background which reflects a broad range of experiences that include adolescent inpatient residential treatment, outpatient counseling with adults, and mental health counseling as a school-based mental health counselor. In addition to her clinical background, Dr. Rheineck has experience in higher education/student affairs -emphasizing counseling and student development.