LSCA LEADERSHIP
Presidential View. Officers. Committee Chairs
Presidential View
Today, I am stepping out on faith with a mission and a vision. I am embarking on a new journey as your President of the Louisiana School Counseling Association. I approach this opportunity with fidelity and passion to advocate for this esteemed profession and the students we serve. I come to you with over a decade of experience working in school settings from elementary to post-secondary.
My experience reaches outside the school counseling realm through my previous work with the Department of Health and Hospitals. Currently, I am the Owner/Director of Cognitive Solutions LLC (a counseling, consulting, and mediation practice) and Assistant Professor of Counseling at Xavier University of Louisiana. Given my experience, I believe that I am in the best possible position to be of service to you and LSCA.
This year, I have three main goals. I will engage LSCA members to plan and provide professional development geared to navigate the post-Covid-19 landscape of the profession. I would like to also focus on our efforts to obtain government support in reforming the non-counseling responsibilities assigned to our Louisiana School Counselors. Lastly, I will promote advocacy and social justice throughout the profession as a lens filtering out daily roles, responsibilities, and experiences.
This is the time for us to show up for our profession! If you would like to be a part of this cause, please reach out to any one of our board members to participate in our meetings, join a task force, or nominate yourself to run for an elected position. With your help I will accomplish my goals in support of LSCA’s mission and we will all have a productive year! I look forward to hearing from you and serving as your President!
Dr. Ariel Encalade Mitchell, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT, RPT-S
Director of Counseling, Cognitive Solutions, LLC
Graduate Professor of Counseling, XULA
Officers
President
Dr. Ariel Encalade Mitchell
Amitch11@xula.edu
President elect
Kesha M. Simmons
kmsimmons@caddoschools.org
President elect-Elect
Dr. Dymphna Davis,
Past president
Veronica Douglas-Johnson
post Secondary Vice President
Dr. Stephanie Eberts
Secondary Vice President
Amanda Duplatier
Secretary
Claire Barry
Treasurer
Pamela Radford
Committee Chairs
Finance
Pamela Radford
Long range Planning
Kesha Simmons
Public Relations/
Advocacy
Tara Washington
Professional Development
Dr. Wendy Rock
Nominations and Elections
​Veronica Douglas-Johnson
Membership
Dr. Ariel Mitchell and all Vice Presidents
Social Media
Rachel Young
Ethics Board and Professional Certification
Dr. Wendy Rock
Policies, procedures, & By laws
Brenda Eccles
Government Relations
Brenda Eccles
Graduate Student
Chauntreniece Davis
Publications
Vinetta Frie
frienews@yahoo.com
Awards Co-Chairs
School counselors of the year
Elementary School
Laura Smestad
​
Middle School
Candace Sharper
​
High School
Lindsay Carlino
Past LSCA Presidents
48 Years of Outstanding Leadership
Agnes Shaw 1970-71 (Dec)
Charles Thompson and Frances Meyers 1971-72
Mary Higginbotham 1972-73
Betty Levine 1973-74
Harold Landreneaux 1974-75
Geraldine Fletcher 1975-76
Sadie Bodden 1976-77
Bob Viguere 1977-78
Tom Hosie (1978-79)
​Mable Santa Marina 1979-80
Kenny Curtis 1980-81
Roxy Denison 1981-82
Eloise Brown 1982-83
Bess Johnson 1983-84
Ethel Taylor 1984-85
Janet Van Halen 1985-86
Billy Fly 1986-87
Kay Robinson 1987-88
Diane Austin 1988-89
Rhonda Chambers 1989-90
Dorothy Stepteau 1990-91
Sharon Rogers 1991-92
Barry Solar 1992-93
Patricia Thomas 1993-94
Charles Ortego 1994-95 (Dec)
Walda Gibbs 1995-96
Ruth Thomas 1996-97
Shirley Colomb 1997-98
Suzanne Mayeau 1998-99
Karen Pique 1999-2000
Sammie Saulsbury 2000-01
Cindy Francis 2001-02
Josephine Hawkins (2002-03)
Alice Cryer-Sumler 2003-04
Robin Olivier 2004-05
Sundy Barjon 2005-07
Iman En-Nabut 2007-08
Wendy Rock 2008-09
Dee Piazza 2009-10
Brenda Eccles 2010-11
Mike Lefort 2011-12
Cathy Smith 2012-13
Jennifer Curry 2013-14
Frank Phinney 2014-15
Tara Washington 2015-16
Reshelle Marino 2016-17
Royce Hooks 2017-18
Denise Latour 2018-2019
Veronica Douglas 2019-2020
Vacant Positions
Join Our Team
Open Positions:
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Parliamentarian
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Technology/Website
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Research Grant/Scholarship Chair
Please contact Dr. Ariel Encalade Mitchelll to express interest