Dear NARACES Members:

It all started with a chocolate bar.  That was my reward two years ago for simple curiosity. I wondered how many total Ph.D. and Master’s programs there were in NARACES and it took me a couple of years and the help of Megan Krell but we now know there are over 135 master’s programs and nine doctoral programs in our region and they are all listed on our website with current links. From there, I had the idea that maybe I could contribute more to NARACES and here I am.

Welcome to NARACES. I am excited to serve this year as one of your leaders. I appreciate the support and encouragement of an excellent leadership team and welcome our newest members, President-Elect Dr. Victoria Palmisano, Secretary Dr. Bev Burnell, and Membership Chair Dr. Cynthia Walley and Secretary-Elect Dr. Lourdes Rivera. Big thanks to outgoing secretary Dr. Tracey Robert. And most of all, I appreciate the steady and wise leadership of Past-President Dr. Gail Mears who has modeled terrific inclusivity and concern for all throughout her presidency. I seek to continue the spirit of inclusivity—if you teach in a counseling program, supervise our students or professional counselors, or are a graduate student in counseling, NARACES is your professional home in the North Atlantic region.

So, get involved! We are only as strong as your commitment to helping us be a vibrant force for change in the profession. Come be vibrant with us in person by registering for the 2010 NARACES conference in New Brunswick NJ for over 120 content sessions and 2 great keynoters, Dr. Rita Ch-Ying Chung, and Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy.  Our focus is PROMOTING EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN K-2O SCHOOLS AND CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS:  LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES. For entertainment, the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus will perform and we will feature Nuevo Latino cuisine for our luncheon and slow-food breakout/receptions. 15 3-5 star restaurants are within easy walking distance for your dinners and entertainment by the Broadway quality State Theatre and Crossroads Theatre Company is around the corner from the hotel. See you there!

 2010-11 NARACES goals:

• Increasing our external communication outside NARACES and highlighting our members’ work including research, publications, and awards on the website
• Promoting the profession of Counselor Education/Supervision and our core key areas of practice in major media markets in NARACES.
• Leadership development for future NARACES leaders
• Delivering a powerful and fun 2010 NARACES NJ/Metro NYC conference
• Increasing site supervisor roles in NARACES
• Supporting the 2011 ACES conference in Nashville, TN
• Increased focus on equity and social justice issues locally and globally for counselor educators, site supervisors, and graduate students in a difficult economy.

Awards:
Edina Renfro-Michel of Montclair State University is coordinating and join us in New Brunswick in September for the ceremony.

Communication & Technology:
I seek a bylaws change to rename the Newsletter committee to Communication and Technology. We have stopped doing newsletters and instead are in the digital age with website updates, e-blasts, the use of Constant Contact (thanks to President-Elect Victoria Palmisano) and have joined facebook thanks to Graduate Student Rep. Megan Krell. We’ve been doing this for the past year so it’s time to go official in the bylaws. Webmaster Summer Reiner will continue to co-chair this committee and I seeking a co-chair to share the joys and the efforts. You will also see a new ACES website and more changes from ACES in the coming months in both communications and technology to increase awareness of the profession.

Emerging Leaders & NARACES Scholarships:
We continue to support graduate students and new professionals with scholarships to attend NARACES (2010 New Brunswick) or ACES (2011 Nashville, TN) conferences if they have presentations accepted. Click on the Awards & Scholarships links!

Finances:
Richard Shin continues as Treasurer.

Graduate Students:
Megan Krell continues as chair and we seek new members who can contact Megan on the graduate student or board member links. Graduate students are our future and we have a terrific group of energized counselor educators to-be on this committee.

International and Globalization Task Force:
This committee is being reinstated after some down time and Dr. Atsuko Seto is the co-chair. One of the committee’s charges will be working on NARACES region recruitment and retention guidelines for counselor education programs in terms of culturally diverse faculty and students.

Journal:
We seek a new journal editor…contact me if you are interested and have prior editorial board experience of a sustained period.

Membership:
We have less than half of the Counselor Educators in the region as NARACES members. Please ask at least one of your colleagues to join us at the conference and join us as members at the same time. We will have double the power to make change and increase our visibility with that personal commitment! If not us, then who?

Last, please suggest other ways that we can be of service to increase internal and external knowledge of our profession and keep Counselor Education strong in the North Atlantic region.

Cordially,

Stuart Chen-Hayes, Ph.D.
NARACES 2010-11 President.

Stuart Chen-Hayes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator
Counselor Education/School Counseling
Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY
stuartc@lehman.cuny.edu