The members of the world’s largest organization of campus mental health leaders have chosen Kalamazoo College Counseling Center Director Erica Pearson to serve a three-year term as their treasurer.
The president of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) traditionally appointed the treasurer on the organization’s behalf until October 2023, making Pearson the group’s first-ever elected treasurer.
The AUCCCD promotes college student mental health awareness through research, broad discussions of key campus mental health issues and trends, and related training and education, with special attention to issues of social justice.
“It is very exciting to be among accomplished leaders whose expertise and experience positively shape collegiate mental health,” Pearson said. “As someone who is younger in my career, it is encouraging and uplifting to be welcomed as a valued voice and to know that my strengths and unique perspective can be utilized to effect change.”
Pearson earned her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Western Michigan University and her Master of Arts in counseling from Oakland University.
She is a licensed and board-certified professional counselor with specializations in trauma counseling and creative therapeutic approaches. She has worked with college students since 2015.
As the treasurer of AUCCCD, Pearson will collaborate with others from the organization to prepare budgets for each fiscal year, approve expenditures, prepare financial reports for the full board at quarterly board meetings, and present financial status updates to the membership at each annual conference. The rest of the executive board consists of an executive director, president, president-elect and secretary. They meet monthly to assist in leading the organization and making decisions that represent and advance the interests and needs of members.
“AUCCCD is an international organization comprised of more than 900 universities and colleges,” Pearson said. “It feels wonderfully fulfilling to embody my role as an advocate for college student mental health on such a large scale.”