GSCA Updates
By GSCA | January 2026
Shown above: GSCA’s conference team.
View more conference photos.
All 2025 GSCA Award winners were recognized during the Awards ceremony at the 2025 Annual Conference in Macon (shown below). The winners were:
Join us for a webinar on January 14 at 12 pm. The speakers are Nicholas Wozniak and Ricardo Lyons-Alvarez.
Read More and Register
We know how difficult leaving your school building can be; however, your involvement in legislative/policy advocacy impacts students and the profession at the school, district and state levels. Additional details and registration will be posted to the website in early January.
2026 Counselors at the Capitol
Dr. Erin Mason (a GSCA Member) of Georgia State University and Dr. Caroline Lopez-Perry of the University of California, Long Beach, have co-authored a book on school counselor leadership to help us all meet the moment. Royalties from the first year of sales will benefit the Wayne Huey Scholarship.
Read More and Purchase the Book
Executive Board
President: Katrina Wilson
President-Elect: Erin Bundrige*
Immediate Past President: Gabrielle Brundidge
Secretary: Mark Ellis
Treasurer: April West*
Parliamentarian: TBA
Elementary Director: Rebecca Burkhart
Middle Director: Chiquita "Quita" Jones*
Secondary Director: Dwight Jackson II
Counselor Educator Director: Megan Ray*
Northern Director: Jessica Ward
Metro Director: Cedric Cooks
Southern Director: Lakisha Mack*
Central Director: Joycelyn White
Finance Committee
Past President Member: Brent Henderson*
Finance Committee (General Member): Jessica Pickard*
*newly elected
Minute meetings – structured, 1- to 5-minute individual check-ins between school counselors and students – offer a scalable way to deliver individualized advisement, monitor academic and career goals and quickly triage social/emotional or logistical barriers for at-risk students. Grounded in the ASCA National Model® and ASCA Student Standards (academic, career, social/emotional domains), minute meetings can be integrated into a data-informed school counseling program as a form of advisement and brief counseling. This article describes the theoretical basis, a practical implementation used by Team Students at Myers Middle School (Time to Talk), suggested templates and question sets, data collection strategies and recommendations for practice and evaluation. Read complete article
View more conference photos.
GSCA Award Winners Recognized
All 2025 GSCA Award winners were recognized during the Awards ceremony at the 2025 Annual Conference in Macon (shown below). The winners were:
- Georgia School Counselor of the Year: Shayla Thompson, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Alton C. Crews Middle School
- School Counselor of the Year Semi-Finalist: Chiquita Jones, Lowndes County School District, Lowndes Middle School
- School Counselor of the Year Semi-Finalist: April West, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Stripling Elementary School
- Emerging Leader: Pakisha Reynolds, Henry County Public Schools, McDonough Middle School
- Supervisor/Administrator of the Year: Dr. Chon Hester, Henry County Public Schools
- Business Partner: (tie) Georgia United Credit Union and Charlie Health
- Writer of the Year: (tie) Jennifer Susko, Georgia Cyber Academy; Sara Penland, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Gwin Oaks Elementary School; Natalie Pugh, Gwinnett County Public Schools, R.D. Head Elementary
- Counselor Educator of the Year: Dr. Teshia Dula, Gwinnett County Public Schools
- Advocate of the Year: Alisha McKiver Carson, Newman's Catering Company
- Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Demetria Williams, Infinite Hope Consulting, LLC
GSCA Webinar: Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
Join us for a webinar on January 14 at 12 pm. The speakers are Nicholas Wozniak and Ricardo Lyons-Alvarez. Read More and Register
2026 Counselors at the Capitol – Save the Date
Save February 4 for the 2026 Counselors at the Capitol.We know how difficult leaving your school building can be; however, your involvement in legislative/policy advocacy impacts students and the profession at the school, district and state levels. Additional details and registration will be posted to the website in early January.
2026 Counselors at the Capitol
Book Sales to Benefit Wayne Huey Scholarship
Dr. Erin Mason (a GSCA Member) of Georgia State University and Dr. Caroline Lopez-Perry of the University of California, Long Beach, have co-authored a book on school counselor leadership to help us all meet the moment. Royalties from the first year of sales will benefit the Wayne Huey Scholarship.Read More and Purchase the Book
GSCA Leadership Updates
GSCA is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Executive Board. The officers will begin their term on July 1, 2026.Executive Board
President: Katrina Wilson
President-Elect: Erin Bundrige*
Immediate Past President: Gabrielle Brundidge
Secretary: Mark Ellis
Treasurer: April West*
Parliamentarian: TBA
Elementary Director: Rebecca Burkhart
Middle Director: Chiquita "Quita" Jones*
Secondary Director: Dwight Jackson II
Counselor Educator Director: Megan Ray*
Northern Director: Jessica Ward
Metro Director: Cedric Cooks
Southern Director: Lakisha Mack*
Central Director: Joycelyn White
Finance Committee
Past President Member: Brent Henderson*
Finance Committee (General Member): Jessica Pickard*
*newly elected
Minute Meetings as “Time to Talk”: Using Very Brief Individual Check-Ins to Support Academic and Career Planning for At-Risk Students
By Gabrielle Brundidge, GSCA PresidentMinute meetings – structured, 1- to 5-minute individual check-ins between school counselors and students – offer a scalable way to deliver individualized advisement, monitor academic and career goals and quickly triage social/emotional or logistical barriers for at-risk students. Grounded in the ASCA National Model® and ASCA Student Standards (academic, career, social/emotional domains), minute meetings can be integrated into a data-informed school counseling program as a form of advisement and brief counseling. This article describes the theoretical basis, a practical implementation used by Team Students at Myers Middle School (Time to Talk), suggested templates and question sets, data collection strategies and recommendations for practice and evaluation. Read complete article
GSCA Conference Photos