LaFetra College of Education Professor Named Counselor Educator of the Year

Nancy Jarman-Dunn, PhD, assistant professor of educational counseling at the University of La Verne, has been named the 2022 Counselor Educator of the Year by the California Association of School Counselors.

The annual award recognizes “one person in California who is actively involved with achieving excellence in the area of student support, for their outstanding contribution and dedication to the field of school counseling, and their dedication to improving the educational system for children in California,” noted Loretta Whitson, the organization’s executive director, in a letter to the dean of the university’s LaFetra College of Education. The award will be presented on February 11.

Jarman-Dunn joined the LaFetra College of Education faculty in a full-time role in 2020 after teaching as an adjunct professor since 2016. Her teaching draws on 37 years in the Fontana Unified School District, first as a classroom teacher and then as a middle school counselor. Her focus is on helping school counselors develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program for every student at their school.

Her middle school was the first in the nation to receive the American School Counselor Association Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation for a comprehensive school counseling program.

In addition to her work as a professor, she also serves as a nationally recognized consultant and trainer for school districts to implement comprehensive school counseling programs. Jarman-Dunn has helped to advance the field of school counseling through extensive service to both state and national school counseling professional associations. She was president of the 3,000-member California Association of School Counselors in 2017-18, a board member for five years, and served as content editor for the Online Editorial Review Board from 2015-16.

Kimberly White-Smith, dean of the LaFetra College of Education, said that Jarman-Dunn “firmly believes in providing leadership opportunities for the college’s graduate students through workshops, monthly get-togethers, the Advisory Council organizing committee, and the Mission and Vision workgroup.”

Jarman-Dunn continues to be active in scholarship and is a frequent presenter at the annual American School Counselors Association conference, including the recent 2021 Conference in Las Vegas.

“This is a prestigious award,” said Dean Smith, “and we could not be more thrilled for Dr. Jarman-Dunn and her statewide recognition.”