Ways to Get Involved

Ways to Get Involved with PSCA

Get involved to connect with fellow school counselors, grow professionally, and make a meaningful impact. Whether you volunteer, serve on a committee, take on a leadership role, join a Special Interest Group (SIG), or participate in events, your involvement helps strengthen our profession and support the success of school counselors across Pennsylvania.

Volunteer Opportunities

Committees

Communications Committee

Chairperson: Brandi McFarland

Contact information: bmcfarland@paschoolcounselor.org

The PSCA Communications Committee is responsible for promoting the work and mission of the association through clear, consistent, and engaging communication. Committee duties include developing and scheduling social media content, highlighting Board directors and members through spotlight features, updating the PSCA website and occasionally contributing articles for PSCA newsletters. Members collaborate regularly with the Marketing and Communications Manager from the association management company and participate in monthly planning meetings to align messaging and outreach strategies

Time Frame/Commitment: Ongoing throughout the year supporting PSCA’s programing throughout the year as well as our social media presence.

Ethics Committee

Chairperson: Diana Wildermuth

Contact information: pscaethics@schoolcounselor.org

Ethics Chair: The chair is responsible for staying informed on updated ethical standards for School Counselors, School Counselor Education Faculty, and School Counselor Associations and may act as a liaison to ASCA for consultation. Committee members will support the chairperson's goals and work plans.

Time Frame: Ongoing

Commitment: Ongoing/Varies depending on ethical guideline review/updates

Government Relations Committee

Chairperson: Adam Oldham

Contact information: aoldham@paschoolcounselor.org

This committee works to advocate for policies and legislation that empower school counselors to operate in line with best practices, to increase access to school counseling services across Pennsylvania, and to educate membership about the systems and developments of government and policy that impact school counseling services across Pennsylvania.

Time Frame/ Commitment: Ongoing/Varies depending on current government actions

Mentoring Committee

Chairperson: Kristen Boles

Contact Information: kboles@paschoolcounselor.org

This mentoring program is designed to support and empower school counselors at every stage of their careers. Whether you are new to the profession, looking to share your expertise, or seeking renewed inspiration, this program provides opportunities to learn, connect, and thrive together.

By connecting experienced school counselors with those seeking guidance, the program fosters professional growth, meaningful collaboration, and a stronger, more supportive counseling community.

Applications for both mentors and mentees are accepted each spring. Participants are matched during the summer and begin the mentoring program at the start of the school year in the fall. Mentoring partnerships are established for one school year.

Time Frame/Commitment: Ongoing Sept- May/ commitment varies between mentor/mentee

PA Diamond Award

Chairperson: Lisa Fulton

Contact information: padiamond@paschoolcounselor.org

The PA Diamond Committee oversees the PA Diamond Award. The committee advertises the award, provides education/training and office hours, and scores the applications. Committee members must be prior RAMP Award recipients or have extensive knowledge of the most recent ASCA National Model.

Time Frame: August - December

Commitment: This is an intensive committee for time commitment during the timeframe to score the PA Diamond applications. Each member will be reviewing one application. Time commitment includes several hours outside of meetings to score the meeting, plus several hours of meeting time to review scoring.

Professional Development Committee

Chairperson: Dr. Christina Green

Contact information: pd@paschoolcounselor.org

Provide members with educational opportunities. This includes developing, planning, and implementing educational events such as Conference, Pre Conference, virtual meetings, and other educational events.

Time Frame/ Commitment: Ongoing. Annual Conference (Sept-December); Spring Conference (January - March)

Recognitions Committee

Chairperson: Lezlie DelVecchio-Marks

Contact information: recognitions@paschoolcounselor.org

Coordinates PSCA’s process for identifying and recognizing the outstanding efforts of school counseling and non-school counseling individuals and/or organizations which have demonstrated exceptional contributions to school counselors and/or school counseling. The purpose of this committee is to facilitate the recognition of individuals or organizations whose advocacy for school counseling has positively impacted Pennsylvania schools and school counseling programs as well as providing scholarship opportunities to school counselors and school counseling students. This committee’s work is highlighted at PSCA’s Recognitions Ceremony which is held during our annual conference.

Commitment: Committee members should have the time to thoroughly read, score and discuss the nominations/applications for our recognitions program. While the time needed for this task varies based on the number of applicants, committee members should plan on at least several hours of reviewing and scoring to fulfill this role. Additionally, committee members should be available for an online meeting or two (evening or weekend) to discuss the judging results and finalize the scoring. Attendance at the conference is encouraged, but not necessary as part of the volunteer responsibilities.

Time Frame: This committee’s work is short term. Committee members should plan on having approximately 2-3 weeks to review and judge the nominations and attend online discussion meeting(s). This typically takes place at the end of October or beginning of November, depending on the conference dates.

Recruitment and Retention Committee
(formerly known as the Membership Committee)

Chairperson: Brianna Edwards

Contact information: membership@paschoolcounselor.org

Actively strategizes and implements plans related to overall membership recruitment, and retention as well as advises the Board/Executive Director on the optimal member experience as it relates to communications and digital strategies.

Time Frame/ Commitment: Ongoing. Approximately six meetings per year, higher commitment during membership drives.

Scholarship Committee

Chairperson: Laura Zaharakis

Contact information:

scholarship@paschoolcounselor.org

To select a high school senior to receive a one-time scholarship to use for post-secondary education and training; and to facilitate annual basket raffle at PSCA Annual Conference to fund the scholarship. Participation on this committee requires the review of submitted scholarship essays, which highlights the impact of a school counselor on student growth in the area of academic, social-emotional, or career development.

Time Frame/Commitment: March - April: Read and score approximately 150 essays via web-based platform. Virtually Meet with other committee members in April to confer and identify scholarship recipient.

May - June: If possible, 1-2 committee members will present scholarship at high school awards ceremony October - December: Ensure that each PSCA region contributes basket for raffle at annual conference and solicit volunteers to staff the table.

December: If attending annual conference, staff Basket Raffle table at annual conference.

Sponsorships and Exhibits Committee

Chairperson: Nicole Levis; Colleen Tortorella

Contact information: sponsorexhibit@schoolcounselor.org

The Sponsors and Exhibits team are responsible for helping fund the annual conference by communicating with businesses, organizations, post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders to encourage support of the annual conference through sponsorship and by exhibiting. Members must be comfortable talking about various benefits of sponsorship and exhibiting via email, in person when the opportunity arises and over the phone.

Time Frame: Annual Conference: May-November (highest volume September-November)

Spring Virtual Conference: January-February

Commitment: Attendance at conference planning meetings and the conference itself is helpful, but not mandatory.

Leadership Opportunities

Leadership

Emerging
Leaders

Are you passionate about school counseling and interested in developing your leadership skills? The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to identify, support, and cultivate future leaders within the school counseling profession in Pennsylvania. Participants gain valuable opportunities to engage with PSCA, contribute to the profession, and make a meaningful impact.

The Emerging Leaders term runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. Applications are distributed to all PSCA members each February, and applicants must be current PSCA members to be eligible. Applications are reviewed by PSCA leadership, with participants selected by April.

Emerging Leaders are expected to actively participate throughout their term by attending PSCA Board meetings, participating in the Leadership Development Academy, and completing a Passion Project that advances the profession or supports the school counseling community.

For Questions on Emerging leaders, contact Michelle Strasser at mstrasser@paschoolcounselor.org

Graduate Ambassadors

The Graduate Ambassador Program is an emerging leader’s initiative designed for graduate students in school counseling. The program connects students with the broader professional community, develops leadership skills, and creates valuable networking opportunities that support both academic and professional success.

Graduate Ambassadors showcase their research through poster presentations on counseling-related topics and play an active role in PSCA by volunteering and assisting with programs and events throughout the year.

For questions on the Grad Ambassadors, contact Danielle Schultz at dschultz@paschoolcounselor.org

Special Interest Groups (SIG)

Why Join a SIG?

Connect with like-minded individuals
Share ideas, strategies, and resources
Problem-solve real-world challenges together
Gain fresh perspectives and inspiration
Build a supportive professional network

NextGen SIG

This program is designed for current school counseling graduate students, first-year school counselors, and school counselors serving in long-term substitute (LTS) positions following graduation.

For questions on the NextGen SIG, contact Marissa Dalesio at mdamon@paschoolcounselor.org

Nontraditional SIG

This program is designed for current school counseling graduate students, first-year school counselors, school counselors serving in long-term substitute (LTS) positions following graduation, school counselors working in virtual or hybrid settings, counselors in alternative or non-traditional programs, districtwide or community-based counselors, and anyone interested in exploring innovative or flexible counseling roles.

For questions on the Nontraditional SIG, contact Sandy Seaux at sseaux@paschoolcounselor.org

Is there a Special Interest Group (SIG) you'd like to see offered through PSCA? Would you be interested in leading a SIG? If so, please contact Emilia Mattucci at emattucci@paschoolcounselor.org.

SIG

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