MC Education Dean Don Locke Gains National Counseling Honor
MC Education Dean Don Locke
On July 1, the Mississippi College graduate will become the organization's president-elect. A year later, Locke will serve for twelve months as the group's 60th president.
With nearly 45,000 members, the American Counseling Association is a non-profit education organization dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. Founded in 1952, ACA helps counseling professionals develop their skills and boost their knowledge base. ACA serves counselors in such areas as mental health, career development, rehabilitation, marriage counseling and in school settings.
"The members have placed a lot of confidence in this former school counselor from Mississippi," Locke said Thursday. "I hope to be able to lead the organization as it attempts to serve a very diverse membership with differing points of view."
As president-elect, Locke will shadow the president as he gets ready to lead the organization in 2011-2012. His presidential year will take the MC graduate to professional meetings across America and to the No. 1 leadership spot at the national convention.
Locke is a licensed professional counselor who's served as MC dean of education since 1998. The Clinton resident has worked in higher education at MC, the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State University for 35 years. He's also served as a high school counselor and coach. He joined ACA at the urging of his mentor and major professor, Dr. Charles W. Scott, when he was enrolled in graduate studies on the Clinton campus,
Scott "always had faith in me and was very proud of our shared profession of counseling," Locke said.
Rising to the top in the ACA says a great deal about Locke's stellar career in education, MC colleagues say.
"This is a tribute to Dean Don Locke for a lifetime of service to counseling and counseling education," says Ron Howard, the Christian university's vice president for academic affairs. "It speaks well for Mississippi College that this prestigious organization has looked to the dean of MC's School of Education for its national leader."
Locke received his bachelor's degree in history, English and secondary education at MC. He earned his master's in counseling at MC and doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi.
Active in his community and church, where he's served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher and choir member, Locke is married to Judy Kirkpatrick Locke, a former second grade teacher and college instructor. They have two children, Mark and Laura, and two grandchildren, Grace and Meredith.
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