Ellmo Wins WTCA Counseling Educator of the Year, Tigers Rake in Awards

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Dr. Frances Ellmo from the College of Education’s (COE) Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research (CEPR) has been awarded Counseling Educator of the Year by the West Tennessee Counseling Association (WTCA). The news came as a shock to her during WTCA’s annual summer conference last week.

“I was so surprised to be nominated and chosen for the award,” Ellmo said. “The fact that I was recognized by our local counseling organization…is special to me. There are a lot of amazing educators in the counseling field, and I’m honored to get to work with so many of them.”

Ellmo has been a member of WTCA since 2015 when she was a CEPR master’s student. She won a student award the following year, but this was the first time she’d been nominated for one of the big counselor of the year awards.

“We are very proud of Dr. Ellmo’s well-deserved recognition as the Counselor Educator of the Year from the (WTCA),” said Dr. Pam Cogdal, Chair for CEPR.

Ellmo was not the lone Tiger in the award ceremony. Sherry Carmichael, a graduate from CEPR’s MS in School Counseling program, was awarded Elementary School Counselor of the Year. Jacqueline McClinton, from the same MS program, won Middle School Counselor of the Year. Dr. LaTraci Aldridge, a graduate of CEPR’s Counselor Education & Supervision PhD program, received the High School Counselor of the Year award. Finally, Dr. Justin Dodson, from the same PhD program as Aldridge and a member of the COE Advisory Board, won Mental Health Counselor of the Year – Private Sector.

“These are some very talented Tiger graduates,” Cogdal noted.

WTCA covers Fayette, Tipton and Shelby Counties and is a part of the larger Tennessee Counseling Association. TCA has their own statewide award ceremony for all the chapters in the Fall.