Faculty

The Counselor Education Department faculty are committed to providing the highest quality education to all students.  We model best practices by providing a strong student-centered curriculum with an emphasis on ongoing formative feedback to help candidates develop personally, academically, and professionally.

Department Chair

• Dr. Laker Bio

  • Dr. Jason Laker is a Professor of Counselor Education (& former SJSU V.P.- Student Affairs). Prior to SJSU, Jason served as AVP & Dean of Student Affairs; Fellow, Centre for the Study of Democracy; and Gender Studies Faculty at Queen’s University (Canada). His scholarly work includes four texts, two focused on Men & Masculinities and two on Citizenship & Democratic Education. Related, he is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Men’s Studies and series editor for Palgrave Studies in Global Citizenship Education and Democracy. His current research (with Dr. Erica Boas) focuses on sexual consent among college students.

    Education

    Ph.D., Higher Education Organization & Administration/Student Affairs, University of Arizona
    M.A., Community Counseling, Adams State University
    B.S., Interpersonal & Public Communication/Broadcasting & Cinematic Arts, Central Michigan University

Faculty Directory

• Imee Almazan, EdD

  • Lecturer

    imee.almazan@sjsu.edu

• Marion Beach, EdD

  • Lecturer

    marion.schinn@sjsu.edu

• Michele Burns

  • Lecturer

    michele.burns@sjsu.edu

• Lorri Capizzi, EdD

  • Assistant Professor

    lorri.capizzi@sjsu.edu

    Lorri Capizzi teaches counseling and guidance graduate level courses. She has over 10 years of supervising school counselors in their fieldwork in high need districts and in schools for students under court supervision. Dr. Capizzi has over 15 years of federal grant administration experience with GEAR UP working with schools, districts, and counties serving students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness. Dr. Capizzi's expertise with underserved youth spans K‑12 to higher education with emphasis on practice-based training and applied research. Her project partnerships include California Department of Education, County Offices of Education Foster and Homeless divisions & California Department of Child and Family Services.

    Education

    Ed.D., Educational Leadership, San Francisco State University
    M.A., Education, Concentration in Counseling and Student Personnel, San José State University
    M.A., Education, Concentration in Special Education, San José State University
    B.A., Child Development, San José State University

• Kyoung Mi Choi, PhD

  • Associate Professor

    kyoungmi.choi@sjsu.edu

    Twitter: @KyoungMiChoi

    Kyoung Mi Choi, Ph.D., teaches courses (i.e., Counseling Theories, Group Counseling, College Student Development Theories, Microcounseling Skills, Mindfulness-based Self-Care Interventions, Practicum, Internship) in the Department of Counselor Education. Through her educational, professional, and personal experiences, she has developed her research interest in examining culturally sensitive counseling approaches, mindfulness-based counseling interventions and programs, social connectedness among Third Culture Kids, international student adjustment and academic success, multicultural counseling competencies, undocumented college students, international LGBTQ college students, and integration of technology in Counselor Education.

    Dr. Choi was named as an International Fellow in the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) in 2005 and NASFA Diversity Impact Program Recipient in 2017. She also served on the board of director for the international organizations, Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) in 2017-2019.

    Education

    Ph.D., Counselor Education & Supervision, Syracuse University (CACREP Accredited Program)
    M.A., International Relations, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University
    M.S., School Counseling, Syracuse University (CACREP Accredited Program)
    B.A., Elementary Education, Korea National University of Education

• Jimma Cortes-Smith

  • Lecturer

    jimma.cortes@sjsu.edu

• Dolores DeHaro Mena, PhD

  • Professor

    dolores.mena@sjsu.edu

• Grace Poon Ghaffari, PhD

  • Assistant Professor 

    gpoon.ghaffari@sjsu.edu

• Amy Gutierrez

  • Lecturer and Graduate Fieldwork Coordinator

    amy.gutierrez@sjsu.edu

• Xiaolu Hu, PhD

  • Professor

    xiaolu.hu@sjsu.edu

• Amna Jaffer

  • Lecturer

    amna.jaffer@sjsu.edu

    Twitter: @JafferAmna

    Amna Jaffer is a lecturer in the Counselor Education Department at San José State University. Her areas of study include identity development and training of school counselors as social justice advocates, prevention of Substance Use Disorders in teens, and undergraduate student career development and support.

    Education

    Ed.D., Educational Leadership, San José State University (May 2022)
    M.A., Counselor Education, San José State University
    B.A., Theater and Psychology, Agnes State College

• Jason Laker, PhD

  • Jason Laker, PhD | Professor

    jason.laker@sjsu.edu

    Spotify playlist

• Michael Mann-Stock

  • Lecturer

    michael.mann-stock@sjsu.edu

• Zachary McNiece, PhD

  • Assistant Professor

    zachary.mcniece@sjsu.edu

• Dolores DeHaro Mena, PhD

  • Professor

    dolores.mena@sjsu.edu

• Devon Reckmeyer-Hibbert, PsyD

  • Lecturer

    devon.hibbert@sjsu.edu

• Latisha Roberts, EdD

  • Lecturer

    latisha.roberts@sjsu.edu

• Aubrey Uresti, PhD

  • Aubrey Uresti, PhD | Assistant Professor

    aubrey.uresti@sjsu.edu

    Spotify playlist

    A California credentialed K-12 school counselor and a National Certified School Counselor, Aubrey Uresti has experience in all levels of K-12 education as a teacher, school counselor, therapist, supervisor, and consultant. She is a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) and a National Certified Counselor. Her research focuses on the individual, family, and extended family-level experiences of adolescents who have a parent in jail or prison, as well as their meaning-making processes regarding parental incarceration. Additional research interests include urban education and school counseling, school-based support, grief and loss, peer victimization, child and adolescent development issues, and lifelong learning for counselors.

    Education

    Ph.D., Education (Learning and Mind Sciences), University of California, Davis
    M.A., Counseling (School Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy), Saint Mary's College
    B.A., Sociology (minor in Critical Social Thought), San Francisco State University

• Erika Zepeda, PsyD

  • Erika Zepeda, PsyD | Lecturer
    erika.zepeda@sjsu.edu

• Veneice Guillory-Lacy, Ph.D.

  • 

    Assistant Professor

    veneice-guillory-lacy@sjsu.edu

    Twitter: @VeneiceLacy

    Dr. Lacy’s research focuses on amplifying the voices of women of color in K-12 educational leadership, promoting social justice leadership, emancipatory leadership, freedom dreaming that leads to transformative education, and centering race and gender. She uses critical qualitative methods, while drawing from Critical Race Theory (CRT), Critical Race Feminism (CRF), Intersectionality, Black Feminist Thought, and Indigenous epistemologies. 

    Education

    Ph.D., Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education, Washington State University