SASOGD LeadershipShannon Peters, PhD (She/They)
Taymy J. Caso, PhD (They/She)
Megan Herdt (She/Her) Megan Herdt (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Megan graduated from Elon University in 2019 with a B.A. in psychology. Her research, based primarily in the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), lies at the intersection of counseling psychology and vocational psychology. Specifically, Megan studies how intersecting forces of privilege, power, and oppression impact workers’ vocational trajectories and access to decent, dignified work. Her dissertation examined ways in which workers use their internal and external strengths and resources to navigate organizational and structural obstacles in the world of work. Megan has taught counseling and vocational courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Clinically, Megan has practiced in college counseling, where she uses intersectional feminist and relational cultural therapy to support the wellbeing and identity development of undergraduate and graduate students. Megan specializes in working with LGBTQ+ students, especially related to explorations of sexuality and gender, and invests herself in outreach, advocacy, and program development focused on expanding institutional and community supports for LGBTQ+ college students. Outside of her work, she loves spending time outside (kayaking, hiking, learning new winter sports), reading (especially feminist and queer theory), exploring the local brewery scene, and going to concerts. Dustin Shepler, PhD (He/Him) Dustin Shepler (he/him/his) is a licensed psychologist, AASECT certified sex therapist, and Director of Clinical Training at the Michigan School of Psychology. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology at Ball State University and his predoctoral internship at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte CAPS. Dr. Shepler’s research interests include sexual identity development and testing and assessment. He continues to provide care for clients in his private practice where his clinical work focuses on LGBTQ+ concerns (e.g., coming out, trans-affirmative care) and treatment of sexual dysfunctions. In his free time, he enjoys traveling with his husband, playing disc golf, running, and spending time with family. Jennifer Ho, PhD (She/Her) Jennifer (Shin-Pei) Ho (she/her/hers) is a Staff Psychologist at the University at Albany’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She received her M.A. in Gender Studies from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan and her Ph.D. in the Counselling Psychology from McGill University. Jennifer’s research interests include mental health and help-seeking behaviors among LGBTQ+ populations, feminist pedagogy, international students’ acculturation, gender-based violence and bullying prevention, gender equity education, and multicultural clinical supervision. Her clinical interests focus on intersecting identities, gender and sexuality, acculturation, and wellbeing of international students, first-generation immigrants and college students. During her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her two cats, hiking, skiing, playing piano and drums, and watching movies extensively. Zakary Clements, PhD Zakary is an Assistant Professor at Loyala University Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the University at Kentucky’s Internship Consortium. His clinical interests are focused on LGBTQ+ positive identity. His research focuses on transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive (TNB) people’s well-being, and how factors such as authenticity and resiliency impact well-being. His primary research focuses on understanding what positive identity factors impact TNB people’s well-being, and the role of systematic oppression and intersecting marginalized identities. Outside of academic pursuits, he enjoys being outside (especially hiking, backpacking, and running), going to coffee shops, and hanging out with his two dogs (Reptar and Calcifer) and his partner. Moonkyung Min (She/Her) Moonkyung Min (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology (CSEP) at the University at Buffalo. She received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from University of Calgary. As a counseling and cultural psychologist, her research focuses on immigrant and refugee mental health, with particular attention to intersectional experiences related to race, LGBTQ identities, culture, and migration. For her dissertation project, she explored East Asian LGBTQ+ individuals coming out experiences to parents using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). She is interested in how identity complexities and multiple systems of oppression influence everyday life and mental health among underrepresented populations. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, running, and exploring new coffee shops. Stephanie Nasr Nicolina Fusco
Marty Cooper Rodrigo Costa Kayla Lewis (she/her) Kayla (she/her/hers) is a doctoral student in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology at Marquette University. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Psychology and a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kayla currently practices at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and provides LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy to Veterans. Her research interests include gender euphoria, health and well-being among trans women of color, and coping mechanisms for gender minority stress among transgender and gender nonconforming adults. She enjoys art, baking, and interior design in her free time. Chloe White Description of PositionsChairperson: The Chairperson (2-year term; professional member) shall preside at all meetings, shall be the Chairperson of the Governing Committee with right to vote, and shall perform such duties as are customarily incident to the office of a Division 17 Section Chairperson (e.g., encourage section initiatives, encourage/recommend the development of programs). Past-Chair: The Past-Chairperson (1-year term; professional member) is the most immediately retired Chairperson of the Section and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee for the year immediately following completion of the term of office as Chairperson. The past Chairperson will be responsible for conducting the elections of the Section. They will also be responsible for nominations and elections of Section awards. Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect (1-year term; professional member) shall perform all duties as assigned by the Chairperson. Treasurer: The Treasurer (2-year term; professional member) will disburse funds authorized in the budget on behalf of the Section and maintain custody of all funds of the Section (e.g., preparing an annual Section budget, keeping full record of all funds received and all funds disbursed and shall issue a report on the financial status). Secretary: The Secretary (2-year term; professional member) shall keep the records of the Section (including but not limited to meeting minutes of the Section and the Executive Committee), conduct the official correspondence of the Section and keep membership informed about the activities of the Section. Advocacy Officer: The Advocacy Officer (2-year term; professional member or student member) shall chair the standing committee for Advocacy and will serve on the Executive Committee. The officer will work closely with the Member-at-Large (MAL) and student representative positions focused on advocacy. Outreach and Engagement Officer: The Outreach and Engagement Officer (2-year term; professional or student member) is responsible for recruiting new members, maintaining a membership roster, and overseeing the Section website, the Section Facebook page, and determining how best to communicate news and information to the Section members and affiliates. The officer will work closely with the MAL and student representative positions focused on outreach and engagement. Program Committee Chair: The Program Committee Chair (2-year term; professional member) is responsible for coordinating Section programming during the APA convention and other potential gatherings (both virtual and in-person). The chair will work closely with the MAL and student representative positions focused on programming efforts. Three Members-At-Large: MALs (2-year term; professional members) perform duties as determined by the Executive Committee with input from the membership, but are expected to relate to the ongoing committee efforts (with an emphasis on either advocacy, outreach and engagement, or programming). These duties may include; but are not limited to, coordinating ad hoc or standing committees, projects or special initiatives. Three Student Representatives: Student Representatives (2-year term; student members) work to address the needs of student section affiliates; works on projects across term and with other EC members. Student reps will work closely with professional members in one of the following areas: advocacy, outreach and engagement, or programming. |
Shannon Peters (she/they) is a counseling psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University. They received their PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. In their current role, they teach and mentor undergraduate students seeking careers related to public health and clinical practice. Shannon’s teaching is informed by feminist theory, liberation psychology, and critical psychology. Their research and clinical interests include the impacts of systemic oppression, discrimination, and trauma on the mental health of marginalized individuals, LGBTQ+ healthcare and mental health, gender-based violence response and prevention, institutional corruption in psychiatry, and depathologizing normative distress. During their free time, Shannon enjoys spending time outdoors with their dog, reading young adult fantasy novels, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Taymy J. Caso, PhD, (they/she) is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Alberta and Director of the Intersectional Research, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Community Health Promotion (IREACH) Lab. Dr. Caso is the Vice-Director of Inclusion and Accessibility for the Institute of Smart Augmentative and Restorative Technologies and Health Innovations (iSMART) and a co-applicant on the Smartwear Revolution project co-leading the Social Justice Working Group. Prior to working at the UofA, Dr. Caso completed the Randi and Fred Ettner Postdoctoral Fellow in Transgender Health in the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health and maintains a research affiliation at the National Center for Gender Health. Dr. Caso holds degrees in counseling and clinical psychology from New York University and Columbia University, Teachers College. Their research focuses on minority health disparities, intersectionality, identity-based marginalization within LGBTQ+ BIPOC communities, gender and sexual fluidity, social determinants of health and legislative and public policy advocacy. They hold several leadership roles including Chair for American Psychological Association’s Division 17: Society for Counseling Psychology’s Section for the Advocacy of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (SASOGD) and Co-Chair of the APA Task Force on Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults. Their advocacy work utilizes anti-oppressive and decolonizing pedagogies to deconstruct structural and systemic barriers to health equity and develop community-based interventions for underserved communities. They have been the recipient of several grants and awards, including: the Steven J. Schochet Endowment Course Development and Enhancement, Postdoctoral Award in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Samuel Eshborn Award, Outstanding Research Contribution Award, Research and Scholarship Showcase Award, César Chávez/Clara Hale Community Outreach Award, Ronald McNair/Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Academic Excellence Award, and the Arthur B. Zankel Urban Fellowship. These awards recognize scholarship, service, advocacy, and activism that support and empower marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Nicolina Fusco (she/her) is a Doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development at Boston University. She currently is on her APPIC Internship at Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, CA focusing on supporting adolescents in an acute mental health setting. Nicolina is a National Science Fellow whose research explores how LGBTQIA+ youth, particularly Transgender and Non-binary youth, exposed to bias-based harassment and bullying impacts health outcomes, as well as understanding the role of queer friendship as a protective factor in identity development. During her free time, Nicolina enjoys spending time outdoors, playing music, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
