2025 CACREP Award Recipients
Martin Ritchie Award for Excellence in Advocacy
Recognizes individuals who engage in superlative advocacy efforts on behalf of CACREP and its vision, mission, and values, which ultimately serve to advance the counseling profession through quality and excellence in counselor education.
This year’s recipient is Dr. Suzanne M. Dugger, a Counselor Educator at Florida Gulf Coast University. Her advocacy spans three decades of service to the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its affiliates earning her recognition as an ACA Fellow in 2021, the ACA Human Rights Award, and the Legislative Service Award. She served as president of the Michigan Counseling Association (MCA), where she led legislative and credentialing reforms, receiving ACA national branch awards for Best Leadership Development Program, Member Service, and Journal. She contributed to ACA’s 20/20 Task Force, shaping the long-term vision of the Counseling profession. Additionally, she received a gubernatorial appointment to Michigan’s counseling licensure board, where she served with distinction and was elected chair by her peers, further exemplifying her influence on public policy and credentialing.
Dr. Dugger served on the CACREP Board of Directors from 2017 to 2022 and was elected by her peers as Vice Chair (2020–2021) and currently serves as Chair of CACREP’s Advocacy & Marketing Council, where she leads efforts to strengthen awareness of CACREP accreditation and promote the value of quality counselor education nationwide. She has also served on the Florida Counseling Association’s Public Policy and Legislation Committee, continuing her longstanding dedication to promoting the counseling profession through legislative engagement and policy work.
A defining moment in Dr. Dugger’s advocacy was her involvement in the landmark Ward v. Wilbanks case. Her defense of the ACA Code of Ethics during this case was recognized as one of the two most important legal milestones in the Counseling profession over the past 25 years. Her published analysis and presentations on this case have educated and empowered countless counselor educators and students to uphold professional standards with integrity and courage. Dr. Dugger brings a rare and well-rounded depth of experience as a clinician, having practiced in schools, colleges, and private practice across multiple states. Her ability to advocate from a place of real-world experience only strengthens her voice in professional conversations.
Colleagues have described her as passionate, wise, thoughtful, compassionate, and deeply conscientious. Her insight and generosity consistently elevate discussions and decision-making. She possesses a wonderful sense of humor and an authentic presence that invites connection and fosters a collaborative spirit. Her influence on those around her, both personally and professionally, is profound. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing the Counseling profession through exceptional leadership, service, scholarship, and ethical advocacy. In every aspect of her career, Dr. Dugger has and is promoting excellence, equity, and ethical standards in counselor education and practice.
Carol Bobby Pioneer Award for Visionary Leadership
Celebrates a doctoral student in a CACREP-accredited counselor education and supervision program who embodies visionary leadership aligned with CACREP’s core values.
This year’s recipient is Ms. Ivette Acevedo Weatherholtz, a doctoral student at the University of New Mexico. Ivette is the founding coordinator of the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Mental Health Collaborative (MHC) since it’s inception 3 years ago. She designed the internship processes from the ground up and co-wrote the $50,000 grant that keeps Collaborative running. This program is a shining example of Ivette’s visionary leadership and promotion of CACREP’s core values. Ivette’s leadership has ensured that dozens of MA in Counseling students receive high-quality training and fieldwork experiences, thereby advancing the counseling profession through quality and excellence in counselor education. The Collaborative serves university students from a variety of backgrounds, using a highly accessible sliding scale, and evidence-based modalities. Seven to ten Interns receive supervision from Ivette each semester, as well as other MHC-affiliated supervisors, in alignment with ACES Best Practices in Supervision.
Of all of the counselor-related identities Ivette holds, her identity as a leader and advocate are the most pronounced. In addition to her work with the Collaborative, she has served as a leader in a number of community-based advocacy organizations. Since 2009, Ivette has provided numerous guest presentations to community organizations and served as a board member for organizations such as the SCC Refugio Ministry and Latinos en Axxion STL. Prior to entering the doctoral program in Counselor Education at University of New Mexico, Ivette served as a professional counselor for 6 years, serving multiply marginalized latine youth, providing services in Spanish and English.
For the last 3 years, Ivette has served as the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor Society Doctoral Chapter president. As president, she coordinated events and programming and worked one-on-one with students to support their professional development and academic success. Her service in this role promotes leadership and mentorship practices that reflect openness to growth, change and collaboration. In addition to her work in leadership and advocacy, Ivette also has a strong identity as a counselor educator. She has served as a teaching assistant for 6 counseling courses, providing support with curriculum design, instruction, and grading. Her ability to build a working alliance with students, while also attending to student needs in the classroom exceeds expectations.
Her faculty and peers have witnessed firsthand her exceptional leadership, innovative thinking, and unwavering commitment to advancing the counseling profession. Her ability to identify systemic gaps and create sustainable solutions is remarkable. For example, recognizing a lack of culturally responsive mental health services for Latinx students, she created an entirely new model that integrates trauma-informed care, multicultural competency, and social justice advocacy into clinical training demonstrating a commitment to innovation. Her upcoming leadership of an 8-day educational immersion experience in Mexico City for interns and UNM mental health community members demonstrates her innovative approach to experiential learning and cultural competency development.
Ivette Acevedo-Weatherholtz represents the very best of what our profession can offer: resilience, cultural humility, innovative thinking, cultural responsiveness, academic excellence, and an unwavering commitment to social justice.