FLORIDA COUNSELING ASSOCIATION

Chad Brown, MBA, MA, LMHC, CCC

Treasurer

Chad Brown is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Career Counselor operating a private practice in Central Florida that specializes in career counseling and professional development services. He regularly helps students and professionals discover personal purpose and develop professional potential.

Chad brings over a decade of experience from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in the United States and around the world. His formal education includes a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida, and two Master's degrees from Rollins College (M.B.A. & M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling). Chad Brown, and his company Chad Brown Counseling & Consulting (CBC Helps), is an active member of many organizations such as:

Junior Achievement of Central Florida (JA CFL) as the Chair of Leadership Council. 

Mental Health Association of Central Florida (MHACF) as a Corporate Sponsor and member.

Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership as a Consultant Member.

Chad also holds membership in associations such as Mental Health Counselors of Central Florida (MHCCF), Florida Counseling Association (FCA), National Career Development Association (NCDA), National Employment Counseling Association (NECA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA).

Dawn Kesselman, MS, NCC

Secretary

Dawn Kesselman has been a member of the FAU Career Center team since September 2014 and has been working in career services since January 2014. As a Career Counselor on the Career Advising, Counseling and Education Team, she is dedicated to helping students who are in the process of deciding on a major and potential career path. 

Dawn teaches multiple sections of FAU’s Career and Life Planning course, which aims to guide students as they learn about themselves and their options in order to make informed decisions regarding their major and career. She enjoys meeting with her students individually to personalize their experience with the course material and has earned multiple awards for her mentorship on campus. In addition to the Career and Life Planning course she also teaches Learning Strategies & Human Development, as well as a Learning Community Experience course to help students acclimate to FAU over their first summer semester. 

Dawn also provides guidance in other career related topics such as internships, job search strategies, resume writing, and interview skills through individual appointments, walk-in advising, and workshops. Within the FAU Career Center, she chairs the Graduate School Fair Planning Committee, trains professional staff on career assessments, and has been instrumental in the development of the FAU Career Center’s Professional Clothes Closet. Dedicated to the field of Career Services, Dawn serves as the Professional Development Chair of the Florida Career Development Association, has presented at the National Career Development Association Annual Conference and the Florida Association of Colleges and Employers, and is published in Career Convergence. 

Courtney Hand, MA, CCC

Professional Development Committee Chair

Courtney Hand is a Career Development Coordinator at the University of Central, Career Services Department. In her role, she counsels and advises students regarding major and career choices. She also assist in overseeing career peer advisors and graduate student interns. Courtney, served as an Adjunct Instructor for the College of Education and Human Performance teaching SLS 1501, Strategies for Success. In addition she will serve as UCF’s Black Faculty and Staff Association President for the 2020-2021 year. 

Courtney received a Bachelor’s of Arts double majoring in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Notre Dame and has obtained a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Seton Hall University. Additionally, she is a Certified Career Counselor through the National Career Development Association. Preceding Career Services, Courtney was with UCF Global as an Immigration Advisor working with UCF international student population. Prior to UCF, Courtney was the Director of Intercultural Programs at the West Virginia Wesleyan College where she oversaw both Multicultural Programming and International Student Services. Courtney enjoys supporting and advising students as they professionally and personally evolve into their own career passions.

Courtney resides in Orlando, FL with her husband, Derrell and two sons, Cameron (7) and Cayden (2).

Lashay Vazquez, MA

Communications & Social Media Committee Chair

As a first generation and transfer student, Lashay Vazquez attended the University of Central Florida for her Bachelors in Psychology ('12) and Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a graduate certificate in Career Counseling ('18). Lashay has been able to successfully take her mental health counseling skills of diagnosis, treatment planning and rapport building and transfer them into the career counseling world via assessments, counseling sessions and goal planning. 

Lashay is a firm believer that mental health, careers and academics are closely intertwined with each impacting the other. With a love of travel, exploration, epiphanies and literature, Lashay has come to value the personalities and experiences of others that help shape their identities and choices.

Lashay currently works as a Career Counselor with Career Services at the University of Central Florida where she enjoys assisting students in both major and career exploration. She has also recently explored the world of teaching by instructing courses for international students focused on career development and succeeding during their university experience. Lashay also serves as a Career Services liaison to other departments on the university campus that reflect her interests such as Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Care Services, Office of Undergraduate Research, LGBTQ Services and UCF Global.

Lashay plans to earn a Ph.D. in either Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology.

Jackie Gill, MA, CCSP

Membership Committee Chair

Jackie Gill recently relocated to Florida from Arizona, and is currently Counseling Faculty at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL. She has been an NCDA FCD Trainer since 2011.She has over 18 years’ experience working in student services and career development, including working in high schools in Michigan, and in higher education at Pima Community College, University of Arizona and in the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona. 

Jackie completed her M.A. in Counseling with a post-graduate certification in Career Development at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, and her B.A in Psychology at Michigan State University. She also earned her Transformational Life Coach certification through the Southwest institute of the Healing Arts (SWIHA) in Tempe, Arizona, and is a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) through NCDA.

Jackie has taught career exploration and student success courses to middle school students through adults, and has worked with dislocated workers in the One-Stop Centers throughout the Greater Phoenix area. Her professional association memberships include the National, Arizona and Florida Career Development Associations, for which she is the incoming Membership Chair for 2020-2021. Jackie has dedicated her professional career to helping people achieve their career goals through career exploration, job searching, networking, resume enhancement and career transition. She believes the skills required for successful job searching are the most important skills one can learn because they are utilized continuously throughout a person's lifetime.

Melissa Gomez

Graduate Student Committee Chair

Melissa Gomez is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, where she is studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She intends to pursue a certificate in Career Counseling after graduation. 

Melissa attended the College of William and Mary, where she earned a Bachelor's of Science ('12), with a double major in Psychology and Religious Studies, and a Master's of Arts in Experimental Psychology ('15).

Melissa believes that mental health is an important field with a vast amount of applications, and that career decisions tie directly into mental health. She believes that mental health and career concerns need to be addressed in order for a person to thrive socially, academically, and professionally. She is looking forward to learning more about Career Counseling and how she can apply it to her work with clients. 

Melissa has almost 10 years of experience working in education; she decided to pursue counseling to work directly with clients one on one, as opposed to working in a classroom setting. 

After graduation, Melissa wants to work with adolescents and young adults in an outpatient setting, focusing on both mental health and career concerns.