— Biography from the 2024 Spring Commencement program —

Dr. Hunt earned a BS English and Psychology (1983) from James Madison University, and an MEd in Counselor Education (1986) and PhD in Education, with a concentration in Counselor Education (1992), from the University of Virginia. Dr. Hunt has served as a valued member of Georgia Southern’s Counselor Education program since her initial appointment in 2014. Her legacy with Georgia Southern includes leadership in the Counselor Education program, where she guided the program through successful counseling-specific re-accreditation with CACREP in 2020, including intensive review of all parts of the program, redesigning the practicum and internship experiences for students, and developing a clearinghouse of potential clinical sites that increased the number of community agencies served by students. She spearheaded providing innovative telemental health training for students when the COVID-19 pandemic started so they could continue to serve clients and graduate according to their original timeline. She worked with program faculty to increase the rigor of the application process and expand recruitment efforts, which led to a significant increase in program applicants. Dr. Hunt also overhauled the counseling internship process to provide quality supervision for the interns and to increase their ability to serve clients. Dr. Hunt has a history of professional service contributions and recognition. She earned numerous professional credentials to ensure students received quality training according to state and national standards, including becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia, earning the Approved Clinical Supervisor credential, and becoming a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor in Georgia. She was awarded the Jane E. Myers Lifetime Mentor Award from the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honors Society International in 2018. She has consistently engaged in university, community, and professional service, to ensure students receive quality training to better serve their clients and their communities. Dr. Hunt retires having completed numerous book chapters, refereed journal articles, and international/national refereed presentations and with articles to be published and ongoing scholarly work still in progress. For these many contributions to the university and her profession, Dr. Hunt is deserving of the title Professor Emerita of Counselor Education.*