American Counseling Association Names New Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

Stacy Brooks Whatley Joins ACA

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Counseling Association (ACA) has named Stacy Brooks Whatley as chief communications and marketing officer (CCMO) effective Feb. 13.

An award-winning communications, marketing and content strategist, Brooks Whatley has more than 20 years of experience in association communications. As a member of the Executive team, Brooks Whatley will join in the ongoing work to strengthen the organization's value proposition.

"I look forward to working with Stacy in building critical communications and marketing strategies to advance ACA's mission and purpose," said CEO Shawn Boynes. "Her well-rounded expertise will contribute to elevating ACA's profile as well as more effectively position professional counselors to address the global mental health crisis."

"I am thrilled to join ACA at a time when the public conversation around mental health continues to gain momentum," said Brooks Whatley. "As a society, we're putting a new focus on facing our challenges — uncertainty, stress, trauma, loss — both collectively and as individuals. The perspective of professional counselors can inform discussions around how we confront these challenges and improve our mental health and well-being."

Brooks Whatley added that she looks forward to working with ACA members and leadership to ensure that the voice of the counseling profession is present and heard, that counselors are recognized for the critical role they play as part of the health care team, and that all in need of professional counseling have access to it "without stigma and red tape."

ACA's new CCMO most recently served as the director of marketing and communications for the American Physiological Society, overseeing strategic marketing, media relations, social media, website content strategy and overall communications outreach. Prior to that time, she worked for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and at Ogilvy Public Relations.

She also brings to ACA her experience as the editor in chief of a member-focused magazine and helping researchers better communicate their work to the media, the public and other researchers. She currently serves as president of Associations, Media and Publishing Network's Associations Council – a key membership organization for association publishers and content creators.

About ACA 
Founded in 1952 and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Counseling Association is the largest member organization of counseling professionals in the world. Our 54,000 plus members work in various settings, such as private practice, schools and universities, community clinics and government agencies. Our mission is to promote the professional development of counselors, to advocate for counselors, and to ensure that ethical and culturally inclusive practices protect our members' clients and all people who seek counseling services. We work to raise awareness about the myriad benefits provided by counseling and counseling professionals, such as marriage and family counseling, career counseling, addiction counseling and support for individuals who are facing mental health struggles and the challenges posed by everyday life in our fast-paced and sometimes stressful society. We believe everyone can benefit from the power of counseling.
www.counseling.org 

SOURCE American Counseling Association