School counselors, alumni honored by Georgia peers

Three alumni of the College of Education's department of counseling and human development services were recently honored by the Georgia School Counselors Association.

Karen Griffith (Ph.D. '11), a graduate of the counseling and student personnel services program, received the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award. A retired school counselor with 35 years of experience in public education, Griffith has been recognized on the state level and has also been a finalist for the American School Counselor Association's School Counselor of the Year.

Lee Grimes (M.Ed. '03, Ph.D. '11), also a graduate of the counseling and student personnel services program, was named Counselor Educator of the Year. Grimes is an associate professor at Valdosta State University, where she is also program coordinator for the M.S. in School Counseling degree program.

And Laura Ross (B.S.W. '01, M.S.W. '05, Ed.S. '08), a graduate of the professional school counseling program, was named the Georgia School Counselors Association's School Counselor of the Year. Ross is a counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Gwinnett County.

The recognitions were among several given by the statewide professional organization earlier this fall. Winners were also recognized during the Georgia School Counselors Association's annual conference earlier in November in Macon.