Board of Directors

President: Dr. Maureen Ponce
president@mscaonline.org

Biography: Dr. Ponce has over 20 years of experience as a professional school counselor both at the middle and high school levels. Dr. Ponce identifies not only as a professional school counselor, but as a counselor educator, and is passionate about promoting the counseling profession. As a school counselor, she works to support and empower ALL students. Dr. Ponce has presented at professional conferences on topics related to the intersection of diversity, counseling, and supervision; the mentoring relationship in counseling & supervision; and supporting college and career readiness. As a school counselor leader, Dr. Ponce is involved in grassroots and state advocacy work which promotes the use of school counselors in their appropriate roles and in strengthening school counselor identity. Dr. Ponce also volunteers her time coaching counselors in implementing the ASCA national model as part of a comprehensive school counseling program.

Dr. Ponce earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Supervision from Liberty University and her dissertation explored social-cognitive factors that influence college and career readiness. She earned a post-master’s’ certificate in counseling at-risk youth from John Hopkins University and a M.Ed. in Counseling and Development from George Mason University. Dr. Ponce holds a B.A. in History Education from Trenton State College (current name: The College of New Jersey). During her free time, she enjoys spending every available minute making memories with her four kids as well as her spouse.

Position Details: The President is the chief elected officer of the association. The president shall preside at all meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Executive Board, shall appoint the chairs of all committees, and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominations and Elections committee. The president or their designee shall be the representative on the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development Executive Council, and shall be a Maryland School Counselor Association delegate to the American School Counselor Association Delegate Assembly.

President Elect: Jessica Conter
presidentelect@mscaonline.org

Biography: (coming soon)

Position Details: President Elect is a three year cycle. You start as President Elect (preparation to take on the role of President), then President (The President shall be the chief elected officer of the Association, shall preside at all meetings of the Association and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board, shall appoint the chairs of all committees, and shall be ex-offico member of all committees, except the Nominations and Elections Committee. The president or their designee shall be the representative on the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development Executive Council and shall be a Maryland School Counselor Association delegate to the American School Counselor Association Delegate Assembly.), then Past-President (support the current President).

Immediate Past President: Dr. Nikki Ham
pastpresident@mscaonline.org

Biography: Nikki Ham has served as a school counselor for over fifteen years, with successful experience in organizational and instructional leadership. She has worked as a school counselor in Montgomery County Public Schools and developed the School Counseling Program at Reid Temple Christian Academy. Nikki has served as the School Counselor Specialist for Prince George’s County Public Schools. During her time in these school systems, she had a proven track record of success in improving student performance, developing teams and building bridges between the school, parents and community leaders. Nikki currently works as the Field Placement Supervisor for Bowie State University, School Counseling Program in the Department of Counseling Department. Nikki is dedicated and passionate about helping students, and their families remove the social, emotional barriers to their academic success. She is looking forward serving on the MSCA Board to help promote excellence in the school counseling profession.

Position Details: The Immediate Past President performs the duties of the president in the absence or incapability of the president. The immediate past president serves as chairperson of the Nominations and Elections committee and assume such other responsibilities recommended by the president and approved by the majority of the Executive Board. In the event the president resigns or is unable to complete the term, the immediate past president shall assume the position of president until the next election.

Treasurer: Tina Ramirez-Holmes
treasurer@mscaonline.org

Biography: Tina Ramirez-Holmes is an elementary school counselor in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She has been working in education since 2014. She started her career in education as a middle school Math and Science teacher. She realized her favorite part of the job was to help students be resilient and persevere through challenges. Tina pursued her school counseling degree from Loyola University in 2019 and graduated in December 2022. She loves being a school counselor and is so thrilled to be part of the MSCA board as its treasurer. In Tina’s free time, she enjoys studying and speaking Spanish, going on daily walks with her husband and their dog, running in various races around Maryland, and of course spending time with family and friends.

Position Details: The treasurer shall submit current financial statements at all board meetings and a complete financial report at the end of the fiscal year, and shall perform other duties as directed by the president with the approval of the Executive Board. The May report shall be emailed to all members of the MSCA Executive Committee. The treasurer will present the approved budget at that general meeting to occur at the Annual Conference.

Secretary: Colleen Coirolo
secretary@mscaonline.org

Biography: Coming Soon

Position Details: The secretary shall record all proceedings of the Association and shall handle correspondence as directed by the president. The secretary must maintain a written or electronic record of the meetings of the organization and have those available for review. The records must also be archived and passed on after each term of office.

Elementary School Vice President: Tracey Spain
elementaryvp@mscaonline.org

Biography:

Tracey L. Spain graduated from Bowie State University with her B.S. in Elementary Education. Prior to becoming a school counselor, Tracey was an elementary school teacher for 6 years. She later attended Loyola University and obtained her M.Ed in School Counseling. Most recently, Tracey earned her certificate in Administration from McDaniel College.

Tracey is currently an elementary school counselor in Anne Arundel County where she has served in this capacity for 15 years. Prior to her work as a school counselor, Tracey served as an elementary school teacher for six years. Her work as a school counselor has ignited her passion for integrating social-emotional learning programs school wide. She leveraged this strength to support the implementation of such programs by providing professional development training district-wide.

Tracey has mentored eight school counseling interns during her career by supporting them with essential strategies needed to run comprehensive school counseling programs. Tracey is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and was the 2019 Maryland School Counseling Association (MSCA) Elementary School Counselor of the Year.

Position Details: A person elected as a vice president shall be employed as a counselor in the work setting to be represented when elected. Each school level representatives serves as spokesperson for the policies and procedures of MSCA to counselors at their particular level. This person shall also be coordinator of interest level meetings within the time allotted to MSCA and MACD conferences.

Middle School Vice President: Shawnta Leftwich
middlevp@mscaonline.org

Biography:

Shawnta Leftwich graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. After Morgan State, she went on to teach Social Studies at the high school level and middle school level for 9 years. She received her M.Ed in School Counseling from Bowie State University and has been a school counselor at all K-12 levels throughout the last 9 years.

Shawnta is currently a Professional School Counselor and Department Chair at the Middle School level in Prince George’s County. Shawnta believes that all students benefit from the implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs and wants stakeholders to see the benefits and necessity to comprehensive school counseling programs.

Shawnta is a member of several service organizations and educator based organizations that advocate on the behalf of students and our profession. She is currently a candidate for National Board Certification in Counseling. Shawnta is an enthused advocate for School Counselors across the nation and looks forward to working on the behalf of our profession.

High School Vice President: Marian Hoyt
secondaryvp@mscaonline.org

Biography:

Marian Hoyt is a High School Counselor currently serving students in Howard County Public Schools. She is a proud Terp and graduate of the University of Maryland’s School Counseling program. She is also a Forever Wolverine, as she grew up in Ann Arbor and attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduate years.

Marian is a firm believer that students cannot reach their full potential without the proper tools and environment to grow in. Children need their basic needs met, supportive relationships to foster belonging, and safety to learn in and outside the classroom. She aims to address these needs in numerous ways, such as needs assessments, proactive lessons and groups, attendance and high grades celebrations, social activities and social justice activism as SGA Advisor, and more!

She is also strong supporter of the ASCA National Model and believes that students cannot be effectively supported if their own School Counselors are not at their best. Therefore, Marian is a staunch advocate for School Counselors to do the work they were trained to do, so their other non-counseling roles can be carried out by someone more equipped. This then fosters an environment where all adults are utilized effectively, and students have the best supports in place for them to achieve.

On a more personal note, Marian is married to her wonderful husband (also a Wolverine), Nick, and is “mom” to a beautiful kitty named Jalapeño. She is a tried and true Michigander, lover of all things potato, and world traveler.

She looks forward to supporting all of the AMAZING and hardworking Secondary School Counselors in Maryland, so they can continue their passion of supporting young minds. She hopes to build a bridge between all regions of Maryland and connect with those who empower Maryland students to perform at their best.

Post-Secondary Vice President: Dr. Atiya Smith
postsecondaryvp@mscaonline.org

Biography: Coming Soon