PRESIDENT-ELECT

DR. TIFFANY GILMORE

With 17 years of dedicated service in public education, Dr. Tiffany Gilmore is committed to guiding students toward their dreams. As the Executive Director of Guidance and Counseling in Garland ISD, her mission is to curate learning opportunities that challenge conventional thinking, leverage resources to ignite student curiosity, and establish collaborative partnerships to address the needs of families. Before working in Garland ISD, Dr. Gilmore served in various capacities in other school districts, including teacher, school counselor, postsecondary coordinator, and director of higher education accountability and articulation initiatives. Her educational journey includes a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas, a master's degree in Counseling and Development from Texas Woman's University, a master's degree in Educational Administration from Texas A & M University at Commerce, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southern Methodist University.

Currently, Dr. Gilmore serves as the Director of Membership for the Lone Star State School Counselor Association (LSSSCA), where she assists members with account concerns, enhances the members-only portal, and promotes membership growth. Her involvement on the board allows her to contribute to shaping the trajectory of school counseling, ultimately leading to positive outcomes for students, schools, and communities.

Given the opportunity, Dr. Gilmore hopes to further her service to LSSSCA members in a greater capacity as the President-Elect.

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

Dr. MaShundra Gray

Dr. MaShundra Gray is an upbeat professional with eighteen years of collective experience with students, administrators, faculty, and higher education professors. Dr. Gray began her teaching career at DeSoto High School in 2005. She is currently in her second year as the Lead Counselor at Duncanville High School and her 6th year as a school counselor.  MaShundra earned a Doctorate of Education from University of Phoenix (2020), a Master's Degree from Prairie View A&M University (2007), and a Bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin State University (2005). 

I am passionate about my commitment to three things: maximizing individual counseling performance, inspiring counselors' interest in their students' life-long learning, and instilling a sense of self-worth among all counselors and students. As the Director of Membership, it is my mission to share my passion with other like-minded counselors. I believe that by coming together as a community, we can grow and maintain the membership of our association, creating a strong network of professionals who are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of students. I would love the opportunity to coach and mentor both current and prospective members. By offering guidance and support, we can advocate for our profession and help each other grow professionally. Meaningful conversations and shared experiences are at the heart of what we do, and I am excited to be a part of that journey with LSSSCA. Joining the Lone Star State School Counseling Association board is not just about becoming a board member; it's about becoming part of a larger movement. Counselors are a community that thrives on collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and continuous learning. Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of our students and the future of our profession and for these reasons, I am excited to be a candidate for the Director of Membership. 

CO-DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

Nancy Garcia Smith

Dear Colleagues,

With the growing mental health crisis facing young people, counselors are more essential in schools than ever before. We make an impact every day in the lives of students. We empower students and assist them in developing healthy, lifelong coping skills and habits.

However, such pressures and stressors can take a toll on our own well-being and may even negatively affect our counseling professional community as a whole. The various challenges of the pandemic and the political, social, and economic climate have highlighted how crucial a robust support system can be for our own stability and self-care.

Our support comes from the Lone Star State School Counselor Association as the valuable platform that it is to share our stories, ask for advice and seek out professionals with similar experiences. 

We need to guide first-year counselors find their footing on their campus.

We need to keep experienced counselors from feeling burned out.

We need to be able to rely on one another.

We need to invest in our interests.

We need each other.

We are stronger in numbers. Which is what draws me to become the next Director of Membership. Should I be elected to the LSSSCA Board, I would help to strengthen the association's membership as a strategy to enhance the sustainability for future conferences, promote strong links with other regional associations, retain existing members with incentives, and recruit new members through marketing techniques.

During my 22 years in education, I have served as a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Garland ISD, and elementary counselor in Dallas ISD where co-counselor, Cindi Miller and I were honored in winning the Texas School Counselor Association's, Counselors' Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (C.R.E.S.T.) Award for Casa View Elementary. I was the college and career counselor at Thomas Jefferson High School, and hosted a College, Career and Military Fair , FAFSA/TASFA parent/student workshops, and co-led with Lead Counselor, Dorothy Makinen a Higher Education Committee comprised of, AVID, AP Teachers, and Communities in Schools where we met monthly to provide services for first generation students. In 2012, I moved to Clark High School (Plano ISD), where I was awarded "Teacher of the Year" as a counselor recipient from the Texas Radio Station KLTY 94.9 in October of 2018, and was nominated and a finalist as PISD's Counselor of the Year in May of 2022. Most recently I became the Collegiate Academy Counselor for Vines High School, which will provide an opportunity for rising 9th grade students to simultaneously receive their High School Diploma and Associate degree in 4 years. Lastly, I was selected as an Ambassador of the 2023 American School Counselor Association Conference (ASCA) in Atlanta, Georgia where I worked side by side with Member Services Manager, Ms. Stephanie Wicks, who oversees all membership operations. My hope is that my experience demonstrates a worthy candidate and member of the new LSSSCA Board.

My name is Nancy García Smith, and I ask for your vote as the next Director of Membership.

Elementary Vice President

Michelle Rollins

Michelle Rollins has worked as an elementary school counselor for the past 15 years. She currently works in Richardson ISD, and prior to that, she worked in Birdville ISD, a school district near Fort Worth. Before becoming a counselor, Michelle worked as a middle school behavior intervention teacher for nine years. Children and youth social emotional health has always been her focus throughout her career. Her counseling approach is based on the solution-focused brief therapy framework, and she has a sincere interest in building resilience in children and families through trauma-informed, strengths-based practices. Michelle earned her Master of Education in counseling in 2008, and then in 2020, she earned her PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education, both from Texas Christian University. In her role as a school counselor, she has worked extensively with school staff, local agencies, and community partners to provide services and build an effective program to benefit the children and families at her schools. She has served as a mentor to new counselors and as the site supervisor for interns from Texas Christian University and Johns Hopkins University. She is committed to being an advocate for school counselors and for the profession and hopes to continue her advocacy through serving as an LSSSCA board member. 

Supervisor Vice PresidenT