Carlos P. Hipolito-Delgado

Professor, Counseling, University of Colorado Denver

Latino Research and Policy Center, University of Colorado Denver

CANDIDATE STATEMENT:
I seek the office of president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) to honor those who paved the way for me and to expand opportunities for those who follow. As a Chicano counselor, I am committed to being a role model and will use my voice to create pathways for the inclusion of all marginalized communities. If elected president, I will be a servant of ACA members, advocate for the counseling profession, elevate the voices of professional counselors and graduate students, work to address the needs of marginalized communities, and raise the profile of counselors nationally.

My years of service to the counseling profession make me uniquely qualified to serve as president of ACA. As a former Parliamentarian and Governing Council member, I am exceptionally versed with ACA’s governmental procedures, strategic plan, and staff. As the past-president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development and the past-chair of the ACA Foundation, I have learned to be collaborative, inclusive and mission-driven.

If elected, I will:

Promote the counseling profession by seeking partnerships with professional sports associations, entertainment artists, and public figures: to increase awareness of mental health and position ACA and counselors as experts in the field of wellness.
Create a curriculum for an undergraduate minor in social justice counseling—to be shared with interested counselor education programs—that will diversify the counseling profession and meet the growing demand for mental health professionals. Such diversification is vital to addressing the mental health needs of marginalized communities and improving cultural representation in the profession.
Increase the voice of members in ACA fiscal and governing decisions, control membership and conference dues, and improve the representation of graduate students in the association.

What inspired you to pursue leadership within the ACA, and why do you believe you are the right person for this role at this time?

I am inspired to serve as ACA President to honor the rich history of this association and I am motivated to increase access to mental health services in underserved communities. I would not be the professional counselor I am today without those leaders who came before me, mentored me, and shared their knowledge. I seek this position to be a positive reflection of their legacy and increase leadership opportunities for graduate students and early career professionals. I would accomplish this in part by controlling membership and conference fees, so that costs are not a barrier to participation. I would also engage with and create mentorship opportunities for graduate students, so they are better positioned to enter leadership positions.

Given my experience with legislative leaders, youth groups, and professional associations, I believe I am the right person to be ACA President at this time. There is increased awareness of mental health in the US, but too often this conversation is limited to buzzwords or infographics. To expand access to and increase understanding of mental health, the counseling field requires leadership who can build off existing momentum and promote action. I am uniquely qualified to be this leader.

Over the past year I have given multiple presentations to state and locally elected officials, through the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, the Board of Latino Legislative Leaders, the Mexican American School Board Association, and Arizona Latino School Board Association, describing the need for increased funding and innovative policy to address mental health.
Through my research practice partnership with the Student Voice and Leadership program of Denver Public Schools, I have helped young people conduct original research and craft policy arguments to increase access to mental health services.
As President of Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), I chartered the committee that revised the Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies. Additionally, I began the AMCD webinar series—these training videos are now available to all professional counselors and have been viewed more than 8,000 times.

If elected President one of my initiatives would be the creation of curriculum for an undergraduate minor in social justice counseling. This curriculum, and guide for how to get said minor approved within institutions of higher education, would be freely shared with counselor education programs and have the goal of increasing the pipeline of students from marginalized communities into the counseling profession.

The new ACA governance structure is designed to allow Division and Region representatives to engage in the “Big Issues” of the counseling profession, and to lean on their expertise to help advance ACA. How would you hope to support the Divisions and Regions to serve our members?

The conversation on the relationship between ACA and its Division, Regions, and Affiliates is long overdue. I have called for such dialogue since 2012 when I was president-elect of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Since that time, we have seen two divisions disaffiliate and various others remove ACA membership as a requirement for division membership. I believe that this stems, in part, from the view that ACA and its divisions are in competition for membership. Therefore, there is a need to consider how ACA and its divisions, regions, and affiliates might create a new relationship that is mutually beneficial.

Though the new ACA governance structure provides a space for divisions, regions and affiliates to lend their expertise to ACA, the question remains what they receive in return. If elected President of ACA I would engage in conversation with division, region, and affiliate leaders to develop a plan where the relationships between these organizations is clarified. The goal of this conversation would be to first develop a system that incentivized shared membership affiliation—where ACA members would seek division, region, and affiliate membership and vice a versa. Secondly, I would like to see a greater sharing of expertise and knowledge in public ways. This might look like ACA publications, such as Counseling Today, highlighting authors or articles from our divisions, regions, and affiliates. Also, ACA could provide increased resources to support our divisions: such as, specialized presentations at conferences—some of which already occurs, but could be expanded. Third, if elected ACA president I would seek feedback from our division, region, and affiliate leaders on all important ACA decisions. I would also invite their suggestions on ACA policy and initiatives.

An important area of conversation related to the new ACA governance structure is how to cultivate ACA leaders. Though the new governance structure seeks to support leadership development, this process is yet to be defined. This is however an area of expertise for division, regions, and affiliates. Historically, divisions, regions, and affiliates have been crucial training grounds for counseling leaders. I would seek partnerships where ACA and its divisions, regions, and affiliates could collaborate in leadership development programs. Such a collaboration would allow ACA to learn vital lesson on how to identify, mentor, and provide experience to future leaders. I believe ACA could also provide financial support to divisions, regions, and affiliates for sharing their expertise or for hosting said trainings.

EDUCATION:

PhD, Counselor Education, University of Maryland College Park
M.Ed., Counseling in Student Affairs, University of California Los Angeles
BS, Mathematics, University of California Los Angeles

CERTIFICATION(s) and or LICENSES:

National Certified Counselor (NCC)

CURRENT POSITION:

Interim Executive Director, Latino Research and Policy Center, University of Colorado Denver; Professor, Counseling, University of Colorado Denver

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Assistant Professor, School Counseling, California State University Long Beach
Student Affairs Officer, University of California Los Angeles

ASSOCIATION EXPERIENCE:

ACA Leadership: Governing Council Representative; Parliamentarian; Chair ACA Foundation; ACA Foundation Trustee. Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development: President; Governing Council Representative; Conference Committee Chair. Counselors for Social Justice: Treasurer. ACA Committee Service: Governance and Board Operations Committee; Cultural Encounters Task Force; Publications Committee; Ethics Committee.

ACA/DIVISION/BRANCH MEMBERSHIP:

American Counseling Association; Association for Counselor Education and Supervision; Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development; Colorado Counseling Association; Counselors for Social Justice; Rocky Mountain Association for Counselor Education and Supervision

AWARDS and HONORS:

University of Colorado Denver: Faculty Mentoring Award, 2024. School of Education and Human Development: Faculty Service Award, 2024. Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development: Exemplary Diversity Leadership Award, 2020; Professional Development Award, 2013; Emerging Leader Award, 2011.

PUBLICATIONS:

I am passionate about serving marginalized communities and the sociopolitical development of youth. As such, I have 39 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters published on the topics of multicultural training, ethnic identity development, internalized racism, and sociopolitical development. My research has been cited over 1650 times. I am also a co-primary investigator on numerous research grants, totaling over $3.2 million. Through research and scholarship, I have established a national reputation that has advanced the field of multicultural counseling. An area I have made a significant impact is in understanding of youth activism. Through my research, I have documented the impact of student voice in improving critical thinking and civic advocacy in youth. This research has garnered attention of Latino professional and political organizations and invitations to present for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the Board of Latino Legislative Leaders and the Mexican American School Board Association.

PRESENTATIONS:

In my career I have given over 50 peer-reviewed presentations at international, national and local conferences. I served as a keynote speaker at seven conferences and have given 27 invited presentations and workshops. I am often asked to provide training to school administrators on political leaders on the topics work-life balance, youth mental health, and the civic engagement of youth. In counseling spaces, I typically present on multicultural counseling, social justice counseling, and the sociopolitical development of youth. Additionally, my reputation as a scholar has allowed me to be seen by popular media as an expert in the areas of race, politics, and education. I have conducted interviews for print, radio, and television outlets in both English and Spanish.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Through my leadership and service, I seek to promote the representation and inclusion of marginalized communities. As a man of color and a first-generation college student, I take the lift as you rise mandate seriously. I am most fulfilled by service activities where I can be an advocate for social justice. I seek service opportunities where I might be a voice for underrepresented communities. Since 2016, I have collaborated with the Student Voice and Leadership (SVL) program in Denver Public Schools. Specifically, I support SVL staff with program assessment, documenting the impact of SVL programming on students, and crafting reports for the school district. I also serve on the Board of Directors for Colorado Public Radio (CPR). As a director, I provide operational oversight and contribute to CPR policy. Through the role of Director, I appreciate the opportunity to provide the Board with the perspectives from the Latinx community.