Meet the team

Director

As a poet and scholar, Saron Fantahun is deeply and critically informed by hip hop's cultural art form. In between classes and work as a doctoral student, you can often find Saron listening to hip hop and/or finding new ways to incorporate the art form in her different roles as a soon-to-be counselor educator. She is working on her dissertation, which focuses on the impact of music by Black women rappers on the gendered racial socialization of Black adolescent girls. Before entering her doctoral program, Saron served as a licensed professional school counselor and middle school basketball coach in northern VA. She earned both an M.Ed Counselor Education (School Counseling) and B.A. in African American and African Studies from the University of Virginia. Saron’s passion for hip hop and counseling burns bright, and she is excited about any opportunity to discuss how the two can enhance one’s work with students at any age.

Director

Dr. Ian Levy is an Assistant Professor and Director of the School Counseling Program at Manhattan College, New York City native, former High School counselor. His research explores preparing school counselors to use Hip Hop-based interventions to support youth development. Most notably, Dr. Levy piloted the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Hip Hop-based counseling framework, which has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, and published in a variety of reputable academic journals. More recently, Dr. Levy has begun exploring the training of school counselors who are versed in Hip Hop-based approaches - as both a medium to develop anti-racist and cultural competencies. Ian is also the author of the research monograph, Hip Hop and Spoken Word Therapy in School Counseling: Developing Culturally Responsive Approaches, published with Routledge.

Research Fellow

Entrepreneur and educator LaNita Jefferson is a licensed professional counselor and adjunct professor in Columbia, South Carolina. She is also a social justice activist who raises awareness of the benefits of mental health to marginalized communities. Jefferson graduated from Hollins University with a B.A. in sociology and went on to complete her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine. Presently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in counselor education at USC. Her ten years of human service work have provided her with a range of knowledge for servicing individuals holistically. Jefferson is co-CEO of Carolina Assessment Services LLC, where she works with persons who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and trauma. Her current research focuses on implementing hip-hop interventions to improve cultural competencies in counselor education.

Research Fellow

Dr. James P. Norris received his Ph.D. from the University of the Cumberlands in the School of Social and Behavioral Science in Counselor Education and Supervision. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Cumberlands. He is a licensed mental health counselor in WA state and a licensed professional counselor in AZ. He owns a private practice and is the founder of Matumaini Counseling and Community Center, a non-profit that provides psychoeducation, social justice, and advocacy work around mental health in the African American community. In 2019, he was an NBCC Fellow and a part of the 2020 cohort for the Emerging Leaders program with WACES. His research areas of interest include trauma and the incorporation of Hip Hop in the counseling profession. https://ithembacounseling.com/

Research Fellow

Jacoby Loury is a second-year doctoral student in Virginia Tech’s Counselor Education and Supervision program. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse University and a CACREP-Accredited master’s degree in School Counseling from Syracuse University. Jacoby has served as a school counselor, gaining experience in middle and high school settings, and contributing to numerous IEP and 504 plans. His research interests revolve around how to best support school counselors in higher education and the workforce.

Research Fellow

Christina A. Tillery is currently a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Counselor Education and Supervision program. She enjoys finding evidence-based and creative ways to help students develop academically, emotionally, and socially. Through her work within school counseling, Christina sees a significant need for collaboration between practitioners and counselor education researchers to develop equitable school counseling services for all students.

Communications and Community Engagement Fellow

KáLyn Coghill is an abortion doula, poet, and community organizer in Richmond, Virginia. She is a third-year doctoral student in the Media, Art, and Text program at Virginia Commonwealth University and an instructor in their English and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies departments. Her research focuses on Digital Misogynoir, Digital Blackgirlhood studies, Sister Circles, Hip Hop Feminist Pedagogy, and Poetry. She runs a sister circle affinity group in Richmond, Virginia, at a local high school called GLOW with her sister-scholar Christina Tillery. Although she is not a school counselor, she works closely as a community partner with school counselors in the field. Her passions are creating accessible curricula and programming for all learners, especially Black youth.