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ACA Annual Conference & Expo


Everett Painter, PhD student in Counselor Education, received the Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC) Emerging Leader award and placed second in the Leadership Essay Contest co-sponsored by Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Everett Painter accepting the CSI Leadership Fellowship award.

Painter received these honors and accepted his CSI Leadership Fellowship at the American Counseling Association (ACA) Annual Conference & Expo in Montreal, Canada.

When asked how he found out about these opportunities, he said, “our professional organizations regularly publicize opportunities for grants, workshops, and other ways to engage in the profession.”

The AHC Emerging Leaders Program opens applications up yearly to new professionals and students at the master’s and doctoral level.

Painter said, “I value humanistic philosophy and strive to make it an integral part of my professional life. The emerging leader position will help me grow in leadership and advocacy by allowing for interaction with AHC leaders, mentorship, support, and a deepened awareness of governing structure and processes. I believe my goals relative to full engagement in our field will be uniquely informed by the opportunities provided by this experience.”

As an Emerging Leader, he must provide at least fifty hours of service to an AHC committee or task, will receive free registration for the 2016 AHC Conference, and can learn what responsibilities are associated with elected officials in the organization.

Everett Painter accepting the AHC Emerging Leader award.

The CSI/CACREP Leadership Essay Contest had a topic of transformational leadership.

Painter explained, “In the case of transformational leadership we first work on ourselves as we are the primary instruments of change in lives we encounter. It behooves us to recognize we are forever on the pathway of becoming. There is no end point. If we are to inspire others we must always be mindful of constantly improving ourselves. Fully engaging in our profession and investing in this way is done from a position of service, not personal gain or promotion. The stronger we can be the better we may serve.”

Along with second place came two hundred dollars, a one-year membership renewal in CSI, and his essay was published on the CSI website.

Everett Painter“I am grateful for these opportunities and deeply appreciative of the support and encouragement provided by faculty and peers at UT Knoxville.”