FAQs

FY2027 Board of Directors

What is the ACA Board of Directors?

The new ACA Board of Directors is part of the governance restructure that was started in September 2021 and ultimately approved in June 2025. It will replace the current representational Governing Council of 32 members as the governing body of the association.

The election for the new ACA Board of Directors will be launched for the following positions:

The Board of Directors will also include the president, who will ascend from the current president-elect, and the immediate past president, who will transition from the current president.

When are these positions supposed to start?

Once elected, the individuals in these positions will begin their terms on July 1, 2026.

How do I express my interest for one of these positions?

Complete the online application as part of the Call for Nominations. Please refer to the Position descriptions for responsibilities and requirements of the positions:

When does the nomination period for the Board of Directors election open?

The Call for Nominations opens on Monday, October 27, 2025, and will close on Monday, December 1, 2025.

What are the terms for the board positions?

The 11 at-large director positions will serve staggered terms, with three positions serving for one year (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027), four positions serving for two years (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028), four positions serving for three-year terms (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2029). Candidates will have the option of choosing to serve one-, two- or three-year terms. The term may be selected randomly for candidates if there is not an even distribution of term choices.

The president-elect will serve one year as president-elect (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027). This individual will ascend to president for the next year (July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028). They will serve one additional year as the Immediate Past President (July 1, 2028, to June 30, 2029).

The treasurer will serve a one-year term as treasurer (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027) and then will serve one year as past treasurer (July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028).

The treasurer-elect will serve a one-year term as treasurer-elect (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027) and will then ascend to treasurer (July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028) for one year. This individual will then serve one year as past treasurer (July 1, 2028, to June 30, 2029).

How will candidates for the election be chosen?

Candidates will be chosen by the ACA Nominations and Elections Committee. This committee, made up of two past presidents, four Governing Council representatives, and chaired by the immediate past president, will chose the best applications received for each position through the Call for Nominations.

The Nominations and Elections Committee will then conduct interviews of the individuals with the best applications. From these interviews, they will chose which candidates to place on the Slate of Candidates for each position.

There will be a minimum of two and a maximum of four candidates on the slate of candidates for each officer position (president, treasurer, treasurer-elect).

For the 11 at-large director positions, the Nominations and Elections Committee will have at least 22 but no more than 44 candidates on the ballot. Directors at large will serve staggered three-year terms. The candidates will have the option of choosing to serve one-, two- or three-year terms. The term may be selected randomly for candidates if there is not an even distribution of term choices.

How will the applications be judged?

The Nominations and Elections Committee members will rank candidates using a rubric based on requirements listed in the position descriptions (president, treasurer, at-large director) and competencies approved by the Governing Council.

What are some of the requirements to serve on the Board of Directors?

Some of the requirements for at-large directors include:

Current professional, regular or retired ACA membership for a minimum of five (5) years, with no more than one lapse of membership for no more than three months.
A demonstrated counselor identity as reflected in preparation, credentials, practice and alignment with the philosophical foundations of counseling and active engagement advancing the mission of ACA and the counseling profession.
Evidence of successful leadership experience.
Proven commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, with the ability to lead and collaborate across cultural and social differences to advance the mission of the counseling profession.
Core competencies including commitment to ethical conduct, conflict resolution, consensus building/collaboration and practice experience as described in the ACA Board of Directors Competencies.
No substantiated ethical violations, disciplinary sanctions or legal findings related to counseling practice or professional conduct within the past ten (10) years, including actions by licensure boards, ACA or other regulatory or professional organizations.
Must pass a background check.
Clear understanding of and capacity to meet the time, travel and leadership commitments of the Board of Directors.
During the period in which the individual is a candidate for or serving on the Board of Directors, they may not simultaneously be a candidate for or hold a board position of another professional counseling association or an ACA division, region, branch or organizational affiliate.

Do ACA members vote for the candidates for the Board of Directors?

Yes, all active, eligible ACA members can vote in the election for the new Board of Directors.

When will the candidates for the election be announced?

The election ballot or the slate of candidates will be announced on or around the week of April 6, 2026.

When is the election?

The election will open on April 14, 2026, and close on May 8, 2026. All eligible ACA voting members will receive an online ballot on April 14 to cast their votes.

When will the results of the election be announced?

The results of the election will be announced on or around May 18, 2026.

FY2027 Advisory Council

What is the Advisory Council?

The Advisory Council is the representative entity that ensures that the voices of the divisions and regions are heard. They are ACA’s “think tank,” providing insight, advice, counsel and guidance regarding ACA and its relationships with divisions and regions, advancement of counseling profession, policy statements and programmatic recommendations to the ACA Board of Directors. They assist the ACA Board of Directors with decisions that have a significant impact on ACA and the counseling profession.

Who makes up the Advisory Council?

The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from each of ACA’s 20 divisions. Additionally, there are four representatives from each of ACA’s regions, as well as one student representative.

What happens to the current Governing Council?

The Governing Council representatives who will be serving in their second or third year of their current term will automatically roll over to the Advisory Council.

The former Governing Council representatives are eligible to run for the ACA Board of Director's and, if elected, they would be required to give up their Advisory Council seat. The division they represented would then have to hold an election to fill the uncompleted term of that representative on the Advisory Council, following the division’s election procedures.

How are Advisory Council representatives elected?

Each division and region will select the slate of candidates for the positions on the Advisory Council, following their own nominations and elections procedures in compliance with ACA bylaws. Elections are also held in compliance with the procedures of each division and region, in compliance with ACA bylaws.

Most division and region elections are held with ACA’s election, although some divisions opt to conduct their elections separately from ACA. These divisions will communicate directly with their members on how their elections are conducted.

Does this change the governance processes for divisions and regions?

Yes. Division leadership are encouraged to examine their bylaws, to see how their representatives to the Governing Council are nominated and elected. Because ACA will no longer have a Governing Council, they will be required to edit their bylaws (following their documented processes) to accommodate the election of Advisory Council members instead.

ACA Leadership Services and Governance can assist by providing support; sample bylaws; suggested language for nomination and election articles and sections; draft nomination and election policies and procedures; and general overall governance assistance.