Tonya R. Hammer, PhD, LPC-S

Candidate Statement:

I am running for the ACA Board in order to be able to advocate for our profession, our students, and most importantly, our clients.  We find ourselves in a time when strong advocacy around our professional identity has never been more important. I believe that the American Counseling Association’s leadership is a strong voice both nationally and internationally for the counseling profession and I want to be a part of the leadership that is helping to guide us through these times. I hope to be able to be a part of our combined voice as we advocate in areas such as definition of professional counseling, access to care for all, and education that truly is inclusive. I am also aware that this will be the inaugural board under the newly implemented structure of governance for ACA and I am committed to helping make sure that we work together to implement the vision that has been put into place.

Candidate Biography:

Dr.  Tonya R. Hammer is a Professor in the School of Community Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Oklahoma State University and previously served in the administration as School Head for the same school. She is a Past President of the NCACES Region of ACES.  She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and her master’s degree is in Psychology and Counseling from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Dr. Hammer has been teaching in counselor education for approximately eighteen years. Dr. Hammer is the director of OSU Tulsa’s Body Image and Disordered Eating Lab (BIDE). Dr. Hammer is an active scholar with research interests in the areas of body image and eating disorders, humiliation and language particularly with regard to marginalized populations, relational cultural theory, and mentoring.  She has served in numerous positions within the American Counseling Association (ACA) including serving as the 2016-2017 President of SAIGE, formerly ALGBTIC and as a past communications officer of Counselors for Social Justice and Treasurer of the Association for Creativity in Counseling.  She is currently serving as a member of the ACA Ethics Committee.