Dr. Cher Edwards has been a Counselor Educator for over 25 years and is currently on faculty at Seattle Pacific University. Before moving to Washington, she was a counselor and counselor educator in Ohio, where she served on the State Board of Education and held leadership roles in several professional associations.

In Washington, Dr. Edwards has served on the national board of Counselors for Social Justice, founded Washington Counselors for Social Justice, and has held leadership positions with the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA). She also advises the Sigma Phi Upsilon chapter of Chi Sigma Iota.

Her scholarship focuses on school counseling, supervision, multicultural competency, and social justice. She is the co-author of Group Counseling in the Schools and has published widely in counseling journals, book chapters, and reviews. She has presented at state, national, and international conferences, and received the O’Hana Award from the American Counseling Association for her social justice advocacy.

James Layman currently serves as the Director of the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL). James has been involved in student leadership with AWSL since 2001, having attended Mt. Baker Leadership Camp and serving as a Junior Counselor at Mt. Triumph Leadership for three summers. James has served as a senior counselor at multiple camps: Mt. Triumph and Chewelah Peak High School Leadership Camp. James currently serves as Director of Mission Peak Leadership Camp. James is a graduate of Central Valley High School and attended Eastern Washington University, focusing on Music Education, Psychology, and African-American History. James taught band and marching band throughout the Spokane area before joining the AWSL Team. James currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Student Activities (NA4SA).

Through AWSL, James is a sought-after keynote speaker, curriculum writer, equity consultant, and program facilitator throughout Washington State and beyond. James has been a presenter at the Washington Activity Coordinators Association, National Conference for Student Activities, and the NatStuCo National Conference and NatStuCo Lead Conferences. James lives and works out of Spokane, WA.

Rhiannon Catlett has been a School Counselor at North Pines Middle School in Spokane Valley for the past seven years. She has taught several courses for Whitworth University’s Graduate Studies in Education department, including Introduction to Group Counseling and School Counseling Program Development—a course she designed to help future counselors understand and implement the ASCA National Model with purpose. She also serves as the District School Counselor Coordinator for the Central Valley School District, where she supports K–12 counselors in building comprehensive programs and advocates for systemic changes to better serve both students and school counselors. In 2024, Rhiannon had the honor of serving as an inaugural co-chair of WSCA’s Leadership Conference, expanding access to high-quality professional development for school counselors across eastern Washington. Rhiannon is deeply committed to building a strong, connected school counseling community. Her passion for collaboration and continuous improvement drives her work at both the district and state levels—ensuring that school counselors feel supported and empowered to meet the needs of every student through equitable, comprehensive, and data-informed practices.