years of supervising rehabilitation counselors in the provision of rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities who resided in the District of Columbia. As an outgrowth of that position she developed and implemented the Orientation/Job Readiness program for the Rehabilitation Services Administration State Agency. Dr. Jackson is a native Washingtonian. She received her B.A. Degree from Federal City College, M.Ed. from Coppin State University and an Ed.D. from George Washington University.

Clifton Coates received his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism/Broadcasting from Bowie State University in 1984. Mr. Coates, an educator of the past 21 years, began his teaching career in Baltimore City Public Schools in the Resident Teacher Certificate Program. He returned to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to teach Social Studies at Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Mr. Coates taught in Prince George's County Public Schools for 5
years before receiving his M.Ed in elementary and Secondary School Administration and Supervision from Bowie State University in 2000. Mr. Coates was

elevated to the position of Vice-Principal Prince George's County serving at Forestville High School, Charles Carroll Middle School, Greenbelt Middle School and Largo High School before leaving the county to become Principal at Calvin Coolidge High School. Mr. Coates is currently finishing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Bowie State University.

Dr. Curry is a licensed psychologist. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at George Washington University. Dr. Curry has worked clinically with adults of all ages in the GW Center Clinic, with university students at George Mason University’s Counseling Center, James Madison University’s Counseling Center, and with high school students in the District of Columbia. She trained locally in assessments at the Hyperactivity, Attention and Learning Problems Clinic of Children’s National Medical Center. In addition to her doctoral work, Dr.

Curry has completed one-year fellowships at both the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis and the Baltimore-Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis as well as one year of advanced training at the Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Program of the Washington School for Psychiatry. As a warmly interactive therapist, her treatment approach is to foster insight, provide support and offer useful feedback to help students resolve current problems as well as to shift long-standing patterns that contribute to unhappiness. With sensitivity and compassion, Dr. Curry works with students to find solutions to a wide range of life challenges and psychological issues with the ultimate goal of supporting students’ academic progress and achievement of life goals.

Dr. Butler joined the University of the District of Columbia in 2007 to provide psychotherapy services to students and to run the mentoring component of the TEAM100 student retention.  Before joining UDC, Dr. Butler provided psychological treatment and assessment at a variety of out-patient and in-patient mental health facilities, including the Westborough State Hospital, the American University Counseling Center, the Washington Middle School for Girls, and the GW Center Clinic.

Dr. Butler received her Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) from George Washington and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.   Dr. Butler’s clinical interests include individual psychotherapy, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and body image, self-esteem, women’s issues, and multicultural issues.

In her clinical approach, Dr. Butler emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship in promoting growth, change, and healing.  Dr. Butler believes that clients empower themselves by using therapy to uncover unconscious motivations and defenses, explore their experiences and patterns, make satisfying decisions, and ultimately discover more rewarding ways of living and relating to others.

Dr. Fardis was born in a bi-cultural, bilingual family in Iran and experienced first hand the social upheaval and political turmoil of the last 3 decades of the country. He completed his medical training in Mashad University of Medical Sciences and practiced medicine in ethnically diverse areas of the country. As a physician, he noted that a great number of patients in general practice benefit from counseling and therapy and decided to pursue a career in psychology. He came to the United States and earned his PhD in clinical psychology from The University of

Montana. He then completed his clinical training in the New York metro area emphasizing on systems issues and service delivery to underprivileged populations.

In therapy, he draws primarily upon psychodynamic, family systems, and cognitive behavioral orientations. Dr. Fardis is a firm believer that humans have a natural drive for self betterment and therefore, one of the main goals in therapy is to identify and address the obstacles that people face on their path to excellence. A majority of these obstacles have a relational nature and could stem from early environments, nuclear and extended family relationships (current and historical), and underlying sociopolitical trends.

Clinically, Dr. Fardis is interested in multicultural issues in therapy, relationships, family dynamics, and cross-cultural communication. He believes that contextual factors play as crucial a role as individual and intrapsychic ones and hence, makes all effort to tackle both. He is also a strong advocate of public discourse and education, and dissemination of knowledge. To this end, he has presented talks and workshops in a variety of settings on the issues pertinent to social and individual psychology. He has had had various academic positions such as associate professor in Mashad University of Medical Sciences and psychology instructor at The University of Montana.In addition to clinical work, Dr. Fardis is the coordinator for TEAM 100 at the University of the District of Columbia, a retention program intending to prevent premature withdrawal from college by providing a network of academic and social support to 100 of the incoming freshman every academic year.

Avetta M. White
Counselor

Ms. White has worked for the University of the District of Columbia Division of Student Affairs since September 2005. In June 2006, Ms. White was brought on board as a Counselor in the Counseling & Career Development Center. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Ms. White earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Longwood College and obtained her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Argosy University. Prior to working at UDC, Ms. White worked for organizations such as

STRIVE DC, TESST College, MAXIMUS, Inc. and George Mason University. She served within these organizations as a counselor, career advisor, mentor, instructor and recruiter in many capacities, working particularly hard in the areas of serving underserved populations, personnel and traditional/non-traditional college students. Ms. White is a hard working, ambitious and dedicated individual whose mission is to serve the needs of the UDC student body and community. As a young black professional, Ms. White hopes to lead by example, implanting her mark.

Mr. McLaughlin brings to UDC Counseling and Career Development Center, several years of experience in the area of Career Counseling and Development. His experience includes working in non-profit service organizations as well as federal, state and local government programs; such as Vocational Rehabilitation Service Administration, NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse, Clinical Pharmacology Research Branch, Johns Hopkins Hospital Program for Alcoholism, Anne Arundel County Department of Mental Health, Village Family

Network, Inc., Charles H. Hickey Jr. School and United States Marine Corps Reserve.

He describes himself as a person with a keen interest in people and aspires to solve human problems. He is a person who has a firm belief in public service and is making a major commitment to improve the status of our nation’s citizens. He says that it is with enthusiasm and pride to be a member of the UDC Counseling and Career Development Center.  Mr. McLaughlin message to students is, “Always believe that what you do today helps to prepare you for something better tomorrow."

Currently, as a guidance counselor within the Counseling and Career Development Outreach Center located at the Patricia Roberts Harris Educational Center in Southeast Washington, Dr. Sandra Shands-Strong is primarily responsible for assisting students in meeting their academic, career, and personal goals. She is a native Washingtonian, who attended the D.C. Public Schools and graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School, before launching into the realm of higher education, from which she earned the following degrees: a B.S.Ed. from Wilberforce University, a M.A. from The

Ohio State University, a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, and a M.Div. from The Howard University School of Divinity. Over the past twenty-nine years at the University of the District of Columbia, Dr. Shands-Strong has served in the following capacities: psychometrist, adjunct faculty/instructor, academic advisor, education specialist, research associate, and counselor. After graduating with her M.A. Degree, Dr. Shands-Strong served as a counselor for five years within the University College, Office of Developmental Education at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Also, outside of the UDC environment, Dr. Shands-Strong has functioned in the capacities: academic dean, director of planning and assessment, professor, special administrative assistant to the Assistant Vice President for Continuing Education, and pastor of a small congregation. Dr. Shands-Strong believes in the strength of the will to eradicate the ills of societal and personal systems of dysfunction.

Jennie Huffman, a native New Yorker, she moved to DC in 1992. The transition has been wonderful. Ms. Huffman and her daughter attended the UDC, in 2006-07, and Ms. Huffman has always had a desire to work at this University. Her sense of humor, faith and 12 grandchildren have carried her through many storms. She has been in the Disability Resource Center, since October 2007 and it has been a learning experience.

Mr. McIver comes to UDC from a life full of career experiences. He is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and a graduate of Kentucky State University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. He continued his musical studies at the Indiana University School of Music; which was followed by him moving to Monza, later Milan, Italy for eight years while pursuing a concert career. Mr. McIver returned to the U.S. to assume the position of Assistant Professor of Music in the Howard School of Music. In addition, he was an adjunct professor at the University of the District of Columbia and Bowie State University.

During this period, Mr. McIver completed a Master of Music degree from the Catholic University of America. Inspired by the opportunity to administer educational services in a correctional setting, Mr. McIver sought and completed a Master's degree in Adult Education, with a concentration in administration and supervision, from the University of the District of Columbia. Currently, Mr. McIver is the coordinator of the Outreach Initiative of the Counseling and Career Development Center.

Ms. Sanford is the Staff Assistant of the Counseling and Career Development Center. She has worked with TRIO and College Preparatory Programs for the past ten years here at UDC. Ms. Sanford is working on her Bachelor’s degree at the University. “I am excited about working in the Counseling and Career Development Center”.

Ms. Wilbur brings to the University of the District of Columbia 20 years of experience in administrative work, particularly in the medical field at several hospitals and health centers. She is a graduate of the ICM School of Business, where she earned a certificate in medical office assistance.

Here at UDC, Ms. Wilbur capably assists in the running of the TEAM100 student retention program. Ms. Wilbur says “This is an initiative near and dear to my heart. There’s nothing more important that helping our students stay in school and make a

success of their goals.”

She particularly enjoys her one-on-one contact with students, even volunteering to serve as on-site staff support for several out-of-town student development programs. Ms Wilbur says, “I am blessed to have become a member of a loving family here at UDC.”

When not at UDC, Ms. Wilbur is kept busy by her active eight-year-old son who has now convinced her to study martial arts alongside him. Ms. Wilbur is also the proud mother of two grown daughters.