Chippewa Thomas

Dr. Chippewa Thomas is a Professor and Director of the Office of Faculty Engagement and the Encyclopedia of Alabama at Auburn University's College of Education. She serves in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling, teaching Counselor Education Ph.D. and Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. programs since 2005 while coordinating CEU activities.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in Psychology from Tuskegee University
• M.Ed. in Community Agency Counseling from Auburn University
• Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Auburn University
• Harvard Management Development Program certificate (2017)

Dr. Thomas's research examines faculty development, wellness/vitality, mental health among marginalized populations, international outreach education, and publicly engaged scholarship. Her work addresses counseling ethics, microaggressions, workplace stress, and mindfulness, with publications analyzing study abroad experiences, white allyship, and school-based mental health interventions. She integrates culturally responsive frameworks across her scholarship.

Recent publications (2018-2023) demonstrate sustained focus on ethical practice in counseling, with recurring themes of microaggression impacts, mindfulness-based stress management, and adolescent mental health prevention. Her editorial work on engagement scholarship highlights community-academic partnerships as central to transformative practice.

Dr. Thomas chairs doctoral dissertations in Counselor Education and mentors graduate students. Her professional service includes former roles on the American Counseling Association Ethics Committee (2011-2013) and AMHCA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce (2020-2022), alongside community leadership as Treasurer of the Domestic Violence Intervention Center and Co-Facilitator for the Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act program.

She directs the Office of Faculty Engagement and Encyclopedia of Alabama while participating in the Rural Health Initiative, CCTS Southern Commonwealth, and Fulbright Association Alabama Chapter (as President), demonstrating commitment to translating research into community action through multiple interdisciplinary teams.