Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy Dean, School of Education
- Degrees
- Ph.D., Counseling and Educational Development
M.Ed., School Counseling
B.S., Early Childhood Education - Favorite Place in Washington DC
- Smithsonian Museums
- Bio
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Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy believes in the revolutionary power of school counseling. An American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow with 30 years of experience as a former kindergarten teacher, elementary school counselor, family therapist, and most recently university professor and administrator, she has a wealth of knowledge, expertise and wisdom.
Dr. Holcomb-McCoy is currently the Dean of the School of Education and a Distinguished Professor at ĢƵ (ĢƵ). She is also the author of the best-selling book School Counseling to Close Opportunity Gaps: A Social Justice and Antiracist Framework for Success (Corwin) and Antiracist Counseling in Schools and Communities (ACA Publications). In 2023, she was selected as an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow based on her work to ensure families and children have access to quality early learning opportunities.
In her five years as Dean, Dr. Holcomb-McCoy founded ĢƵ’s Summer Institute on Education, Equity and Justice, and the ĢƵ Teacher Pipeline Project, a partnership with the DC Public Schools and Friendship Charter Schools. She is also actively working to develop an antiracist curriculum for teachers-in-training.
Prior to leading the School of Education at ĢƵ, she served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs campus-wide and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University, where she launched the Johns Hopkins School Counseling Fellows Program and The Faculty Diversity Initiative. Dr. Holcomb-McCoy has also been an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland College Park and Director of the School Counseling Program at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
Prior to leading the School of Education at ĢƵ, she served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs campus-wide and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University, where she launched the Johns Hopkins School Counseling Fellows Program and The Faculty Diversity Initiative. Dr. Holcomb-McCoy has also been an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland College Park and Director of the School Counseling Program at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
Dr. Holcomb-McCoy’s passion for school counseling, mental health and wellness starts at home. As a proud mother of two, she knows firsthand the importance of systemic change to help students reach their full potential.
A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Holcomb-McCoy holds her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Virginia. She earned a doctorate in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
- See Also
- School of Education
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call ĢƵ Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Selected Publications
Books and Journal Special Issues
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (Ed.) (2021). Antiracist counseling in schools and communities. American Counseling Association.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2022). School counseling to close opportunity gaps: An antiracist and social justice framework for success. Corwin Press. (2nd edition)
Owen, L. and Holcomb-McCoy, C. (Eds.), (2017). “Complete Issue.” Journal of College Access: Vol. 3: Issue 2, Available at:
Bryan, J., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (Eds.) (2010). School-family-community partnerships: The school counselor’s role. [Special Issue],Professional School Counseling, 14.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2007).School counseling to close the achievement gap: A social justice framework for success.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. (1st edition)
Holcomb-McCoy, C., & Lee, C. C. (Eds.), (2005). School counseling in urban settings. [Special issue].Professional School Counseling, 8, (3).
Chapters in Edited Books
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2022). Afterword. Equity-based career development and postsecondary transitions: An American imperative. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2021). Foreword. The use of data in school counseling: Hatching results (and so much more) for students, programs, and the profession. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2020). Foreword. From disagreement to discourse: A chronicle of controversies in schooling and education. Charlotte, NC: Information-Age Publishing.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. & Owen, L. (2019). The counseling landscape. In NACAC, Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling: A textbook for graduate students and practicing counselors 5th Edition. Alexandria, VA: NACAC.
Holcomb-McCoy, Brown, S. & Aimless, A. (2018). Human growth and development in a multicultural context. In S. Nassar-McMillan & S. Niles (Eds), Professional counseling: Orientation to past, present, and future trends. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Holcomb-McCoy, C., & Gonzalez, I. (2016). Counseling in schools: Issues and practice. In P. Pederson, J. G. Draguns, W. J., Lonner, J. E. Trimble, & M.S. Rio (Eds.), Counseling across cultures (7 th ed.) (pp. 247-274). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Holcomb-McCoy, C., Gonzalez, I., Harris, P., & Hines, E. (2015). Urban school counseling: Implications for black male students. In M. Henfield & A. Washington (Eds.), School Counseling for Black Male Student Success in 21 st -Century Urban Schools (pp. 1-18). Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.
Select Articles in Refereed Journals (+ Invited Work)
Mason, E., Robertson, A., Gay, J., Clarke, N., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2021). Antiracist school counselor preparation: Expanding on the five tenets of the transforming school counseling initiative.Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, 3, Article 2.
Bryan, J., Young, A., Griffin, D., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2017). Leadership practices linked to involvement in school-family-community partnerships: A national study. Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/2156759X18761897
Hines, E., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2013). Parental characteristics, ecological factors, and the academic achievement of African American males. Journal of Counseling and Development, 91, 68-77.
Bryan, J., Moore-Thomas, C., Day-Vines, N. L., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2011). School counselors as social capital: The effects of high school college counseling on college application rates. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(2), 190-199.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2010). Involving low-income parents and parents of color in college readiness activities: An exploratory study. Professional School Counseling, 14, 115-124.
Holcomb-McCoy, C., & Bryan, J. (2010). Advocacy and empowerment in parent consultation: Implications for theory and practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 88, 259-268.
Bryan, J., Day-Vines, N., Holcomb-McCoy, C., & Moore-Thomas, C. (2010). Using national education longitudinal datasets in school counseling research. Counselor Education and Supervision, 49, 266-279.
Holcomb-McCoy, C., Gonzalez, I., & Johnston, G. (2009). School counselor dispositions as predictors of data usage. Professional School Counseling, 12, 343-352.
Book Reviews and Other Intellectual Contributions
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (July, 2022). How to solve problems that come with putting more counselors in schools. District Administration.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (July, 2022). Schools must do a better job teaching anti-racism.The Hechinger Report.
Dennis, T., Schuschke, J., Chan, W., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (February, 2022). The Antiracist Teacher Preparation Initiative Final Report. Funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (August, 2021). The Other CRT—Culturally Responsive Teaching—Can Truly Make a Difference. The Hill.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (April, 2021). Reopening schools safely requires addressing the stress of educators of color. The Hill.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (July, 2020). Well-meaning college advising is not enough. ACT Equityin Learning Blog.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (August, 2018). A dual enrollment program for DC high school students could help fill classrooms in the future. Washington Post.
Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2004, Summer). Multiculturalism and CSI Chapters: Are we committed? Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar, 19, 1.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2001, Fall). Significant contribution to the literature: Handbook of Counseling. Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar, 16, 13.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (1999, Spring). Multicultural counseling competence and training: A national study. Chi Sigma Iota Exemplar, 14, 6-12.
Media Appearances
City Teaching Alliance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDUMZBeVYXQ
60 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlv0JaUTAng
Voice of Counseling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MUtOVX0Lbg
Grants and Sponsored Research
2022-2023Office of State Superintendent of Education, High Impact Tutoring. Future Teachers as Tutors. Co-Principal Investigator. Funded. $720,000
2022-2023Office of State Superintendent of Education, Grow-Your-Own Programming. ĢƵ Teacher Pipeline Project. Principal Investigator. Funded. $300,000/per year for 5 years = $1,500,000
2020- 2021Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Antiracist Teacher Policy Initiative (ATPI): Leveraging Partnerships for Equitable Teacher Preparation Policies. Co-Principal Investigator. $150,000.
2022-2025National Science Foundation. ADVANCE ĢƵ: Creating Gender and Racial Equity Among STEM Faculty (Adaptation Grant). Co-Principal Investigator. Funded. $1,000,000.
2019-2021 NSF ADVANCE Catalyst Grant. ADVANCE ĢƵ. Principal Investigator: $299,000
2021-2022CityBridge Foundation. CityTutorDC: Future Teachers as Tutors. Principal Investigator. Funded: $75,000.
2015-2016 Kresge Foundation. National Consortium for School Counseling and Postsecondary Success, Planning Grant for Landscape Study of School Counseling for College and Career Readiness. Principal Investigator: $150,000
2013 Prince Georges County Public Schools. Preplanning Study for Aspiring Leadership Program. Amount: $50,000
2012 Willard and Marriott Foundation. Price Roadmap to Researching Autism. Amount: $10,000
2011-2016 Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Double Check: A Cultural Proficiency and Student Engagement Model. Co-Principal Investigator. Amount: $1,676,576.00
2009-2010 The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Pursuing and Acquiring a College Education: The PACE Project. Principal Investigator.Amount: $58,325.
2006-2009 The College Board. Research Grant. Investigating the Influence of School Counselor Programs and Activities on Urban, Low-Income, Minority Students’ College Preparation: A Longitudinal Study. Principal Investigator. Amount: $298,000.
2007-2008 Baltimore County Public Schools. Learning Styles Inventory. Research Contract. Amount: $15,000
Honors, Awards, and Fellowships
Research Awards
2005Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Research Award:“Counselor educators seeking tenure andmotherhood: A content analysis.”
2003 The University System of Maryland Women’s Forum Faculty Research Award:"Coping, Race Related Stress, and JobSatisfaction Among African American Female CounselorEducators."
Fellowships and Awards
2016 American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow.
2016 Yates Achievement of Excellence Award,Johns Hopkins University Black Faculty and Staff Association.
2012 Distinguished Scholar, Chi Sigma Iota, Upsilon Nu Chi Chapter, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
2009 Outstanding Achievement Award. UNCG Alumni Association. UNCG School of Education.
2009 The National Advocacy Award for Family/Community Empowerment, National Office of School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA), The College Board.
2009 The Mary Smith Arnold Anti-Oppression Award, Counselors for Social Justice.
2007 Visiting Scholar, Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology, W. Michigan Univ. Kalamazoo MI.
2007Exemplary Diversity Leadership Award, Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.
2003Lilly Center for Teaching Excellence Fellow Award, University of Maryland.
2001 Alumni Excellence Award, Department of Counseling and Human Development University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
2001 Outstanding Counselor Educator Award, Maryland Association for Counseling and Development.
1998 Outstanding Research Award, Chi Sigma Iota International.
1994Outstanding Student Award, Department of Counseling and Educational Development, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
1993 Marion Pope Franklin Award, Department of Counseling and Educational Development, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
1989 Graduate Fellowship, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia