Dr. Frank Burtnett, a longtime faculty member in Marymount University’s Department of Counseling, has been named the 2016 American Counseling Association Fellow for his significant and unique contributions to the profession.
“To be recognized in this manner is very heartwarming,” Burtnett said. “I’m happy to join some very talented people.”
He has served as the executive director of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and associate executive director of the American Counseling Association (ACA). Early in his career, he was a teacher, counselor and student services administrator with the Fairfax County, Virginia, Schools and consultant with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Burtnett also works as a consultant and author. His most recent publication, “Career Errors: Straight Talk about the Steps and Missteps of Career Development,” examines the things people “do wrong” or simply don’t do in their quest for career satisfaction and life-work balance. Two earlier youth and young-adult oriented guidebooks concentrated on the school-to-college and education-to-work transitions.
He earned the Bachelor of Science degree in education at Shippensburg University and the Master of Arts and Doctor of Education degrees in counseling at George Washington University.
Burtnett, who has taught at several Washington, D.C.-area universities, continues to teach at Marymount because of the strength of its counseling program, which he calls “the best in the community.”
“I’ve seen Marymount students go on and do great things,” he added.
Burtnett was nominated for the ACA recognition by Dr. Lisa Jackson-Cherry, a Marymount professor who was the 2015 American Counseling Association Fellow.
“He’s a down-to-earth, nice person who is really interested in our students’ development and growth,” Jackson-Cherry said. “He’s also one of the counseling professions’ founding leaders, and it’s amazing to have him here at Marymount.”
