College Counseling and Student Development (M.S.)

Program Faculty

Program Faculty

Aeriel A. Ashlee, Ph.D.

Aeriel A. Ashlee, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Graduate Director
  • Prior to joining the CCSD faculty, Dr. Ashlee worked in student affairs and higher education for more than a decade in a variety of functional areas including service-learning, multicultural affairs, international education, and social justice education. Her research interests include critical autoethnography as healing and liberatory methodology, poststructural possibilities for student affairs praxis, and the racialized experiences of underrepresented Asian Americans in higher education (specifically transracial adoptees and Hmong Americans).

    Dr. Ashlee earned a Ph.D. in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Miami University in Ohio; a M.S. in Counseling and College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park; and a B.A. in Strategic Communication from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is the proud mama to Azaelea Grace and lives with her family and their cat Samma in Minneapolis.

Dan Macari, Ph.D.

Dan Macari, Ph.D.

  • Professor
  • Dr. Macari is a professor in the College Counseling and Student Development program and serves as Co-Chair of the Department of Community Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy. He holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Nevada as well as a  BA in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Dan has been teaching at SCSU since 2004 where he served as the Coordinator of the CCSD program for more than a dozen years and also served as the Faculty Director of the University Honors Program. Prior to working at SCSU, Dr. Macari worked in a variety of positions in college student affairs and mental health and addictions counseling in California and Nevada.  While he primarily teaches classes in the College Counseling and Student Development program, he also teaches undergraduate courses in the community psychology major.   

    One of Dr. Macari’s greatest passions is study abroad and he has facilitated more than a dozen trips to various countries around the world including his favorite locations; South Africa, Australia, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia. Dan lives in St Cloud with his partner Jennifer, his son Sam, and his cat Boo-Boo. 

Kyle C. Ashlee, Ph.D.

Kyle C. Ashlee, Ph.D.

  • Adjunct Professor
  • Kyle C. Ashlee is an educator, writer, and a father who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to teaching for the CCSD program, Kyle has had a rich professional career in student affairs and higher education. For over a decade, Kyle has developed innovative educational programs at colleges and universities around the world, including award-winning social justice initiatives, academic courses, and professional development opportunities. His research interests include college men and masculinities, critical whiteness studies, social justice pedagogy, and neoliberalism in higher education. Kyle currently serves as the chair of the Coalition on Men and Masculinities within ACPA-College Educators International.

    Kyle completed his Ph.D. in Student Affairs and Higher Education at Miami University in Ohio, his M.S. in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Colorado State University, and his B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science at the University of Michigan.

Tammison Smith, Ph.D.

Tammison Smith, Ph.D.

  • Adjunct Professor
  • Tammison is the Associate Director of Career Development in the SCSU Career Center. Although she serves many roles in her position, her favorite work activity is training and supervising graduate students as they advise students on career issues. Tammison began her graduate education at the University of Kansas where she discovered her interest in career counseling and worked in the career center. She has also worked in counseling and career centers at Metropolitan Community College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Grand Valley State University, Davenport University, and Michigan State University. Tammison has a fascination with career theory and can often be found boring someone with her favorite recent article! Tammison received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Avila University and her Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision with a specialty in organizational change. She is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Minnesota Career Development Association and serves on the Benchmarking and Research Committee for Minnesota College and University Career Services Association. In her spare time, Tammison has worked as part of a therapy dog team, trained community emergency response teams on disaster psychology, and advocated on Capitol Hill for rare disease awareness.

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