Michael Brooks, PhD, NCC, LHMC, LPC-S, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was presented with the prestigious 2023 Outstanding Teaching Award from the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) during the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) conference held Oct. 11–15 in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Brooks is a Professor of Counselor Education at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where he is also PhD Program Coordinator in the Department of Counseling. He received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Morehouse College and master’s and doctoral degrees in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Central Florida. His research focuses on Black male success factors, counselor education pedagogy, and ex-offender recidivism and vocational rehabilitation. In Dr. Brooks’ 20+ year career in higher education, he has had 50+ peer reviewed publications and has been awarded 5 million dollars in grant funding. Dr. Brooks’ teaching and research is also informed by his professional service in government mental health services settings, substance abuse counseling, and employee assistance work. He was awarded a 2023 presidential citation from the American Counseling Association (ACA) and is currently a board director for NBCC.

Dr. Brooks was recognized for this prestigious teaching honor due to his steadfast commitment to preparing counseling students to serve their clients and communities with competence, humility, and awareness of the multitude of contextual factors that impact mental health. Dr. Brooks is a transformative, impactful leader for the profession of counseling and he has strived throughout his career to extend access to essential mental health resources into underserved communities. He cares for his students and invests his heart, energy, and intellect in improving health outcomes for all communities. He credits the care and attention he received from his family and community as a young man growing up in Florida with his development of a commitment to public service and education.

The SACES Outstanding Teaching Award is intended to acknowledge individual educators for teaching that rises above and beyond regular teaching expectations and involves a sustained performance of excellence. Dr. Brooks is well-deserving of this award and NBCC and Affiliates celebrates his accomplishments.