Dr. Izzard Serves Georgia

Ohio Christian University strives to have faculty members who not only serve their students with excellence, but also serve their community in big ways. Dr. Laklieshia Izzard, an affiliate professor for the Social Science Department at the Ohio Christian University Atlanta site, exemplifies this goal for Christian service to the community. Her newest role as President of the American Counseling Association of Georgia (ACA of Georgia), will allow her to serve counselors across the entire state.

Izzard is a licensed counselor and clinical supervisor with a doctorate in counselor education and supervision, and a master’s in mental health counseling. In her role at Ohio Christian, she primarily teaches psychology, substance abuse counseling, and human services courses at the campus in Morrow, GA and online. In her new role as president of ACA of Georgia, Izzard said she wants to be impactful in changing peoples’ lives.

“My theme for the year is collaboration and action through professional development, advocacy, and service,” Izzard said. “And my vision for the year is collaboration and community partnership and impactful excellence.”

Izzard served on the Founding Executive Board to create the ACA of Georgia branch in 2016 and is the third Founding President of the organization, which now has almost 2,000 members. While the previous presidents focused on creating the foundational structure for this new branch, Izzard will build on their work and has introduced the first strategic plan for the ACA of Georgia.

Her strategic plan is focused around four primary goals: professional and leadership development, community and public awareness, technology and communication, and advocacy. She couldn’t have developed these goals on her own, however.

“My faith is absolutely a driving force for me,” Izzard said. “Because there is no way that I would have been able to identify what these primary needs really are for the state of Georgia without seeking counsel and guidance from the Almighty God.”

Part of Izzard’s plan to serve the community will include a presentation at Georgia Piedmont Technical College on mental health awareness for GED students. The ACA of Georgia will also adopt a veteran’s transitional home and collect items at every event to assist with whatever needs the transitional home has.

These are just a handful of ways ACA of Georgia will serve the public. “We want to make sure we are an active voice in our community,” Izzard said. “We want our communities to be able to come to us as a resource.”

Faculty members like Izzard, who are respected experts in their field, are the reason OCU is able to provide students a rigorous education that prepares them to be world-impacting Christian servant leaders.