Committee Members

Doctoral Candidate, Regent University

Andreas Bienert is a native of Austria and has lived in the United States since 2008. His bi-cultural background and focus on Community Mental Health has led him to a number of volunteer opportunities and leadership roles.  As an Austrian with professional experience and associations in Europe, Andreas brings a broad and rich cultural sensitivity to the counseling and other mental health fields. Andreas received his Bachelor of Arts in Counseling Ministries at Southwestern A/G University, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision. In addition, Andreas serves as a Mental Health Clinician in the Hampton Roads area, and currently teaches as Adjunct Professor. Andreas carries a strong vision that includes the development of counselor education and professional services in European countries where these services are still in early developmental stages. His strong interest in global development of the counseling profession has led him to educate and supervise counseling students cross-culturally, particularly in Ukraine, where he has been involved in an International counselor-training program for three years.

Faculty Member, East Carolina University

Syntia Santos is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education Program at East Carolina University. She held a Master’s in School Counseling from SUNY Buffalo through a Fulbright scholarship and completed her Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from North Carolina State University (NCSU). While at NCSU, Syntia organized two international counseling conferences in Honduras obtaining support and active participation from NBCC and NCSU in May 2012 and 2013. In addition, she organized a study abroad program for students and alumni from counselor education in May 2012. She worked as a graduate assistant in the Internationalization and Distance Education Alliance (I+DEA) supporting study abroad, teaching abroad and internationalization initiatives for the College of Education including three teaching aboard programs to China, Brazil, and Russia and a cultural immersion experience in Costa Rica for teaching fellow students. She worked at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM), in her country Honduras, as professor and program coordinator. Syntia is a member of the IRCEP Steering Committee.

Faculty Member, Southern Connecticut State University

Dr. Uchenna T. Nwachuku, Professor at Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Nwachuku served as a Psychologist at both the State of North Carolina Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Dr. Nwachuku earned a B.S. in Biology from Houghton College, New York, a masters and a doctorate degree in Counseling and Consulting Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst

He is a recipient of many regional, national, and international awards in Counselor Education and Supervision. He is a distinguished member of the American Counseling Association, American Mental Health Counseling Association, and International Counseling Association.Dr. Nwachuku is the author and co-author of more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles and monographs in professional counseling journals. He developed and presented over 100 referred and none-referred profession papers in regional, national, and international conferences.