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Kremen School of Education and Human Development

Jenelle Pitt Parker

Associate Dean

Counselor Education and Rehabilitation | 559.278.0304 | Office: ED210

jepitt@mail.fresnostate.edu

Education

  • Michigan State University - Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education, 2009
  • Michigan State University - M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling, 2001
  • University of California, Riverside - B.A. in Psychology, 1999

Courses Taught

  • Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Practicum
  • Current Professional Issues in Rehabilitation Counseling
  •  Internship in Clinical Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling
  • Professional Identity and Ethics in Counseling
  • Psychological and Social Aspects of Disability
  • Rehabilitation Counseling Practicum
  • Seminar in Counseling Techniques

Dr. Jenelle S. Pitt Parker serves as the Associate Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development and is a professor in the nationally accredited Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program at California State University (CSU), Fresno. Dr. Pitt Parker was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pitt Parker closely identifies with Caribbean culture as her parents are from Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Pitt Parker holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California (UC), Riverside, a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and a doctoral degree in rehabilitation counselor education from Michigan State University. Dr. Pitt Parker is a licensed counseling professional in the states of Michigan and California, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and a National Certified Counselor. Dr. Pitt Parker has 23 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities and other diverse communities in a variety of settings including state government, schools, and non-profit agencies. Dr. Pitt Parker has 13 years of leadership experience in higher education and is an alumna of the President’s Leadership Academy at CSU, Fresno, Executive Leadership Academy at UC Berkeley, and HERS Leadership Institute at Colorado School of Mines.

Dr. Pitt Parker has 20 publications and more than 50 national, state, local, and invited presentations. Dr. Pitt Parker has received national recognition for her work in multicultural advocacy and civic engagement.

Dr. Pitt Parker serves on the City of Fresno Disability Advisory Commission and the African American Academic Acceleration Task Force in Fresno Unified School District. In 2014, the National Council on Rehabilitation Education named her Rehabilitation Educator of the Year. In 2015, Dr. Pitt Parker received the Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award from the Fresno State Women’s Association, the Sylvia Walker Multicultural Education Award from the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns, and the Sylvia Walker National Multicultural Award from the National Rehabilitation Association. In 2020, Dr. Pitt Parker was honored with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Things That Matter Award from the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Pitt Parker’s teaching, research, and service commitments are rooted in a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion whereby the pursuit of social change is maximized through shared accountability and responsibility to the community.
  • Intersectionality of identity
  • Cultural diversity and multiculturalism
  • Counselor training and preparation
  • Positive organizational scholarship to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in work settings

Dr. Pitt Parker's Curriculum Vitae

Pitt, J. S., Vaughn, M., Raheem, M., Thomas, A., & Boston, Q. (in press). Cultural considerations in the testing process. In A. Nerlich (Ed.), Assessment and evaluation for human services professionals. Lin Creek, MO: Aspen Professional Services.

Clay, S., Lewis, A., Pitt, J. S., Quamar, A., Burris, J., Alston, R., & Getachew, M. (2021). Essential knowledge to improve employment of ethnic minorities with disabilities. In D. Strauser (Ed.), Career development, employment, and disability in rehabilitation: From theory to practice (2nd ed., pp. 369-380). New York, NY: Springer.

Jones, A. R., Pitt, J. S., González, J. C., De Walt, P. S., Griffin, D., Castillo, Y., & Lor, D. (2021). A report on Fresno Unified School District’s stakeholder experiences with student resource officers. Fresno State, Fresno, CA.

Wilson, K. B., Pitt, J. S., Raheem, M., Acklin, C. L., & Wilson, J. (2020). Multicultural counseling competencies: Why is it difficult to apply what we know...? In I. Management Association, (Ed.). Multicultural instructional design: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications (pp. 1568-1585). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-9279-2. (Reprinted from Cultural awareness and competency development in higher education, pp. 237-254, by L. Leavitt, S. Wisdom, & K. Leavitt, Eds., 2017, IGI Global)

Carey, C. D., Pitt, J. S., Sanchez, J., Robertson, S., & Mpofu, E. (2019). Exploring positive psychological interventions as race, gender and disability intersect. In L. E. van Zyl & S. Rothmann (Eds.), Theoretical approaches to multi-cultural positive psychological interventions (pp. 261-280). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Wilson, K. B., Acklin, C. L., Chao, Si-Yi, Pitt, J. S., & Gines, J. E. (2019). The multicultural counseling competencies: An empirical investigation. Rehabilitation Research, Policy and, Education, 33(4), 260-272.

Wilson, K. B., Pitt, J. S., Acklin, C. L., Gines, J., Chao, S., & Stewart II, J. (2019). Facilitating application of the multicultural counseling competencies. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education, 33(4), 234-244.

Wilson, K. B., Pitt, J. S., Raheem, M., Acklin, C. L., & Wilson, J. (2017). Multicultural counseling competencies: Why is it difficult to apply what we know...? In L. Leavitt, S. Wisdom, & K. Leavitt (Eds.), Cultural awareness and competency development in higher education (pp. 237-254). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Pitt, J. S. (2016). Who speaks for me? Learning to resist with marginalized statuses in the academy. In B. Marina & S. Ross (Eds.), Beyond retention: Cultivating spaces of equity, justice, and fairness for women of color in U.S. higher education (pp. 189-211). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc. [Book Series: Research for Social Justice: Personal ~ Passionate ~ Participatory Inquiry]

Lee., S., & Pitt, J. S. (2015). University spotlight: California State University, Fresno. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal, 8(1), 50-51.

Pitt, J. S., Vaughn, S., Shamburger-Rousseau, A., & Harris, L. (2015). Black women in academia: The invisible life. In J. Martin (Ed.), Racial battle fatigue: Insights from the front lines of social justice advocacy (pp. 209-223). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Boston, Q., Ethridge, G., Shaw, M., Shamburger-Rousseau, A., Dunlap, P., & Pitt, J. S. (2014). Multicultural supervision: Implications for rehabilitation counseling doctoral students. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal, 7(2), 25-31.

Burris, J., Lewis, A. N., Pitt, J. S., Getachew, M., & Alston, R. (2013). Essential knowledge for improving employment of ethnic minorities with disabilities in the United States. In D. Strauser (Ed.), Career development, employment, and disability in rehabilitation: From theory to practice (pp. 449-464). New York, NY: Springer.

Pitt, J. S., Leahy, M., & Lewis, A. (2013). Turnover intent predictors among state vocational rehabilitation counselors. Journal of Rehabilitation Administration 37(1), 5-18.

Pitt, J. S., Wilson, K. B., Gines, J., Lewis, A. N., Boston, Q., & Conroe, G. (2013). Building cultural competence at the pre-service level: Incorporating service learning. In P. Wehman, K. Gary, & J. Bourdon (Eds.), Race, ethnicity, and disability research: Modern advancement and future endeavors in the field [monograph] (pp. 21-28). Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Commonwealth University.

Boston, Q., Bynum, F., Vaughn, S., Pitt, J. S., Smith-Augustine, S., & Waldrum, S. G. (2012). Chronic disability and women of color: Implications for rehabilitation professionals. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Associations’ Journal, 6(1), 92-102.

Boston, Q., Vaughn, S., Pitt, J. S., Soldner, J., Turner-Whittaker, T., & Robertson, S. L. (2011). Promoting multicultural competencies in early career rehabilitation counselor supervisors.Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counseling, 17(1), 36-45.

Lewis, A., King, E., Pitt, J. S., Getachew, M., & Shamburger, A. (2010). Critical thinking skills for rehabilitation professionals in the 21st century. Rehabilitation Education, 24(3), 123-134.

Pitt, J. S., Romero-Ramirez, M., Lewis, P., & Boston, Q. (2010). Triple threat factor of disability, race, and poverty: Considerations for rehabilitation practice and research. Journal of Minority Disability Research and Practice, 1(3), 7-29.

Franca, M. C., Flowers, C. R., McCabe Smith, L., & Pitt, J. S. (2007). The impact of multiculturalism in rehabilitation education. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal, 1(1), 51-59.