Phone: 814-574-1243
“My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Maya Angelou
Since 2013, Spencer Niles has served as Professor of Counselor Education at the College of William & Mary where from 2013-2020, he served as Dean of the School of Education and was ranked as the 11tth most influential dean of education in the United States. Previously he served as Distinguished Professor and Department Head for Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education at Penn State University from 2000-2013. While at Penn State, he led the creation and development of Penn State’s first accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education. Niles served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research in 2012. He served as Professor and Assistant Dean for the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia from 1987-2000.
Niles was a two-term Editor of the Journal of Counseling & Development (the flagship journal of the American Counseling Association) and a two-term editor of The Career Development Quarterly for the National Career Development Association. He is the recipient of many awards within the counseling profession including the American Counseling Association’s Thomas J. Sweeney Award for Visionary Leadership and Advocacy; ACA’s President’s Award; the Eminent Career Award of the National Career Development Association; American Counseling Association Fellow; President, Chi Sigma Iota Counseling and Academic Professional Honor Society International; two-time President of the National Career Development Association; the recipient of the American Counseling Association Extended Research Award; Fellow, National Career Development Association; American Counseling Association David Brooks Distinguished Mentor Award and the University of Alabama, Chi Sigma Iota Legacy Award. Niles was also a Fellow of the Pennsylvania Education Policy and Leadership Center; a board member of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy, and a member of the American Counseling Association’s Governing Council. He is an Honorary Member of the Japanese Career Development Association; Honorary Member of the Italian Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Ohio Career Development Association. He also served as President of the Pennsylvania Association of Counselor Education and Supervision and President of the Virginia Career Development Association. Niles is a recipient of the University of British Columbia’s Noted Scholar Award.
Niles is the author or co-author of approximately 140 publications; has delivered over 150 presentations at international, national and regional conferences and has conducted counselor training in Argentina, Australia, China, New Zealand, Italy, India, Finland, Portugal, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Turkey, South Africa, Canada, Qatar, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, England, Rwanda, Scotland, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, Denmark, and Estonia.
Niles has co-authored 19 books and his book with JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey entitled, Career Development Interventions, currently in its 6th edition, is the best-selling career development text in the world. His books have been translated into multiple languages including Turkish, Greek, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Italian.