Dr. Carolyn Chappell has been with NBCC for ten years. Her primary role is managing the National Certified Counselor (NCC) application available to well-advanced students in graduate programs that have been approved to participate with this opportunity. In that capacity, she is responsible for reviewing the curriculum for programs that apply to participate. Additionally, she facilitates the application process for eligible students and coordinates with campus personnel.  

Prior to working at NBCC, Chappell was a private school teacher and administrator at Randolph-Macon Academy, a boarding school in Virginia. She has also taught courses at Laurel Ridge Community College, George Mason University, and Greensboro College.

Dr. Chappell has a background in education and higher education, with a master's in education from the University of Virginia and a doctoral degree in higher education leadership and administration from George Mason University. She enjoys attending conferences and meeting in person the campus personnel and students with whom she interacts.

Brian Strickland has a masters in counseling and a masters in education, both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). He is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC).

In his current position as Director of Certification and Credentialing at the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), he supervises 4 teams of 25 employees in a fast-paced customer service environment. The department manages the review of 9 certifications, including the NCC, with more than 100,000 active stakeholders.

NBCC, he worked in academic affairs at UNCG’s School of Education for over 10 years. During that time, he served as an advisor for undergraduate teaching licensure programs and was the coordinator for the School of Education Scholarship Program. He also collected and analyzed data to improve education programs, meet the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation standards, and for program ranking purposes in national publications such as US News and World Report. He also worked students on their Teaching, School Administration, and School Counseling licensure applications and gathered data to make sure that programs were meeting state licensure requirements.

Elle O’Flaherty is a performance optimization speaker and coach. She founded Interlace Solutions, an executive, career, and ADHD coaching firm working with organizations and clients nationwide. Elle’s work on performance and ADHD has been published in national and international magazines and she is frequently interviewed by national media and on podcasts. Her groundbreaking course certifying career development professionals to work with ADHD clients has been lauded by participants and counseling educators.

Elle was previously a litigator and trade negotiator for nearly two decades. She holds a J.D. from the College of William & Mary and a B.S. from James Madison University. She is a subject matter expert in World Trade Organization dispute settlement and international agricultural trade, which doesn’t come up much. Elle lives in Washington, DC with her family and the most beautiful dog in the world, Penny.