Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy Bio
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D., serves as president and CEO of ÃÈÃÃÉç (ÃÈÃÃÉç), the leading voice for educator preparation in the United States. She assumed this role in January 2025, bringing decades of experience as a scholar, academic leader, and national advocate for strengthening the educator workforce.
Prior to ÃÈÃÃÉç, Holcomb-McCoy served for over eight years as dean and distinguished professor at the School of Education at American University in Washington, D.C. During her tenure, she elevated the school’s national profile and led significant institutional growth, including the transition to a stand-alone school in 2019 and an expansion of enrollment from 200 to more than 1,500 students. She spearheaded innovative partnerships, such as the AU/District of Columbia Public Schools Teacher Pipeline Project and secured a multimillion-dollar grant from JPMorgan Chase to launch the Advancing Early Education Collaborative (AEEC), a stackable credentialing initiative with regional partners.
Earlier in her career, Holcomb-McCoy held senior leadership roles at Johns Hopkins University, serving as vice provost for faculty affairs and vice dean of academic affairs in the School of Education. There, she launched the School Counseling Fellows Program and the Faculty Diversity Initiative. She also served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park, and directed the School Counseling Program at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
A nationally recognized scholar, Holcomb-McCoy’s work centers on equity, access, and outcomes for historically marginalized students, particularly Black youth. She is the author of School Counseling to Close Opportunity Gaps: A Social Justice and Antiracist Framework for Success (Corwin, 2nd Ed) and editor of Antiracist Counseling in Schools and Communities (ACA). Her most recent book, Beyond the Doll Tests: Affirming and Uplifting Black Students’ Well-Being (Harvard Education Press), further advances conversations on identity, belonging, and the conditions necessary for students to thrive. Her scholarship bridges research, policy, and practice, shaping national conversations on equity in education.
In addition to her scholarship, Holcomb-McCoy serves on multiple boards. She is currently Board Chair of Maya Angelou Schools in Washington, D.C., a network dedicated to serving justice-involved youth and supporting their academic and personal success.
Holcomb-McCoy began her career as a kindergarten teacher and later worked as a school counselor and family therapist — experiences that continue to ground her leadership in the realities of practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of Virginia, and a doctorate in counseling and educational development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
She is a 2023 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow and a Fellow of the American Counseling Association.
For speaking engagements and media requests, email communications@aacte.org.