In Memory of Dr. Joe Wittmer

The UF Counselor Education program grieves the loss of Dr. Joe Wittmer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Counseling at the University of Florida, who worked in the UF Counselor Education Department for 37 years, including being Department Chair for 18 years. Under his leadership and guidance, UF’s counselor education program was consistently ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. News rankings and continues to be today. He served as the first executive director of CACREP (Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) and was pivotal in the development of the NBCC (National Board of Certified Counselors). He co-authored or authored 10 textbooks and published more than 75 articles in professional journals. His many professional awards include being named the second American recipient of an Honorary Professorship of Psychology at the Universidad del Valle, Cali Columbia, South America. His national professional association, the American Counseling Association, awarded him both the International Distinguished Service Award and the National Professional Leadership Award for his work in counselor training. In 2004, Dr. Wittmer was named among the top twenty all time contributors to the counseling profession in Leaders and Legacies: Contributions to the Counseling Profession (2004) a book about distinguished leaders in the counseling profession. The authors profiled Dr. Wittmer in a chapter devoted specifically to him and his contributions to the counseling profession. Dr. Wittmer was an internationally recognized expert in the training of counselors and other professionals in multicultural communication and violence prevention. He consulted, lectured, and conducted seminars and training workshops throughout the U.S. and in more than 30 different countries. He also consulted for the State Department, Pentagon, and Federal Aviation Administration among other agencies.