Counseling
Counseling Staff
 | Estela LeVario Gutierrez, M.A. Director of Counseling Estela has been an employee of TMCC since 1992 and is currently the director of the counseling center. She grew up in the San Joaquin Valley in California where she obtained her bachelor's degree in liberal studies and master's degree in educational counseling. Because of her passion for youth, she also works part-time as the youth consultant for Nevada Hispanic Services. Estela's community involvement includes: Hispanic Chamber as the founder of the first Latino Leadership Program; co-founder of the Latina Professional Development Program for Nevada Hispanic Services; Sparks City Charter Committee; Sparks Citizens Advisory Board; Truckee Meadows Tomorrow, 2005 Chair of Accentuate the Positive; Theatre Coalition; co-founder of Mariposa dual language school; state ESL task force; Girls Scouts Advisory; Cinco de Mayo Reno; Irish Mexican Alliance of Nevada; Leadership Reno Sparks Advisory; member of the Nevada State Board of Education for Displaced Homemakers; member of the Diversity State Tourism Board; counselor for SCORE Business Chapter; and currently the liaison to the Mexican Government. |
 | Dan Adams QUEST Coordinator Dan began working at TMCC in 1978. His background is in occupational/technical education and he served as president of the Business Education Association of Nevada and President of the Nevada Vocational Association during his early years at TMCC. He spent several years in the early 90s in Colorado and upon his return he embarked on a new career direction with work-based education and instituted the college's internship program. He also developed and taught the employability skills curriculum for the college at this time. Currently Dan is the curriculum coordinator for the QUEST program (Quality Undergraduate Education Starts at TMCC) and teaches EPY 101, College Success Skills. During his years at TMCC Dan has been deeply involved in the curriculum, academic standards and newly formed general education committees. Dan's passions include photograph, travel, food and most importantly, family. |
 | John Coles Professional Counselor John came to TMCC in 1984 and is currently the senior counselor on the staff and helps students with academic performance difficulties. He received his Ph.D. in counseling from Oregon State University in 1982 and his master of arts degree in counseling from Arizona State University in 1974. John's expertise is widely recognized for helping students with test anxiety, math anxiety, overcoming personal stress, self-esteem enhancement and choosing career directions. He has also completed Level II training in EMDR, a technique for healing the lingering effect of emotional traumas. He also enjoys teaching courses in counseling and in psychology. He's been happily married for over 3 decades and has four grown children and three grandsons. John loves to swim, walk and attend both the theatre and musical performances. |
 | Kristen DeMay, M.A. Professional Counselor Kristen is a professional counselor and provides personal, career and academic counseling to students. She enjoys working with students to create personal goals in many areas such as academics, career, relationships, communication, stress and anxiety, emotional difficulty and health and wellness. Kristen is a TMCC instructor of EPY 101, Educational, Career and Personal Development, and has taught sections of this class for QUEST and as part of TMCC's Learning Community. Previously she worked as a prevention application management coordinator in the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT) at the University of Nevada, Reno. She was responsible for coordinating and providing training in substance abuse prevention in the community and taught CEP 255, Substance Abuse Prevention at UNR. She holds a master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her interests include cooking, hiking, snowboarding, traveling, writing poems and spending time at Lake Tahoe. |
 | Erin Frock, M.A. Professional Counselor Erin is a professional counselor who focuses on personal, career and academic development, specializing in the issues surrounding students from a low-income, first generation background. Before coming to TMCC, Erin worked as a counselor with the Upward Bound program, a grant that prepares income qualified and first-generation high school students to be college bound. She was responsible for coordinating the curriculum and providing direct services to more than 175 students and their families. Her experience focuses on the matriculation of high school students to an institution of higher education and instilling college success skills. Hoping to continue assisting students discover their dreams through education, Erin became a counselor at TMCC in September 2007. She has earned a master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno and is On Course certified. In addition, Erin enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, mountain biking and watching movies. |
 | Kurt Hall, M.A. Professional Counselor Kurt has worked at TMCC since 1991. He received his master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1991 and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University, Chico. He has received awards for teaching and advising and has very strong leadership skills. Kurt served as TMCC's Faculty Senate chair for the past four years. Kurt excels in personal and academic based counseling and through his work with the various Nevada college systems, he is extremely adept at assisting student to navigating the local educational environment. |
 | Ruth McKnight Professional Counselor Ruth joined TMCC as the counselor for the Re-Entry Center in January 1998. In this position, she provided personal counseling, career exploration, academic advisement and recruitment of grant-qualified single parents and displaced homemakers desiring an education and/or employment. A particular focus of her position was recruiting students into non-traditional occupations for their gender which included coordinating many seminars for this population. She has served as a consultant to the first WACA's Building Women/Women Building workshops. Ruth also collaborated and/or participated in many special events including the TMCC's Wellness Week, Women's History Month, Take-Your-Daughter-to-Work Days, Committee on the Status of Women and WOW Career Fair. Ruth has held memberships in Women's Council of Builder's Assoc, NAWIC, Advisory Board for Consumer Credit Affiliates, and Professional Life Coaches Association. Volunteer for Study Group for Accreditation. She earned a TMCC Academic Advisor of the Year Award in 2002. Ruth received a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure studies from Cal State University, Northridge; a master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno; certification as a hypnotherapist and specialized training in EMDR. Ruth is a licensed marriage and family therapist and had a private practice in Reno. Her professional areas of high interest are counseling, coaching, career exploration, test anxiety, student internships, teaching and trauma recovery. Varied social interests include dancing, learning, gardening, music, theater, reading, parlor games and a multitude of all-season outdoor activities. |
 | Tamera Mooney Administrative Assistant Biography Coming Soon |
 | Patty Avila–Porter Student Access Program Coordinator Patty Avila-Porter has worked at four and two year institutions of higher education for the past 9 years and spent 6 1/2 years as a college recruiter for Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). Patty has been an executive board member of the Western Association of College Admission Counseling and a committee member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling Professional Development Committee. Currently she is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in higher education leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno. Patty coordinates access programs such as the C2 Leadership Program for first generation, low income students. Her areas of interest and specialties include helping students in the transition process from high school to college and supporting them in achieving their goals. |
 | Melanie Purdy, PhD, NCC Professional Counselor For Dr. Melanie Purdy, education and fun have always been important parts of life. She began her higher education at West Valley Community College in California, and then transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. After working in the field of public relations for a number of years, the desire for career change ensued and in 1998, she earned her master's degree in counseling with an emphasis in college student development. That year, she also began working as transfer center coordinator and counselor at the University of Nevada, Reno, providing her the experience of working with community college students. Because of her love of learning, she pursued her doctorate in counseling and educational psychology and earned that degree in 2004. Melanie has worked as a counselor at TMCC since September 2007. Her areas of interest and specialty in counseling include: health and wellness; spirituality; life transition issues; academic confidence; and motivation. For fun, Melanie spends time with her daughter, hikes, runs, cycles, reads and studies. |
 | Cheryl Woehr, M.A. Professional Counselor Cheryl has 22 years of experience working in the Nevada System of Higher Education. She has been a counselor at TMCC since 1990 and holds a master's degree in psychology, counseling and a bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University, Chico. She also earned an associate of arts degree from Yuba College in Marysville, Calif. Cheryl specializes in cross-cultural and career counseling and has extensive experience presenting workshops and seminars focusing on cultural diversity, American cultural values, cross-cultural communication skills and utilizing the Myers-Briggs and Temperament Sorter to determine career interests and learning, work and communication styles. She teaches EPY 101, College Success Skills at TMCC and is part of the TMCC's Learning Community. Additionally, she teaches ETS 307, Topics in Race and Racism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Cheryl grew up in a military family, has traveled to 29 countries in five continents and lived overseas for nine years in Spain and Libya. Her interests include traveling, hiking, skiing and art. |