Corbett and Ward - Our New IACS Leadership

Alexandria, Virginia, October 27, 2026 International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS) announced that Christopher Corbett, Psy.D., Director of the Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Kansas, was installed as the new President of Board of Directors at their October 2026 meeting. Dr. Corbett served as the Vice President of the IACS Board during the 2025-2026 term, working alongside Immediate-Past President Dr. Monica Z. Osburn, CAPS Executive Director at NC State University. During his VP term, he provided numerous consultations to college counseling centers, helping them meet or maintain IACS standards, served on special project groups, volunteered as a site visitor peer evaluator, as well as his time leading and supporting IACS strategic initiatives. As President, he will continue executing the board's vision for IACS to provide best practices for collegiate mental health, meaningful data-based insight, and amplifying IACS' voice to advocate for counseling centers.

“Chris has been working tirelessly this past year as the IACS VP,” said Annie Patterson, IACS executive director. “Together with Monica, he helped usher in a new era for IACS and I’m very excited for his term as President. I'm also immensely grateful for Monica's stewardship during her time as President and VP – she was instrumental in forging new roads for IACS to be a leader in student mental health. Not to mention going above and beyond to support our site visit program!” 

Dr. John Ward, Ph.D. was nominated and elected by his peers as the new IACS Vice President. In this role, he will provide consultation to counseling centers on compliance with the IACS Standards for Accreditation, as well as help lead the overall board of directors and work on special projects. Dr. Ward has been actively involved in the IACS Board and mission-essential work for many years.

Dr. Ward became the Director of Miami University’s Student Counseling Service (SCS) in 2018, approximately 16 years after joining the center. Prior to leading SCS’s dedicated team of mental health professionals, he served as Coordinator of Men’s Services, Assistant Director for Clinical Services, and Associate Director of SCS.

As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Ward brings expertise in psychological supervision and training, mental health promotion and prevention, and the development of campus and community mental health partnerships. Throughout his tenure at Miami University, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in both the Department of Psychology and the Department of Kinesiology and Health. Additionally, he supports undergraduate and graduate pedagogical, mentoring, and research initiatives, and regularly delivers behavioral health presentations, symposiums, and seminars.

Dr. Ward holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Comparative Religion from Miami University, as well as a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. In addition to the IACS Board, he serves on the Board of Directors for Best Point Education and Behavioral Health and is a certified QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention instructor.

“The IACS Board is in a great place with John as our new VP," said IACS’ Patterson. “He always has meaningful contributions to further our mission and will serve counseling centers very well, whether helping those that are seeking their first IACS accreditation or their decades-long re-accreditation.”