Project Director
Dr. Loni Crumb is the Director of Project Don’t Wait. She is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions at East Carolina University and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor. Dr. Crumb has authored over 80 scholarly publications and professional presentations related counseling and wellness. Her research interests include counseling in rural areas, rural education, disaster mental health preparation and response, and social justice and multicultural training.She received her Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from the University of Georgia, M.A. in Education and Community Counseling from Clark Atlanta University, and B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina State University.
Co-Director
Dr. Janeé Avent Harris received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Doctorate of Philosophy in Counseling and Counselor Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a National Certified Counselor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor-Associate with clinical experience in a variety of settings including a college counseling center, level 1 trauma center, and a child/adolescent inpatient behavioral health center. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education program at East Carolina University. She is an active researcher, publishing and presenting on subject matters including diversity and cultural issues, examining the role of religion/spirituality in African American mental health help-seeking behaviors and multicultural considerations in counselor education/academia. Her work is motivated by her passion to see people from all backgrounds and life experiences have access to quality and culturally sensitive mental health services.
Co-Director
Dr. Allison Crowe, PhD, LCMHCS, NCC, ACS, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Supervisor in NC, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and a past president of the North Carolina Counseling Association. She joined the Counselor Education Program at ECU in 2012 from Antioch University New England, and began coordinating the Counselor Education program in 2018. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and presented 60 professional presentations to national, state, and regional audiences on topics related to mental health stigma, eradicating biases and stereotypes related to mental illness, mental health literacy, and stigma and domestic violence.
Rural Education Institute Director
Dr. Kristen Cuthrell joined the College of Education (COE) Elementary Education faculty in 2005 and received promotion to full professor in 2018. She has over 20 years of experience working in the field of elementary education, primarily in the areas of program improvement design, teacher effectiveness, and educator development. She has presented and published extensively in program improvement design while developing and refining innovations in educator preparation. She has over $10.9 million in grant funding within the past 10 years. She earned her EdD in Educational Innovation and Leadership from Wilmington University in Delaware; an MAEd from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA; and a BA from Duke University. She began her career in education as a second grade teacher in rural Delaware before transitioning to Instructor and Department Chair of the Early Childhood Education Department at Delaware Technical and Community College. While in Delaware, she served as the president of the Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (an NAEYC affiliate) and on numerous state task forces. Over the years, she has worked with migrant families in both Delaware and North Carolina. Currently, she serves as the director of East Carolina University’s Rural Education Institute. The Rural Education Institute (REI) seeks to increase awareness of the unique strengths and needs of rural schools in North Carolina while supporting university collaboration with community and school partners. REI is establishing the first state affiliate in NC for the National Rural Education Association in addition to publishing one of only three rural education research journals in the country.
Program Coordinator
Terry Crowe is a Program Coordinator with Project Don’t Wait of East Carolina University. He lives in in Greenville, NC with his wife and daughter. He received his bachelor’s degree in History from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Columbia University. Terry has supported individuals with mental health challenges throughout his career and he’s excited to take part in Project Don’t Wait.
Program Specialist
Ashley Cannan is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in the State of North Carolina and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, which is a credential given by the Association for Play Therapy. Ashley received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Samford University in Birmingham, AL and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling, with a specialization in Play Therapy, from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. For the past 20 years, she has worked with children, adolescents and their families across a variety of settings including a non-profit agency, an inpatient residential treatment facility, a local management entity for mental health services and private practice. In her former practice in Atlanta, GA, Ashley specialized in seeing children ages 3 through 10 for a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, grief/loss and emotional regulation difficulty. She is currently working at East Carolina University as the Clinical Experiences Coordinator and Teaching Instructor for the Counselor Education program.
Program Clinician
Rekenya Edwards is a Program Clinician with Project Don’t Wait of East Carolina University. She is from Ayden, NC. She received her bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s degree in counselor education both from East Carolina University. She has been a school counselor in Pitt County Schools. Rekenya enjoys striving to make a positive impact on all children lives and is thrilled to be a part of the Project Don’t Wait team.
Program Clinician
Jennifer Sanders is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in NC and a National Certified Counselor. She received her Master of Science in Counselor Education from East Carolina University in 2017. She is a US Army Veteran and spent last year counseling in Australia. She has clinical experience in various settings from mental health counseling in schools, Sexual Assault and Violence Center, and various issues in Private Practice including but not limited to trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship, LGBTQ, suicide, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorder, Asperger syndrome, and other behavior related issues.
Graduate Assistant
Jaymie Gosiene is the Graduate Assistant for Project Don’t Wait. She is a first-year student in the ECU Counselor Education program. Her professional interests are the correlation between low socioeconomic levels, cultural backgrounds, and gender with academics and mental health. She hopes to be a school counselor so she can further her knowledge and empower students to produce change in their generation.
Counselor Intern
Katie Williford is a Counselor Intern for Project Don’t Wait.
She is a second-year student in the ECU Counselor Education program. She earned her B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her professional interests are childhood trauma and resilience, strengths-based counseling, counseling adolescents, and community advocacy.
Counselor Intern
Nicole White is a Counselor Intern for Project Don’t Wait. She is a second-year student in the ECU Counselor Education program. She earned her B.A. degree from East Carolina University. Her professional interests are mental health stigmas in rural communities and working with children with trauma-based backgrounds.
Counselor Intern
Alexis Durham is a Counselor Intern for Project Don’t Wait. She is a second-year student in the ECU Counselor Education program. She earned her B.A. degree from Auburn University. Her professional interests are working with children and adolescents and animal assisted therapy.