April Owens is a licensed professional counselor who has worked in higher education at multiple institutions nationwide, serving K-12, college, and adult education populations. She is well-versed in engaging key stakeholders, including executives, faculty, staff, students, and community members. Owens’s expertise lies in providing behavioral and psychological interventions and case management work. Owens is committed to proactively cultivating an environment where systems are improved so that barriers are reduced, and student’s protective factors are leveraged to improve safety and quality of life.

Presently, Owens serves as the inaugural Director of Student Care Network Coordination at Dallas College (80,000+ students), a large community college located in Dallas, Texas. In this role, Owens launched CARE Teams at each of the seven campuses, implemented a case management protocol for the entire network, and leads the strategic planning effort to address students’ emergency basic needs. Owens oversees the student emergency assistance and transportation fund and supervises the seven full-time staff members dedicated to leading the CARE Teams and care coordination services in the Student Care Network.

Previously, Owens served as Research Counselor at the University of Texas’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where she provided behavioral and psychological interventions and assessment techniques on federally funded clinical research trials. Additionally, Owens has served in leadership roles in Career Services, Title IX, Student Life and Multicultural Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles, State University of New York, Albany, and Spelman College.

She holds a B.S. in psychology studies from Spelman College and an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from the State University of New York, Albany.