Marci Bieber, the lead school counselor at Peoria Unified, received the 2025 Arizona School Counselor of the Year Award from the Arizona School Counselors Association.

Bieber was recognized at an awards ceremony on Feb. 4 and is now eligible for the National School Counselor of the Year, which will be selected in January 2026.

Bieber has served Peoria Unified as an elementary counselor, a high school counselor, and has held the role as a lead district counselor for the past six years. To be eligible to win this award, applicants must have five years full-time experience as a practicing school counselor, hold a master’s degree in counseling and be certified as a school counselor by the state, according to a news release. 

The judging criteria includes a number of requirements.

• Evidence of the implementation of a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program (such as the ASCA National Model) and have been responsible for school counseling innovations or further development of programs supporting students’ academic, career, and personal/social development.

• Leadership and collaboration in her work and promote access to opportunities and rigorous educational experiences for all students to maximize student achievement. Applicants must also demonstrate collaboration with stakeholders.

• Continual professional development as well as proof of advocacy for the professional and/or students.

• The ability and skills necessary to represent school counseling in a professional manner, including but not limited to high-quality written communication and public-speaking skills.

• Maintain the highest standards of personal conduct and recognize that his/her personal conduct is held up to public scrutiny. Applicants strive to be model citizens of their community as well as the school counseling community and their broader professional community. They maintain high moral standards in their personal and professional conduct.

Among many other attributes, Bieber’s colleagues share that she is passionate about the Education and Career Action Plan process, preparing students for their future academic and career goals, the news release states. She has been instrumental in introducing a comprehensive Web 2.0-based tool to enhance the ECAP process, ensuring its effectiveness and accessibility for students, the district said.

Demonstrating strong leadership, Bieber has equipped the district’s team of school counselors with the tools and resources necessary for success by streamlining workflows to balance student capacity. Bieber stays up to date on best practices and processes within the district’s student information system, ensuring her staff’s approach to offering guidance to students remain efficient and impactful.