News — Alexandria, Va. (June 13, 2023) — The American Counseling Association (ACA) is pleased to announce the selection of Mahzarine Chinoy, CPA, as chief financial officer (CFO), effective June 20.

Chinoy comes to ACA with more than 20 years of blended public and private experience providing strategic management, business advisory and operational services within the nonprofit industry. She will lead ACA’s finance and information technology functions and, as a member of the executive leadership team, will help set and steer the organization’s strategic fiscal direction.

“In the current environment, the role of CFO is critical to financial and business innovation. It requires an understanding of and alignment with the organization’s priorities to help create and grow revenue in support of the mission and vision, as well as improve the member value proposition,” said ACA CEO Shawn Boynes, CAE, FASAE. “Mahzarine’s deep experience in mission-driven organizations, proven financial and team leadership, and strategic expertise made her the ideal choice for ACA.”

Chinoy most recently served as vice president for administration and finance at the National Women’s Law Center, a national gender justice organization. As a member of the Law Center’s senior leadership team, she led the finance, compliance, human resources and information technology/operations functions. She was also part of the management bargaining team responsible for negotiating the Law Center’s first collective bargaining agreement.

Chinoy previously served as chief operating officer and chief administrative officer for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association — a diversity and inclusion-focused nonprofit — and in various roles at the nonprofit consultancy Veris Consulting (formerly Johnson Lambert). 

“There has been a significant and intentional shift in public recognition of mental health as part of individual and societal well-being in recent years,” Chinoy said. “I look forward to joining this dedicated team of professionals to innovate, amplify and build lasting, scalable systems and structures that build on our mission of service to the counseling profession.”

Founded in 1952, the American Counseling Association (ACA) is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. ACA represents nearly 60,000 members and is the world’s largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings. Driven by the belief that all people can benefit from the power of counseling, ACA’s mission is to promote the professional development of counselors, advocate for counselors, and ensure that ethical, culturally inclusive practices protect our members’ clients and all people who seek counseling services.