About Our Board
COAST originally functioned with a steering committee, which became an official board on December 9, 2022. The board is currently comprised of the following individuals:
Megan Oudekerk, PsyD, LMFT, RPT-S
President
Dr. Megan Oudekerk is licensed to practice in Minnesota. She is the co-owner and Clinical Director of Cedar Valley Center for Child & Family Therapy. Megan has been practicing Marriage and Family Therapy for almost 20 years and has worked in a variety of settings. In addition to her clinical work, Megan likes to offer supervision and consultation to other practitioners and professionals. Megan has previously served as the President and Executive Director of the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and has had over 10 years of board experience.
Dave Robinson
Vice President
Dr. Dave Robinson is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a 24-year career as a university professor. He has taught marriage and family therapy, medical students, and family practice residents. Dr. Robinson experience includes a noteworthy 12-year tenure as the director of a prominent marriage and family therapy program. He previously served as president for the Utah and Nebraska organizations for marriage and family therapy.
Derek Ball, PhD, LMFT
Secretary
Dr. Derek Ball is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Illinois. He does individual, couple and family therapy at Marriage and Family Counseling Service in Rock Island, IL and is also the Executive Director of the Illinois Affiliation of Marriage and Family Therapists. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ball teaches in the MFT program at Wheaton College and supervises MFTs in the U.S., Korea, Singapore and Thailand. He is married to Lisa and they have two children, David and Gracie.
Paul Springer
Treasurer
Paul Springer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Professor and Department Head at Virginia Tech. He has been practicing for almost 20 years specializing working with couples. He also enjoys working with students in training and providing supervision and consultation. Paul has previously served as President of the Nebraska Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Prior to his role at Virginia Tech, he was a faculty member for 16 years at the Marriage and Family Therapy program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Arnold Woodruff, MS, LMFT
Board Member At-Large
Arnold Woodruff, MS, is semi-retired after a 50+ year career as a family therapist working primarily in public mental health and child welfare agencies. He discovered family therapy while working in a state psychiatric hospital and his employment path led him to becoming the director of a community mental health center, the director of a federal systems-of-care grant for children’s services, clinical director of a child welfare agency, director of regional programs for folks diagnosed with serious mental disorders and owner of a private, intensive in-home services agency. He whiles away his dotage providing supervision of mft residents seeking licensing and being the part-time executive director for VAMFT, the state organization for mft’s in Virginia. He lives in Richmond, VA, with Diane, his wife of 53 years and dotes on his two adult sons and their families.
Michael Whitehead, PhD, LMFT, RPT-S
Board Member At-Large
Dr. Michael Whitehead is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Registered Play Therapist-SupervisorTM. He primarily works with the whole family to find solutions to problems that are manifesting in one or more of the family members. Dr. Whitehead is currently in full-time clinical practice at Aspen Grove Family Therapy in Twin Falls, Idaho. He also teaches part time in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at National University. His clinical passion is making sure children and families with disruptive behaviors are treated compassionately and effectively. He and his family enjoy outdoor activities, including camping, river rafting, and skiing.
Sofia Georgiadou, Ph.D., LMFT-Supervisor (TX)
Board Member At-Large
Dr. Sofia Georgiadou is an Assistant Professor and Internship Coordinator at the University of Houston at Clear Lake’s MA in Family Therapy Program. She is also the administrator of COAST’s Educators Division, the Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (www.stmft.coastmft.org). Originally from Greece, Sofia develops culturally responsive courses, using an intersectional approach in her teaching and supervision. Her research experience centers on qualitative/mixed methods and survey design. Through researching the lived experiences of diverse groups, Sofia seeks to better support international students, immigrants, and individuals from equity-deserving communities.