Counseling Faculty/Staff

Debbie Pina

Debbie Pina has been involved in education for 21 years. She received her Bachelor of Science  in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University and her Master of Arts in Education in Counseling and Psychology from Northern Arizona University. Debbie joined Estrella Mountain Community College as one of the first founding members in the Counseling Division in 1991. Prior to Estrella, Debbie taught high school for 10 years in the West Valley. She is a life-long resident of the West Valley and resides in Goodyear with her husband and children. Debbie is also serving her 14th year on the Agua Fria Union High School Governing Board. In her free time she enjoys spending it with her family, especially her grandaughter Cierra.

Stephanie Fujii

Stephanie J. Fujii received her Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications and her Master of Arts in Counseling & Educational Psychology with an emphasis in College Student Development from the University of Nevada, Reno. Stephanie joined Estrella Mountain Community College as counseling faculty in 1996.  Stephanie has worked professionally in higher education since 1989 in public, private, community college and large research university settings located in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. She has worked in the areas of counseling, career development, instruction, academic advisement, admissions/recruitment, orientation/retention, multicultural student affairs, and residence life. She has presented nationally and regionally on the topics of student success, identity development theory and it's application to students of color, and institutional policies and racism.

Bertha Medina

Bertha joined Estrella Mountain in the fall of 1997 as the Coordinator of Student Success. She began serving the west valley 17 years ago as a dropout prevention counselor, then three years later joined ASU as an outreach counselor. She spent five years in the corporate world traveling extensively throughout Arizona providing career counseling. She has a Masters of Social Work from ASU and a Masters of Art in Professional Counseling from Ottawa University. Her social work internships included working with AIDS patients in a Phoenix hospital, and incarcerated inmates in a psychiatric unit in the Maricopa jails. She volunteered in the Victim Assistance program for the City of Glendale Police Department for five years. She joined EMCC's counseling faculty division in Fall 2001 and is currently working closely with Title V students.

Jason Martinez, Counseling Division Chair

Jason Zapata Martinez has worked in several student service areas in the Maricopa Community Colleges since 1991. Jason received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology and his Master of Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University.  He has worked in areas of counseling, career development, advisement, assessment, recruitment/retention, multicultural training and student affairs.  Jason has presented locally and nationally on topics of racial identity development theory and how it applies to bi-racial or multi-racial identity.

Tanisha Johnson Maxwell

Tanisha M.J. Maxwell recently recieved her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University. Maxwell also holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from University of Missouri, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. Maxwell joins Estrella Mountain as residential faculty after successful participation and completion of a 2004-2005 Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty in Progress Program internship. With more than ten years experience in both an academic and clinical setting, she has presented at the national and regional levels in the areas of racial identity development and diversity issues facing the modern workplace.

Toni Diaz

Toni Diaz is an Estrella Mountain alumna. She graduated in May 2002 with her Associate in General Studies and is currently working toward an Associate in Arts degree with a transfer partnership to ASU. She is the office coordinator in the Counseling Division and also assists students with Career Service needs.