JoAnna Ford White

JoAnna Ford White was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2019.

A native of West Virginia, White earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Fairmont State University before completing both a master’s degree and a doctorate in counselor education at West Virginia University. She began her career as a school counselor at Barrackville and North Marion High Schools before joining the faculty at the University of North Texas. At North Texas, she served as program director of the School Counseling Program and director of the Pupil Appraisal Center, and she was recognized as a Meadows Honor Professor.

White later joined the faculty at Georgia State University, where she served for more than 30 years in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, including 11 years as department chair. She built the university’s play therapy program into one of national prominence and became widely recognized as an expert in the field.

Her scholarship includes more than 50 published research articles along with numerous books and book chapters. She also co-developed the White-Campbell Psychological Birth Order Inventory, which has been the subject of national and international research. A past president of the Association for Play Therapy, White has presented workshops across the United States and Europe to advance the practice of play therapy.

White’s honors include the Faculty Mentoring Award from Georgia State’s Department of Counseling and Psychological Services and the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award from the College of Education. She retired as professor emerita at Georgia State University.