Meet the Team

Sam Auble
Prevention and Recovery Center Coordinator

Sam began working in substance use treatment in 2020 and fell in love with the work and helping others. She enjoys connecting with the students, faculty, and staff at our university and other local recovery resources. Outside of campus, she love kayaking, reading, and watching Disney movies.

Carla Benson
Client Services Supervisor

Carla Benson has worked at EWU since August 2017. The favorite part of her job is talking with students.

Her least favorite part of the job is cleaning the microwave.

Chih-Kai (Debbie) Chen, M.Ed., NCC, LMHCA *
Psychological Counselor

Debbie earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Educational Psychology and Counseling from National Taiwan Normal University, and later moved to the United States as an international student to complete her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling at Penn State University in 2025.

She has clinical experience working primarily with college students on concerns such as anxiety, OCD, panic disorder, academic stress, ADHD, depression, grief and loss, and relationship issues. Debbie is also passionate about advocacy for immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and survivors of intimate partner violence. Her counseling approach is grounded in a humanistic, person-centered framework, often incorporating mindfulness and solution-focused strategies.

In her free time, Debbie enjoys singing, listening to popular music, playing video games, and staying active through volleyball. A lifelong animal lover, she is equally delighted by dogs, cats, bunnies, penguins, whales or even platypuses, and often finds herself exploring wildlife centers, zoos, or aquariums. Debbie is also bilingual, speaking Mandarin and Taiwanese dialect.

Ellie Davis, M.S.
Health Education Coordinator
(she/her)

Ellie earned her B.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology from EWU in 2020, and went on to earn her M.S. in Wellness and Movement Sciences in 2023. As an undergraduate student, Ellie worked in CWS as a Peer Health Educator where she developed her passion for student support and access to resources. After completing her Master’s, Ellie went on to work in higher education as a transfer student coordinator, where she met with students to assist with resource connection and transferring their college credits. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, reading and traveling.  

Cole Evers, M.S., LMHC *
Interim Clinical Supervisor
Psychological Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Cole has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Biology, and a Masters of Science in Counselor Education with an emphasis in mental health counseling from Eastern Washington University.

During Cole’s undergrad, he spent a semester studying psychology in Australia through EWU’s study abroad program. During Cole’s graduate program, he was a clinical mental health intern at the EWU counseling center.

After graduating with his Masters, he moved to Vancouver Washington working with non-profit mental health agencies. He gained valuable experience working with these agencies and now applies that knowledge to the university counseling setting.

He focuses on interpersonal factors and strength-based approaches to assist clients in their journey. Cole is designated as the EWU Veteran Resource Centers (VRC) liaison and works to create a line of communication and access for students using the VRC. Cole enjoys spending time with his friends and family along with reading.

Tricia Hughes, Ph.D.
Senior Director
she/her/hers
thughes11@ewu.edu

Tricia holds a Ph.D. in Prevention Science and brings a rich background in public health and K-12 education to her role at Eastern Washington University. Her experience includes designing health communication strategies, implementing evidence-based prevention programs, evaluating programs, facilitating community collaborations, and providing professional development. Passionate about fostering student well-being, she works to create a supportive campus community that enhances both education and overall wellness. When she’s not working, Tricia enjoys coffee and spending time with her family and dogs.

Rán Henry, Psy.D. *
Licensed Psychologist, Coordinator of Biofeedback Services

Rán was born and raised in Iceland, with a part time stint in Scotland. She came to the US as an international student and completed her graduate studies in counseling psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2008. She has been a full-time clinician with Eastern since 2013. Rán’s clinical interests include anxiety, grief and loss, trauma, biofeedback and mindfulness. She draws from humanistic, solution-focused, mindfulness and acceptance based approaches to the therapeutic process.
She feels deeply honored to journey along-side students, as they navigate life’s many challenges, and is committed to showing-up for and empowering her fellow humans, while staying curious and humble in the process.
Rán loves hanging out with her family (which includes, her husband, two sons, daughter, and Golden Retriever, Charlie), traveling and being in the outdoors, whether that’s finding new trails to explore, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming in random lakes, gardening, or just watching the clouds float by. She aspires to pick up her passion for the arts again, some day.

Robert Henry, D.O. *
Consulting Psychiatrist, Licensed Psychiatrist

Dr. Henry has been with the Counseling Center for the past 13 years. He starting working in the Spokane area after graduating from the University of Washington residency program in psychiatry.

Dr. Henry really enjoys working with the student population. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors and sailing.

Emily Migliazzo, M. ED
Basic Needs Navigator & Homeless Outreach
she/her/hers

Emily Migliazzo, M.Ed. (she/her) is a former secondary educator originally from California. She graduated in 2018 with her Bachelor’s in English Education from Long Beach State.  After graduating with her Masters in Education from Gonzaga in 2020, she worked for two years as a language activist and humanities teacher at Salish School of Spokane, the largest off-reservation Language Reclamation program in the contiguous 48 states. She then taught for one year at Cheney Middle School before switching gears to working in higher education at EWU.

She is passionate about mutual aid and community care and excited to put these passions into practice through helping students navigate basic needs resources to succeed at Eastern.

In her time away from work, she loves hosting, cooking, baking, and reading excessively. During the warmer months, you will find her with her partner kayaking, camping, or attending concerts.

Jeff Owens, M.S., LMHCA *
Psychological Counselor

Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology from Brigham Young University in 2000. Then, after working in the legal profession for nearly twenty years, Jeff went back to school receiving his Master’s of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Eastern Washington University.

Working as a counselor intern at Spokane Community College, Jeff developed an interest in helping college students navigate the myriad life changes and challenges commonly faced by those in pursuit of higher education. Jeff applies a person-centered approach when working with students that is rooted in both humanistic and contemplative therapeutic practices.

When he is not working with students, Jeff can be found hiking in nature, taking long neighborhood walks with his partner, traveling with his two adult children, or reading science fiction and fantasy novels with his cat “Silver”.

Myranda Schee                                             
Client Services Representative

Myranda is an EWU alum who earned their B.A. in Psychology in 2020. They returned to EWU in 2022 to serve in this position as a Client Services Representative with the mental health counseling office.

Hannah Smith, M.A., LMHC *
Psychological Counselor

Hannah earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University of Idaho in 2018 and went on to complete her graduate studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Gonzaga University in 2021.

During her clinical internship and postgraduate experiences, Hannah gained experience working in a variety of settings, including providing counseling to college students at Lewis-Clark State College just prior to joining the team at EWU. Hannah enjoys working with the college population and utilizes an integrative framework drawing from humanistic, strengths-based, and mindfulness approaches.

During her free time, Hannah can be found hanging out with her partner, friends, family, and her dog, Lola. Hannah also enjoys trying new things or hobbies, being outdoors, playing the piano, watching movies, and traveling.