Joan Hartzke McIlroy, PhD, served the professional community at the local, state, and national level. She presented her research regarding midlife women at the American Counseling Association’s Annual Conference and in local courses.
She advocated for legislation related to mental health issues through a variety of means: written and oral testimony to Oregon Senate and House Committees, liaison with legislators and lobbyists, organization of counseling students and graduates in support of proposed legislation, and testimony at public hearings.
She served as a volunteer disaster mental health responder with the American Red Cross. As a national responder, she served coast to coast and in Puerto Rico (e.g., hurricanes, floods, wildfires and air crashes), including Hurricane Floyd (North Carolina), Egypt Air 990 Alaska Air, and 9/11. She coordinated the Disaster Action Team Mental Health Responders for Portland’s Oregon Trails Chapter, and responded to numerous local and statewide emergencies as a mental health responder (e.g., apartment fires and single family fires with fatalities, windstorms, ice storms, floods, and the Thurston High School shooting).
She served as a national trainer for ARC and taught Disaster Mental Health to professionals in Oregon and Hawaii. She also served as a member of the ARC Oregon Trails Chapter Mental Health Committee, and participated in Portland Airport’s first Triennial Drill (simulated air crash) as lead Mental Health Responder.
She debriefed disaster responders related to disasters within the United States and its territories and possessions. In 1999 she debriefed a search and rescue dog handler upon their return from Turkey’s earthquake.
She was a member of the American Counseling Association and the Oregon Counselors Association. She served as a member of the Oregon School Counseling Association’s School Crisis Response Planning Team and assisted with development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the American Red Cross and the Oregon School Counselors Association.
Professor McIlroy’s professional activities encompassed direct mental health response to people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as all ages and socioeconomic levels. Furthermore, her work involved cooperative interactions with a wide variety of professionals: mental health professionals, school personnel (e.g., administrators, teachers, counselors, psychologists, support staff), legislators, media, law enforcement officers, firefighters, government officials (e.g., mayors, county commissioners, state and county emergency personnel, FEMA), nurses, hospital staff, mass care workers, logistics officers, National Guard, business owners, church personnel, representatives from various community organizations (e.g., Salvation Army) and a wide array of administrators.
Academic Credentials
PhD 1973 and MA 1971 University of Colorado at Boulder, BA 1967 Fontbonne College (St. Louis, MO)