Mark Pope has worked tirelessly to promote multicultural awareness and social justice for all individuals. So it’s no surprise he has received the inaugural Diversity Initiative Award from the National Career Development Association. He was honored for his leadership of cultural diversity and social justice issues in career counseling and career development over his lifetime. As the first recipient of this important professional award, Pope, chair and professor of counseling and family therapy in the College of Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, represents the prototype of the career counselor for modern times.
![Scholar recognized as model career counselor for modern times](https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/files/2012/07/mark.pope-495.jpg)