Ruth Whittington grew up in Southern California. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and earned her B.S. in Social Science. She received her M.S. in Social Work from San Francisco State and her M.S. in Counseling and Counseling Credential from Chapman University. Ruth has worked at Deer Valley High School for 9 years and has been an integral part of building a strong counseling program. Ruth worked as a Social Worker for 14 years in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo County. She likes working at a high school because she enjoys the age group and feels like it is good combination of social work and education. Ruth is currently pursuing her 3rd advanced degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family including hiking, biking and kayaking. She also enjoys traveling outside of the U.S. to explore other cultures.  

Mike was born in Oklahoma.  He grew up in a military family and has lived all over the United States.  Mike attended 8 different schools before graduating high school in Northern Virginia.  He received his Associate’s Degree in General Studies from The College of Coastal Georgia where he also received a technical certificate in Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate.  Mike then transferred to The University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Criminology and a minor in History.  After working for several years, Mike attended American Public University where he received his Master’s Degree with Honors in School Counseling.  Throughout his life and as he attained his education, Mike has had some amazing jobs.  Before joining the staff at DVHS Mike served as a counselor at a China Spring Youth Camp in Nevada and a School Counselor for Alpine County office of Education and Alpine County Unified School District.  In his spare time Mike enjoys being outdoors, hanging out with friends and family, and travelling and learning about different cultures.  Mike lives his life like it is an adventure and he looks forward to assisting the students of Deer Valley High School in getting the education they need to live the life of their dreams.  Boomer Sooner!

Emily Woodall grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. She attended CSU, Chico and received a BA in Communications Studies, a minor in Spanish and graduated with Honors in General Education.After graduation she worked in hospitality as a Concierge in Napa Valley before returning to Chico to pursue her graduate degree. Emily received her M.S. in Educational Counseling and Counseling Credential from the University of La Verne in 2010; she worked in the Chico area as a School Counselor and Behavior Intervention Specialist for Live Oak Unified School District as well as the Youth Development Coordinator for the REACH Coalition for 3 years before moving to Antioch to work at Deer Valley in 2013. Emily loves working with High School students and especially enjoys helping students define their life’s ambitions and reach their goals! In her spare time, she enjoys listening to live music, singing and playing guitar, and running a photography business. 

Cherole grew up in Marin County, CA. She attended College of Marin Community College before transferring and graduating from Sacramento State University with her BA in Sociology. After graduating, Cherole continued to work as an after school teacher, which she had been doing for 11 years. Cherole went on to San Jose State University, where she received her MA in Counseling with an emphasis in School Counseling and her Pupil Personnel Services Credential in May of 2017. Cherole loves working with students and is especially passionate about supporting them academically and emotionally to help them discover and achieve their goals. In her spare time she loves to travel, hike, and rescue dogs.