Todd K. Whitman, Ph.D.

Dr. Whitman received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology and French Literature from Colgate University in 1990. After stints in the corporate business world in San Francisco, CA and Syracuse, NY, Todd decided that he wanted to consider other vocations. He took some time off to ride his bike across North America, during which he traveled 4,260 miles in two months of ascetic living in a tent. Somewhere between the Canadian Rockies and the Oregon coast, Todd discovered that his future was in education. The journey thus began.  In 1997 he completed his master’s degree in Counseling Services from the State University of New York (SUNY) – college at Oswego. He immediately began employment as a school counselor for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Alexandria, VA. After working three years as a high school counselor and as an assistant coach for cross-country, track, and swimming, he left FCPS to pursue his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Virginia. While earning his doctorate, he further honed his craft as a food-server in Charlottesville's trendy eateries and competed as an ultrarunner and endurance cyclist. After completing his coursework and doctoral internships, Todd returned to FCPS to continue employment as a school counselor while he finished his dissertation, which addressed the supervision of school counseling interns. He successfully defended his dissertation and graduated in January, 2005. During this time, in addition to working as a school counselor, he supervised a school counseling intern, was a selected member of the FCPS school counseling leadership cohort, and worked as adjunct faculty for George Washington University teaching Research Methodology and Statistics.

Dr. Whitman started his employment as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Shippensburg University in the Fall of 2005. He currently teaches master’s-level courses that include Quantitative Statistics and Research Methods, Assessment and Appraisal, Psychopathology/DSM-5, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, and Counseling Practicum. In addition, he teaches doctoral-levels courses in Statistics and Program Evaluation. His research and professional interests include collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with department faculty and faculty from other departments who have investigated binge drinking in first-year students, recidivism rates among juvenile offenders, placement challenges for student teachers, and treatment effects for the bereaved, among others. He has written evaluative reports for grants funded by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and other universities within PASSHE. He serves the community and regional mental health service-providers by delivering workshops that address updates about psychiatric disorders and treatments. Dr. Whitman happily describes himself as a “data geek” and a lover of all things numerical but appreciates the subtleties of qualitative approaches too. In 2015 he was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 2025 he was promoted to Full Professor.

Todd lives in Frederick, MD with his wife Sandy and their very spoiled dog, “Chandler,” an adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Todd's primary recreational passion is bicycling on rural mountainous roads around Frederick County and across the globe including the Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites, and Eastern Sierras, and Rockies. Todd is known to say “a good sweat can be a transcendental experience.” In addition to bicycling, Todd also enjoys hiking, body-surfing waves in the ocean, and skiing (alpine & Nordic). When he's not outside, Todd likes to read, do crossword puzzles, listen to music, and cook—especially spicy and Cajun foods. He says “I like to mix an active lifestyle with moments of stillness. The juxtaposition brings clarity and purpose."