Danica G. Hays is a counselor educator and education research methodologist, with a focus on workforce development, community partnerships, and equitable access to education and mental health services to strengthen and diversify the educator and mental health workforce. She has also secured over $40 million in external funding to support these areas as principal or co-principal investigator. 

She joined UNLV in 2015 as a professor and executive associate dean, was appointed dean of the College of Education in 2020 and served in that role until May 2026. She earned her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision, with an emphasis in multicultural research, from Georgia State University.

Hays is the creator of the Paraprofessional Pathways Project, now part of the Nevada Forward teacher apprenticeship program, which provides high-quality accelerated tracks to teacher licensure for paraprofessionals and school-based professionals across the state. She has also co-developed youth college and career readiness and apprenticeship initiatives designed to address workforce needs and expand equitable access to critical work sectors.

Hays has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and more than 20 books, and her scholarship has been cited more than 13,000 times.

Recent books include:

• Introduction to the Helping Professions: Core Concepts in in Social and Human Services Fields (Cognella)
• Assessment in Counseling: Procedures and Practices (7th ed., American Counseling Association)
• Qualitative Research in Education and Social Sciences (2nd ed., Cognella)
• Developing Multicultural Counseling Competency: A Systems Approach (5th ed., Pearson)
• Counseling Theory and Practice (3rd ed., Cognella)
• Mastering the NCE and CPCE (3rd ed., Pearson)

Hays has served in national leadership roles within the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), including as AARC president. She is a Fellow of the American Counseling Association and recipient of national awards recognizing her contributions to research, leadership, and advocacy, including the ACES Legacy Award.

Research Areas: Qualitative research methodology, social determinants of mental health, program evaluation, workforce and leadership development, assessment and diagnosis, domestic violence prevention, and multicultural and social justice issues in community mental health and counselor preparation.