Presidents’ Convening on College Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

March 14-15, 2022
Washington, DC

Presidents

OCTOBER 9, 2017: President Connie Book portraits. (photo by Perfecta Visuals)

Connie Ledoux Book, MEd, PhD

President of Elon University

For more than 20 years, Dr. Connie Ledoux Book has provided leadership for higher education institutions and programs with a deep commitment to student development and a strong belief in the transformative opportunities of higher education. Dr. Book became Elon’s ninth president in 2018 after serving for three years as provost and chief academic officer at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

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She previously served at Elon for 16 years as a professor and senior leader, contributing to Elon’s rise to prominence as a national university.

In collaboration with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of Elon, President Book has launched Boldly Elon: Our Strategic Plan for 2030. The ambitious goals within this new strategic plan are encapsulated within four major themes: Learn, Thrive, Connect, and Rise, and represent a bold commitment to student success.

To support these initiatives, Dr. Book has launched the historic Elon LEADS comprehensive fundraising campaign, which has engaged more than 25,000 donors – alumni, parents, friends, corporate partners, and foundations – who believe and support Elon’s distinctive mission.

With this strategic vision, Elon has set course for a bold future.

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President of Vassar College Elizabeth H. Bradley, May 2019Photo credit: John Abbott/Vassar College

Elizabeth H. Bradley, MBA, PhD

President of Vassar College

Elizabeth H. Bradley, PhD has served as President of Vassar College since July 2017. In that time, she has led the College to establish new programs and partnerships in India, Rwanda, and China to bring the model of liberal arts higher education to these settings. In addition, Vassar has collaborated with Columbia University to create a 5-year BA-MPH program for Vassar students. 

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Bradley has most recently served on Governor Cuomo’s NY Forward Re-Opening Advisory Committee and helped draft the guidelines for NY higher education re-opening in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She serves on the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees at Vassar Brothers Hospital. Bradley, a noted public health expert who created the first Masters of Health Administration on the African continent with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and pioneered a model of scale up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, continues to be a strong advocate for education and public health, publishing opinion pieces in Forbes, Bloomberg News, and other national outlets regularly, as well as peer-reviewed research. Prior to becoming the President of Vassar, Bradley was on the faculty at Yale for more than twenty years, and was most recently the Brady-Johnson Professor of Grand Strategy and Faculty Director of the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. Bradley’s research has focused on quality of hospital care and large-scale health system strengthening efforts within the US and abroad including in China, India, Ethiopia, Liberia, Ghana, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom. Bradley has published more nearly 320 peer-reviewed papers and has co-authored three books including The American Healthcare Paradox: Why Spending More Is Getting Us Less. She is the 2018 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017.  She is a member of the Council of Foreign Affairs.

Bradley graduated phi beta kappa from Harvard in economics magna cum laude, earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in health economics from Yale University. While at Harvard, Bradley was captain of the Women’s Squash team. Bradley grew up in New Britain, Connecticut and is married to her husband John with whom she has three adult children. 

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American University President Sylvia Mathews Burwell

Sylvia Burwell

President of American University

Sylvia M. Burwell is American University’s 15th president and the first woman to serve as president. A visionary leader with experience in the public and private sectors, President Burwell brings to American University a commitment to education and research, the ability to manage large and complex organizations, and experience helping to advance solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

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Burwell joined AU on June 1, 2017, succeeding Neil Kerwin.

Burwell has held two cabinet positions in the United States government. She served as the 22nd secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2014 to 2017. During her tenure, she managed a trillion-dollar department that includes the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Medicaid and Medicare programs; oversaw the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and led the department’s responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Before that, she served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, working with Congress to negotiate a two-year budget deal following the 2013 government shutdown. In both roles she was known as a leader who worked successfully across the aisle and focused on delivering results for the American people.

Her additional government experience is extensive and includes roles as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, deputy chief of staff to the president, chief of staff to the secretary of the Treasury, and special assistant to the director of the National Economic Council.

Burwell has held leadership positions at two of the largest foundations in the world. She served 11 years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including roles as the chief operating officer and president of the Global Development Program. She then served as president of the Walmart Foundation and ran its global Women’s Economic Empowerment efforts. Her private sector experience includes service on the Board of Directors of MetLife.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

A second-generation Greek American, Burwell is a native of Hinton, West Virginia. She and her husband Stephen Burwell are the parents of two young children.

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June 1, 2021, Waltham, MA:
Dr. E LaBrent Chrite, newly appointed as the ninth president of Bentley University, visits campus for his first day at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts Tuesday, June 1, 2021.  
(Photo by Billie Weiss/Bentley University)

E. LaBrent Chrite, MS, PhD

President of Bentley University

E. LaBrent Chrite, the ninth president of Bentley University, is an experienced higher education leader who believes business can change lives for the better. He served most recently as the president of Bethune-Cookman University (2019-2021) and dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver (2014-2019).

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Over the course of his career, Dr. Chrite has helped governments, universities and foundations to develop programs and research initiatives aimed at bolstering emerging markets, entrepreneurism and capital development and reducing poverty. He has worked to strengthen economic conditions and improve business education around the world, including in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Namibia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and for the Tohono O’odhom Nation on the Sells Reservation in Arizona.   

Dr. Chrite believes strongly that business can be a powerful force to solve problems that plague humanity.  

As the president of Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Chrite led the institution through an accreditation review that strengthened institutional governance and fiscal integrity. Under his leadership, the university secured continued accreditation while eliminating deficits and achieving institutional stability. In partnership with the university’s faculty senate, he overhauled faculty governance and consolidated academic units to allow more efficient operations and administrative leadership.  

While serving as dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, Dr. Chrite oversaw the development of a strategic plan aligned with the changing higher education landscape, leading to new programs as well as increased enrollment, student satisfaction and revenues.  

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Nicholas Covino, PsyD

President of William James College

Nicholas Covino is president of William James College and a practicing psychologist. His clinical career has been devoted to caring for the psychological needs of medical patients and engaging in long-term psychotherapy with adults, and his research interests have mirrored his clinical work.

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Before coming to William James, he was the Director of Psychology and Director of Training at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is a psychoanalyst, a member of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and a former faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Covino was named the second president of William James College in 2002. Under his leadership, the college has grown from a single-degree institution to one with 4 academic departments and specialty training in military, global, forensic, and leadership psychology. In addition, the college offers consultative services to schools, courts, and business.

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John J. DeGioia, PhD

President of Georgetown University

For close to four decades, John J. DeGioia has helped to define and strengthen Georgetown University as a premier institution for education and research. A Georgetown alumnus, Dr. DeGioia served as a senior administrator and as a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy before becoming Georgetown’s 48th president in 2001.

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As President, Dr. DeGioia is dedicated to deepening Georgetown’s tradition of academic excellence, its commitment to its Catholic and Jesuit identity, its engagement with the Washington, D.C. community, and its global mission. Under his leadership, Georgetown has become a leader in shaping the future landscape of higher education and has recently completed a $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign dedicated to enhancing the lifelong value of a Georgetown education.

Dr. DeGioia is a leading voice in addressing broader issues in education. He previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forum for the Future of Higher Education as well as Chair of the Board for the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Board of Directors for the Business-Higher Education Forum, the NCAA Board of Governors, the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors and is Chair of the Division I NCAA Committee on Academics.

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Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD

President of Villanova University

Reverend Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, has served as Villanova University’s 32nd president since June 1, 2006. Under his leadership, the University has charted a course of significant transformation that includes developing and initiating two ambitious ten-year strategic plans, enhancing the intellectual and scholarly climate, dramatically expanding student opportunities, initiating a vibrant physical campus renovation, and launching the University’s largest comprehensive fundraising campaign.

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Bolstered by this vision, the University has introduced new initiatives, become more nationally recognized for its academic prowess and broken University admission records. Father Donohue has also worked together with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents to strengthen the Villanova community and renew its commitment to the institution’s Augustinian, Catholic educational mission.

A champion of the role of service learning at Villanova, Father Donohue instituted an annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service as a way for the University community to propel its Augustinian ideals into action. Each September, nearly 5,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni take part in projects throughout Greater Philadelphia. This is just one of the many service learning opportunities at the University, which boasts more than 250,000 hours of service in the local, national and international community.

Father Donohue is a tenured professor at Villanova who served as chair of the University’s department of theatre from 1992 to 2006. He annually directed musical theatre productions on campus, earning six Barrymore Award nominations and one Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical from the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

Born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan, Father Peter earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University in 1975 and was ordained an Augustinian priest in 1979. He has a master’s in Theatre from the Catholic University of America, a master’s in Divinity from the Washington Theological Union, and a PhD in Theatre from the University of Illinois.

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Marion Ross Fedrick, MPA

President of Albany State University

Marion Ross Fedrick was appointed as the 10th president of Albany State University on August 14, 2018, by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. She was appointed after  serving as both the interim executive vice president and interim president for the University since October 2017.

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President Fedrick is an accomplished senior leader whose proven expertise spans  over 30 years. Her professional background includes: higher education administration, strategic  planning, crisis management and strategic partnership management in both the private and public sectors. 

Committed to the impact of academic development, Fedrick believes every student deserves  access to an excellent and affordable education. Fedrick is a two-time graduate of the University  of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in adult education, concentration in organizational  development, and a master’s degree in public administration.  

As president of Albany State University, Fedrick continues to apply her diverse experiences and  commitment to drive initiatives that ignite excellence. Under her leadership, the institution has  undertaken several critical initiatives that include a redesign of the institution’s academic  colleges, approval of the University System of Georgia’s first nexus degrees, and the design and  implementation of the university’s integrated student success model to include the creation of the  Albany State University Summer Success Institute. 

The intersection of her vision, passion, and broad leadership capabilities have placed her in key  leadership roles throughout her career. Serving as the USG vice chancellor of human resources,  Fedrick has led strategic initiatives relating to effective university administration, leadership  development and all human resources planning efforts, Clark Atlanta University, Emory University Hospitals, State of Georgia’s Office of State Personnel Administration, AT&T, and  the former BellSouth Corporation.

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Julio Frenk, MD, MPH, PhD

President of University of Miami

Since 2015, Julio Frenk has served as president of the University of Miami. He also holds academic appointments as Professor of Public Health Sciences at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, as Professor of Health Sector Management and Policy at the Miami Herbert Business School, as Professor of Sociology at the College of Arts and Sciences, and as Professor of Nursing and Health Studies at the School of Nursing and Health Studies. 

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Prior to joining the University of Miami, he served for almost seven years as Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development, a joint appointment with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In September 2016, the Julio Frenk Professorship of Public Health Leadership was established at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with an anonymous endowment gift.

Dr. Frenk served as the Minister of Health of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. There he pursued an ambitious agenda to reform the nation’s health system and introduced a program of comprehensive universal coverage called Seguro Popular, which expanded access to health care for more than 55 million previously uninsured persons.

He was the founding director-general of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, one of the leading institutions of its kind in the developing world. He also served as executive director in charge of Evidence and Information for Policy at the World Health Organization and as senior fellow in the global health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among other leadership positions.

Dr. Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico, as well as a Master of Public Health and a joint Ph.D. in Medical Care Organization and in Sociology from the University of Michigan.

He has published 187 papers in academic journals and 166 articles in cultural magazines and newspapers, as well as many books and book chapters. His scholarly production has been cited more than 29,000 times. In addition, he has written four best-selling novels for youngsters explaining the functions of the human body.

He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico, and El Colegio Nacional (the most prestigious learned society of scientists, intellectuals, and artists in Mexico). He serves on the boards of the United Nations Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and chairs the board of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Julio Frenk has received numerous recognitions, including the Clinton Global Citizen Award, the Bouchet Leadership Medal presented by Yale University for promoting diversity in graduate education, and the Welch-Rose Award from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, as well as honorary degrees from 11 universities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

In summary, Dr. Frenk’s career has included leadership positions in all relevant aspects of public health and higher education: research, teaching, analysis of public policies, institution-building, international cooperation, and national public service. He has also been involved in various initiatives to reform higher education.

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6/6/18           UM-Dearborn Chancellor
                          Domenico Grasso

Domenico Grasso, MS, PhD

Chancellor of University of Michigan – Dearborn

Domenico Grasso is the sixth chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the first Michigan graduate to lead the university. He also is an executive officer of the University of Michigan and serves as professor of public policy and sustainable engineering at UM-Dearborn.

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Grasso’s career in higher education has been marked by significant contributions to engineering education, environmental engineering research, enrollment management, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. Directly prior to joining UM-Dearborn in 2018, he was provost and chief academic officer at the University of Delaware, where he spearheaded efforts ranging from the creation of the Division of Enrollment Management and Institute for Financial Services Analytics, to community engagement and cybersecurity initiatives. At Delaware, he was also instrumental in the development of new university programs in entrepreneurship, the humanities, social sciences and the arts.

Grasso earned his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan and began his academic career as professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut, where he also served as department head. He then moved to Smith College, holding posts as the Rosemary Bradford Hewlett Professor and founding director of Smith’s Picker Engineering Program — the first engineering program at a women’s college and one of the few at a liberal arts college in the United States. Later, he served as dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and vice president for research at the University of Vermont.

Grasso is a passionate defender of sustainability and environmentally conscious practices, and his research has delved deeply into the fate of environmental contaminants and the development of techniques to reduce risks to human health and the natural world. His work has been supported by federal, state and industry partners, and he has authored more than 100 journal articles and reports; his work has been cited extensively. In addition, he has held several high-profile posts in the environmental engineering field, including fellow on NATO’s Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society, technical expert to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, vice chair of the Science Advisory Board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Grasso was also a member of a World Bank-funded international team of scholars that established the first environmental engineering program in Argentina, and addressed the Congress of the Republic of Peru on the topic of sustainable development.

Grasso is considered an influential thinker in the field of engineering education. He views engineering as a natural bridge between science and humanity, and many of his writings have reasoned for the importance of the social sciences, arts and humanities in better contextualizing the relevance of STEM education. As editor and chief contributor to the book Holistic Engineering Education: Beyond Technology (Springer 2010), Grasso explored new paradigms for 21st-century engineering education. In his own teaching, he has taken on the full spectrum of challenges — from a National Science Foundation-recognized undergraduate class for non-engineering majors, to technically rigorous courses that also explore societal, ethical and philosophical issues facing today’s engineers and scientists. He has even found ways to engage the youngest STEM learners, co-founding, along with pioneer astronaut Sally Ride, TOYChallenge —  a nationwide toy design event for middle school students.

A frequent collaborator with other scholars and academic leaders, Grasso currently serves on advisory boards for MIT and Olin College, and has previously been a member of advisory boards at Colgate, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the National Academy of Engineering. In addition, he has held posts as associate editor of the journal Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology and editor-in-chief of Environmental Engineering Science.

Grasso is a U.S. Army veteran having spent over ten years on both active and reserve status. He resigned his commission at the rank of Major after receiving citations and awards including the Army Commendation Medal and Army Parachutist Badge.

Grasso’s wife, Susan Hull Grasso, is also an accomplished engineer and Michigan alumna. Together, they have four adult children, Benjamin, Jacob, Elspeth and Caitlín. He and Susan enjoy reading, cycling, hiking, skiing, and spending time outdoors with their dogs.

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Paula Johnson, MD, MPH

President of Wellesley College

Paula A. Johnson is the 14th president of Wellesley College. Throughout a groundbreaking career in academic medicine, public health, and higher education, President Paula Johnson has focused on creating the conditions that allow women to thrive.

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Since joining Wellesley in 2016, she has put the College at the forefront of STEM education for women and has led the creation of its bold new strategic plan, which places inclusive excellence at the heart of the Wellesley experience. 

As a physician-scientist, President Johnson has improved health outcomes for women around the globe by revealing and addressing gender biases in both clinical care and medical research. The founder of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she shifted paradigms by recognizing that disease presentation is often influenced by sex, a biological factor, intersecting with the social determinants of health, including race.

In 2018, President Johnson co-chaired the landmark report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, titled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

A cardiologist, President Johnson was the Grayce A. Young Family Professor of Medicine in Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School prior to coming to Wellesley, as well as professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

She earned international acclaim for her 2013 TED Talk, “His and hers…healthcare,” which continues to raise awareness of the crucial need to understand sex differences in treating disease.

She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her honors include the Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman Award from the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation and the Stephen Smith Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health from the New York Academy of Medicine. She holds A.B., M.D., and M.P.H. degrees from Harvard University.

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Marvin Krislov, MA, JD

President of Pace University

Marvin Krislov became the eighth President of Pace University on August 1, 2017. He is deeply committed to Pace’s mission of Opportunitas—providing all students, regardless of economic background, access to the transformative power of education. 

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He is guiding Pace through its New York City Master Plan to overhaul our downtown campus, and he’s working to bolster Pace’s status as the nation’s leading four-year private college for driving economic mobility. Prior to Krislov’s appointment at Pace, he served for 10 years as the president of Oberlin College, where he led collaborative, consensus-driven efforts to make the college more rigorous, diverse, inclusive, and accessible to students from every socioeconomic background. Prior to Oberlin, he was vice president and general counsel at the University of Michigan, where he led the legal defense of the University’s admission policies that resulted in the 2003 Supreme Court decision recognizing the importance of student body diversity. Krislov earned a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, at Yale University in 1982, and was named a Rhodes Scholar. He earned master’s degrees at Oxford University and Yale, and a juris doctor degree at Yale Law School in 1988. Prior to entering academic life, Krislov served as acting solicitor and then deputy solicitor of national operations in the US Department of Labor. He previously served as associate counsel in the Office of Counsel to the President under President Bill Clinton.

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Martin Meehan, MPA, JD

President of University of Massachusetts

Marty Meehan is the 27th president and first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. A former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, President Meehan was elected to the presidency after eight successful years as chancellor of his alma mater, UMass Lowell, leading the campus to top-tier national status and improving its performance in every sphere of activity, including enrollment, student success, fundraising, and auxiliary revenue generation.

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At his presidential inauguration on November 12, 2015, he pledged to fight for UMass, which he called “the most important institution in Massachusetts in the critical areas of social mobility and economic growth.”

Under President Meehan’s leadership, UMass has achieved milestones in enrollment growth, research expansion, financial aid funding and statewide economic impact. In addition, the UMass School of Law earned full ABA accreditation and has seen the academic credentials of its incoming students and bar pass rates rise.

During his 14 years in Congress, he served on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees and established a national reputation for his legislative leadership. He won praise for his efforts to protect the public from the health risks of tobacco, and he was a central figure in campaign finance reform. In addition to his degree from UMass Lowell, Meehan earned a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University in 1981 and a juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1986.

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Richard K. Miller, MS, PhD

President Emeritus of Olin College of Engineering

Richard K. Miller was appointed President and first employee of Olin College of Engineering in 1999 where he served for 21 years until he stepped down in June 2020 and became President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering.  He served as the Jerome C. Hunsaker Visiting Professor of Aerospace Systems at MIT during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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Previously, he served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Iowa, Associate Dean of Engineering at USC in Los Angeles, and assistant professor of engineering at UCSB in Santa Barbara. With a background in applied mechanics and current interests in innovation in higher education, Miller is the author of numerous reviewed journal articles and other technical publications.

Miller is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).  He received the 2017 Brock International Prize in Education. Together with two Olin colleagues, he received the 2013 Bernard M. Gordon Prize from the (NAE) for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education. In 2011, he received the Marlowe Award for creative and distinguished administrative leadership from the American Society for Engineering Education.

Miller has served as Chair of the Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and as Chair of the Engineering Advisory Committee of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  He has also served on advisory boards and committees for Harvard University, Stanford University, the NAE, NASEM, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as well as others. In addition, he has served as a consultant to the World Bank in the establishment of new universities in developing countries. A frequent speaker on higher education, he received the 2002 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from the University of California at Davis, where he earned his B.S. He earned his S.M. from MIT and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology, where he received the 2014 Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award.

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Terrence M. Sawyer, JD 

President of Loyola University Maryland

Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., currently serves as the 25th president of Loyola University Maryland.  Previously, Mr. Sawyer served as the senior vice president of Loyola University Maryland and is also the University’s chief advancement officer.

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Mr. Sawyer serves as an advisor to the University President and was appointed to oversee the University’s COVID-19 response and reopening team which has oversight and responsibility for health, safety, case management; student wellbeing; institutional partnerships; infrastructure modifications and improvements as well as faculty and staff return to work protocols.

As the senior advancement officer, Terry oversaw the completion the University’s $100M comprehensive campaign, Bright Minds Bold Hearts and secured Loyola’s largest gift in its historyIn this role, Terry oversees Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Planned Giving, Advancement Services, Donor Engagement and Alumni Engagement. In addition to these areas, Mr. Sawyer oversees the University’s Marketing and Communications operation as well as Loyola’s Career Center.

Terry has been with Loyola since December 1998 when he first served as the Special Assistant to the President for Government and Community Relations.  While in this role, Terry worked to create and maintain positive relationships with Loyola’s neighboring communities and officials at all levels of government.  In 2004, Terry was named Vice President for Administration where he was responsible for overseeing the Departments of Human Resources, Public Safety, Environmental Health and Safety and Parking and Transportation, while also continuing to oversee Government & Community relations. Also, as the Vice President for Administration, Terry served as the University’s liaison to the Board of Trustees and as well as The University’s Resident Agent.  Terry also serves as an affiliate professor in Loyola’s Sellinger School of Business and Management.

Terry was born and lived in Wayne, New Jersey until he left to attend the University of Maryland at College Park where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in 1992.  He then went on to attend Widener University School of Law where he earned the degree Juris Doctorate in 1995.  In the summer of 2006, Terry successfully completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Prior to working at Loyola University Maryland, Terry was an attorney for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Prior to this, he practiced civil and criminal law in Baltimore City. Terry currently lives in Baltimore with his wife Courtney and their three sons.

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Clayton Spencer, MA, JD

President of Bates College

Clayton Spencer became the eighth president of Bates College on July 1, 2012. She came to  Bates from Harvard University, where she spent more than 15 years on the university’s  senior leadership team. 

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Under Clayton’s leadership, Bates has launched new initiatives in a number of areas,  including: creating a new program in Digital and Computational Studies, strengthening  programming in equity, diversity and inclusion, and launching the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s history. Clayton led the creation of the Purposeful Work program,  which has received national recognition as a transformational approach to preparing  students for work and career. 

Before joining Bates, Spencer served for fifteen years on the Senior Staff at Harvard, the last  seven as Vice President for Policy. She also spent a year concurrently as Acting Executive  Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Spencer was a lecturer at Harvard’s  Graduate School of Education, where she taught courses on federal higher education policy. 

From 1993 to 1997, Spencer worked for the late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy as Chief  Education Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. She  directed education legislation and policy in the Senate, including federal student aid,  science and research policy, the education budget, and technology in education. Earlier in  her career, Spencer clerked in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, practiced law at the  Boston firm of Ropes & Gray, and served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston. 

Spencer currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts  College. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on  Education, where she chaired the Public Policy Committee and served on the Executive  Committee. She previously served as a trustee of Williams College and Phillips Exeter  Academy and on the board of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network and the Fund for the  Improvement of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education. 

Spencer is a graduate of Williams College (B.A), Oxford University (B.A.), Harvard  University (M.A.), and Yale Law School (J.D.).

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David Stout, MA, PhD

President of Brookdale Community College

David Stout is a lifelong resident of Monmouth County.  Born in Neptune and raised in West Belmar, he graduated from Wall High School in 1992, and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Stockton University, a Masters Degree in Psychological Counseling at Monmouth University, and a Ph.D. in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine at Northcentral University.

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He resides in Wall Township with his wife, Heather, and their daughters, Jane and Tatum.

Prior to Dr. Stout’s selection as Brookdale Community College’s 7th President, he served in various roles at Brookdale over 21 years, including Vice President for Student Success, Dean of the Freehold Campus, Professor and Department Chair of Psychology & Human Services, and Counselor.  As Vice President for Student Success, he oversaw all student services offices including Admissions, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Counseling, EOF, Disability Services, Career Services, Athletics, Student Life & Activities, the International Education Center, and the Veterans Center.  As a Professor and Department Chair of Psychology & Human Services, Dr. Stout mentored many hundreds of future counselors and social workers and coordinated the activities of a department of 11 full-time faculty members and over 40 adjunct instructors.  As a Counselor, his caseload of nearly 1,000 students included students with disabilities and students with significant psychological adjustment issues.  During this time, Dr. Stout also taught at Mercer County College, Thomas Edison State University, Rutgers University, and Monmouth University.  Research publications include articles on opioid dependence and workplace abuse.

David served as a Freeholder appointed member of the Monmouth County Mental Health Board, the Monmouth County Human Services Needs Assessment Steering Committee, and vice president of the Association of New Jersey County College Faculty.  He has been the recipient of several honors including the Paragon Award for New College Presidents, Brookdale’s Barringer and Outstanding Colleague awards, the Stockton University Distinguished Psychology Alumni Award, the Latino American Association of Monmouth County’s Award for Innovative Community Service and Education, and the Monmouth Regional Chamber of Commerce Beacon of Excellence Award.

Today, community is the focus of Dr. Stout’s daily work as President of Brookdale.  He reminds audiences whenever he speaks that “community is our middle name; community is at the heart of everything we do” and he attempts to live this mantra by offering needed services for residents throughout Monmouth County.  For example, in partnership with Right Your Life and the Matawan-Aberdeen School District, he helped to launch the KEYS Academy Recovery High School where students who are experiencing addiction can complete their high school diploma in a safe environment.  He helped to establish an office at Brookdale for a Monmouth County bilingual social worker to help students connect with needed social services.  He assisted with the development of the Helping Hands Food Pantry at Brookdale.  Now, he is working with the Monmouth-Ocean Foundation for Children to establish a program for adults with autism and Long Branch High School to develop access to college credit for the students of the new Academy for Social Justice.  Whether the issue is food insecurity, lack of transportation, financial instability, underemployment, or lack of access to training and education, David prefers to find collaborative solutions to everyday life problems for the benefit of the community.

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Laura Walker, MBA

President of Bennington College

Laura R. Walker took office as the 11th president of Bennington College on August 1, 2020. Prior to this appointment, she was the President and CEO of New York Public Radio (NYPR), a position that she held for 23 years.

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Ms. Walker is a visionary, mission-oriented and strategic leader who spearheaded the transformation of NYPR  from two city-owned local stations to the nation’s largest independent non-profit public radio station group and a groundbreaking producer that serves more than 26 million people each month. Ms. Walker’s vision of fearless journalism that represents the breadth of American experiences helped establish the station’s role as one of the world’s preeminent podcast producers. During her tenure, NYPR was awarded ten George Foster Peabody awards and many other honors. Ms. Walker built a pioneering staff of innovative journalists and producers at NYPR, including the MacArthur genius Jad Abumrad and his colleagues at Radiolab, the investigative team that uncovered stop-and-frisk abuses under the Bloomberg administration, the great minds behind Freakonomics, and the artists-in-residence at WQXR. Behind NYPR’s superlative journalism was a sound and strategic long-term financial model. With regular reexaminations of the media landscape, NYPR was able to consistently adapt to shifting trends and stay ahead of challenges on the horizon. Ms. Walker led three separate five-year plan processes at NYPR, translating goals into executable tactics for program production, fundraising, and partnership-building. One measure of that success is the organization’s extraordinary growth from two city-owned radio stations with an $8 million budget and 1 million monthly listeners to an independent nonprofit with a $100 million annual budget, 26 million monthly listeners on 8 radio stations, 20 nationally distributed programs, and a staff of 500.

Ms. Walker began her professional career as a print journalist. She later moved to National Public Radio where she worked as a producer. She has also served as Vice President of Development at Sesame Workshop; and at Carnegie Hall, where she launched the award-winning series, AT&T Presents Carnegie Hall Tonight. Following her time at NYPR, she was an Executive Fellow in Residence at the Yale School of Management and an advisor to media startups and nonprofits.

Ms. Walker sits on the boards of The Commonwealth Fund, the Eagle Picher Trust, Yale University’s  Honorary Degree Committee and the President’s Advisory Council of Wesleyan University.

In 2009 and again in 2017, Ms. Walker was named by Crain’s as one of New York City’s 50 Most Powerful Women. She has been honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporate for Public Broadcasting and a Distinguished Alumna Award by Wesleyan University. She was recognized in May 2020 with the honorable Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award by the Municipal Arts Society for her notable contribution to the public media landscape.

Ms. Walker holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in History, magna cum laude, from Wesleyan University, where she was an Olin Scholar.

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Mark Wrighton, PhD

President of George Washington University

Mark S. Wrighton, Ph.D., was elected President of The George Washington University January 1, 2022.  He is concurrently on sabbatical from Washington University in St. Louis where he is the James and Mary Wertsch Distinguished University Professor and Chancellor Emeritus.

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Wrighton served as the 14th Chancellor of the University from July 1, 1995, through May 31, 2019.  During his tenure as Chancellor, Washington University made unprecedented progress in campus improvements, resource development, curriculum, international reputation, and especially in undergraduate applications and student quality.

Wrighton served as a presidential appointee to the National Science Board (2000-06), which is the science policy advisor to the President and Congress and is the primary advisory board of the National Science Foundation. He is a past chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum and the Association of American Universities.

Wrighton has received many awards for his research and scholarly writing, including the distinguished MacArthur Prize. He is the author of over 300 articles in professional and scholarly journals, is the holder of 16 patents, and co-author of a book, Organometallic Photochemistry.  His research interests are in the areas of transition metal catalysis, photochemistry, surface chemistry, molecular electronics, and in photoprocesses at electrodes.

He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Active in public and professional affairs, he has served on numerous governmental panels and has been a consultant to industry. He is an active member of numerous professional organizations and serves as a director on the boards of national companies and St. Louis organizations.

From 1990 until 1995, he served as provost and chief academic officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A member of the MIT faculty from 1972 until 1995, Wrighton became a full professor of chemistry in 1977. He was named Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry in 1981 and became head of the Chemistry Department in 1987. In 1989 he was named the first holder of the Ciba-Geigy Professorship.  Wrighton received his B.S. degree with honors in chemistry from Florida State University in 1969 and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1972.

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Emma Adam

Speakers and Special Guests

Emma Adam, PhD, MA

Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University

Emma Adam received her PhD in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota and an MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. An applied developmental psychobiologist, Emma Adam has been with Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy since 2000.

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She studies how everyday life experiences in home, school, and work settings influence levels of perceived and biological stress in adolescents and young adults. Her work traces the pathways by which stress “gets under the skin” to contribute to youth outcomes. By using noninvasive methods such as diary measures of stress, measurement of the stress-sensitive hormone cortisol, and measurement of sleep hours and quality, she is identifying the key factors that cause emotional and biological stress in adolescents and young adults and the implications of stress for daily functioning, emotional and physical health, cognition, and academic outcomes.

Adam’s work has revealed racial and socioeconomic disparities in stress, cortisol and sleep, with potential implications for understanding disparities in health and attainment. Adam’s recent theoretical models and current program of research are focused on understanding the impact of race-based stress on youth stress, stress biology and developmental outcomes. She is currently testing several interventions aimed at improving youth health and academic outcomes by reducing perceived stress, regulating stress biology, and promoting race-based coping resources, such as a strong ethnic and racial identity.

Adam is a member of the Society for Research in Child Development, the Society of Research on Adolescence, and the American Psychological Association and is the President-Elect of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology.  Adam’s research has been supported by multiple institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Sloan Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. Adam was a William T. Grant Faculty Scholar and received the Curt Richter Award from the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology. Her latest research on race-based disparities in stress and academic outcomes is funded by a Lyle Spencer Research Award from the Spencer Foundation.

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Amelia M. Arria, PhD

Amelia Arria, PhD

Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development

Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D. is currently the Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health. As a first-generation college student, she received a B.S. in Human Development from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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She has authored more than 150 scientific peer-reviewed publications, numerous white papers and book chapters, and is the recipient of several major grant awards from foundations, and state and federal agencies. Her longstanding research career has focused on mental health and substance abuse among adolescents and young adults. She has also completed studies related to mental health service utilization, predictors of suicidal behavior, prenatal substance use, and evaluations of addiction treatment. In 2003, she was awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a large longitudinal prospective study of health-risk behaviors among college students. That study has made major contributions to the scientific literature regarding the mental health needs of young adults and the risk factors and consequences of substance use among college students. Currently, a main focus area of her work is the connections among untreated mental health conditions, substance use and human capital, as measured by academic achievement, employment and health status. She is passionate about translating research findings for practical purposes to be used by parents, policy makers and educational professionals. She has a leadership role in the Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems, a policy initiative that brings together 14 universities in the state of Maryland to address the problem of excessive alcohol consumption and its consequences on their campuses and in their communities.

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Hollie Chessman, MEd, PhD

Director of Research and Practice at the American Council on Education (ACE)

Hollie M. Chessman is the director of research and practice and the resident college student mental health and well-being expert at the American Council on Education (ACE). Chessman joined ACE in December 2018, bringing almost 20 years of professional experience in higher education.

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Prior to her current role at ACE, she was the director of research projects at the Council of Independent Colleges and a postdoctoral associate at ACE. Chessman earned her PhD from George Mason University in 2015, prior to which she spent 17 years as a student affairs professional serving in various roles and institutions—including 10 years in housing and residence life. Her primary interests include college student mental health and well-being, student affairs professional well-being, graduate student choice, and organizational change and leadership.

Chessman worked for over six years at George Mason University leading organizational change in the housing and residence life department. She implemented a training and professional development curriculum for staff, directly supervised five professional staff responsible for 12 professional resident directors and 142 student staff, and established key relationships with university support services. Chessman served in the primary role of interfacing with frontline housing staff and university support services to address mental health concerns, crisis management, and incident response. Her role on the campus case management team with counseling and conduct staff was instrumental in managing the many issues that arose on a campus of over 4,500 residents. Prior to George Mason University, she also worked at Loyola University New Orleans, Lake Erie College, Tulane University, and Kent State University.

Chessman’s dissertation research focused on the well-being of student affairs professionals. With a sample of over 2,100 professionals, she was able to discern the level of well-being of the student affairs respondents, along with analyzing the significant impact work has on their well-being. This research yielded proposals to present at national conferences, including those of the American Educational Research Association, American College Personnel Association, NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. It has also been published in the January 2021 issue of the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice.

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Eugenie Dieck, MBA

Vice President of Strategy at Georgetown University

Eugenie Dieck joined Georgetown University in September 2017 as the Vice President for Strategy. In this role, she collaborates with leadership, faculty, staff, and donors to consider the future actions and investments of the University.

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Previously, Ms. Dieck served as a Senior Partner for Korn Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting, based in Philadelphia. Ms. Dieck joined Korn Ferry from Marsh & McLennan Companies, where she was a partner in various consulting entities.

She began her career in the public health/social services sectors, with VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), working with underserved youth and then as a program manager for the first Medicaid health maintenance organization.

Ms. Dieck earned a BA from Harvard College and a MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the YWCA Academy of Women Leaders.

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Tia Dole, MA, PhD

Executive Director of The Steve Fund

Tia Dole, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of The Steve Fund. Dr. Dole  is a licensed clinical psychologist and a long-time advocate for the rights of youth of color.

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Prior to helming The Steve Fund, Dr. Dole was the Chief Clinical Operations Officer at The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. Dr. Dole oversaw all of The Trevor Project’s crisis services programs as well as their volunteer community and increased their impact by a factor of four. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Carleton College, Dr. Dole received her Master’s degree in Developmental Psychopathology from Columbia University (Teacher’s College), and she received a Fulbright Fellowship to study Forensic Psychology in Switzerland. She then completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Fordham University. Dr. Dole is a published author and sits on several committees including the board of the National Association of Crisis Center Directors. One of her passions is normalizing mental health conditions within communities of color, LGBTQ communities and helping people get access to services. She is based in New York/New Jersey.

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Ashley Finley, PhD

Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President at the American Association of Colleges and Universities

Ashley Finley is the vice president for research and senior advisor to the president at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She was previously associate vice president for academic affairs and founding dean of the Dominican Experience at Dominican University of CA and national evaluator for Bringing Theory to Practice.

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Currently, Dr. Finley oversees AAC&U’s research agenda through the coordination of projects and reports on pressing issues in higher education. She also advises on strategic initiatives to support member campuses. Dr. Finley’s campus engagement focuses on connecting learning, assessment, and equity with campus priorities. Her publications include How College Contributes to Workforce Success; A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment of High-Impact Practices; and “Well-Being: An Essential Outcome for Higher Education.” Finley received a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MA and PhD, both in sociology, from the University of Iowa.

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David Germano, PhD

Director of the Flourishing Academic Network and Executive Director of the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia

David Germano is a Professor of Religious Studies and Executive Director of the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. His current focus is exploring systems change in higher education in practice and theory towards creating better conditions for the facilitation of student flourishing as whole individuals.

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This includes supporting innovation in academics and student affairs, as well as new forms of integration between the two, through drawing upon deeply experiential and contemplative forms of learning, personal development, and communal engagement. David has also established the Flourishing Academic Network, an evolving network of major research I universities committed to such innovation. He also has a long history in digital humanities, software design, and the exploration of transformative uses of digital technology.

In this context, he is currently preparing the launch in 2022 of a collaborative portal exploring contemplation and student flourishing across the educational spectrum, the University of Flourishing. He is also the lead for a highly innovative new building at UVA, the Contemplative Commons, which is a highly biophilic design exploring how the built environment can best support innovations towards greater student flourishing in research universities. David is also co-founder of the WISE network (Wellbeing, Innovation, and Social change in Education), a global network of social innovation programs integrating wellbeing into their educational systems. Finally, as the Center’s director, he has supported the Compassionate Schools Project, a landmark program in K-5 that has created an innovative health curriculum and conducted a massive randomized control trial on its efficacy in Louisville, Kentucky.

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David C. Henderson

David C. Henderson, MD

Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Boston Medical Center and Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine

David C. Henderson, MD, currently serves as Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Boston Medical Center and Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Henderson previously served as Director of The Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Director of the MGH Schizophrenia Clinical and Research Program, and Medical Director of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.

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He also worked for Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Services for 10 years. Presently, Dr. Henderson serves as Co-Director of the NIMH T32 Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM)/Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Global Mental Health Clinical Research Fellowship. He has worked internationally for the past 25 years in resource-limited settings, and areas impacted by mass violence, disasters and complex emergencies.

Dr. Henderson has conducted research and training programs in Bosnia, Cambodia, East Timor, Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, New Orleans, New York City, Rwanda and Peru, South Africa, and Somaliland among other places. His work has consisted of field studies, needs assessments, mental health policy development and strategic planning, quantitative and qualitative surveys, mental health capacity building programs for specialized and primary health professionals, and skill-transfer program evaluation. In the United States, he has conducted more than 30 randomized clinical trials in severely mentally ill populations.

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Susan Gorden Horrell

Director of Partnerships at Born This Way Foundation

Susan Gordon Horrell (she/her) is Director of Partnerships at Born This Way Foundation. Susan began her career working for Sean Parker, first as his Chief of Staff, then as the Director of Nonprofit Services for Causes.com, an online platform that brought together over 186 million users and 20,000 nonprofit partners to create online communities for social change.

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Susan then became a registered nurse and worked in the Medical Intensive Care Unit and later the Emergency Department of Duke University Hospital. She has consulted for 410 Medical, a medical device company, and The Chordoma Foundation, a cancer research foundation. Susan is originally from Minnesota and she has a BA from Dartmouth College and a BSN from Duke University. Susan is passionate about using technology to help young people lead healthy lives and reach their full potential.

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Dana Humphrey

Dana Humphrey, MPH 

Associate Director

Dana Humphrey is Associate Director of the Mary Christie Institute. Mrs. Humphrey is a public health professional with a strong background in research and programming.

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Prior to joining the Mary Christie Institute, Mrs. Humphrey was the Marketing Manager at Christie Student Health. She has worked on various public health research projects at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences, John Snow Inc, and Boston Medical Center. Mrs. Humphrey received a Masters in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The Colorado College.

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Lisa Kelly-Croswell

Lisa Kelly-Croswell, MA

Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Boston Medical Center

Lisa Kelly-Croswell joined Boston Medical Center in 2013, and is currently Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer. She is responsible for leading all Human Resources functions as well as BMC’s Occupational Health Clinic and Volunteer Services Departments.

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Lisa brings nearly 30 years of experience in a wide range of global HR leadership roles including: Senior Vice President, HR and Corporate Services at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, VP, HR at Nitromed, Inc., SVP, HR for Healthcare and Service Operations at CIGNA, and a series of progressive leadership roles at Monsanto and Frito-Lay. While at Monsanto, Lisa also held an expatriate assignment based in Singapore, leading HR for Southeast Asia. Lisa holds a B.S. in Finance and an M.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has served as a Director on a number of non-profit boards.

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Gloria Larson, JD

President Emeritus of Bentley University and Chair of the Board of the Mary Christie Institute

Gloria Cordes Larson is a respected lawyer, public policy expert, Boston business leader, and former university president. Immediately following her eleven year tenure as President of Bentley University, Larson served as President in Residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education from July 2018 through June 2019.

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She currently serves as a director on two public company boards, Unum Group and Boston Private, as well as on the boards of two private companies, reacHIRE and Christie Campus Health.

In addition, she is a member of the boards of several national and regional non-profit organizations, including McLean Hospital, the MA Conference for Women, and the executive committees of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Boston Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

From 2007 until June 2018, Larson served as the President of Bentley University, located in Waltham, MA. During her tenure, Bentley achieved university status, further deepened its distinctive integration of business and the liberal arts, was named a Top 10 undergraduate business school by Bloomberg Businessweek, and was ranked #1 in the country for both career services and internship programs by The Princeton Review. In 2011, Larson launched the Center for Women and Business (CWB) at the university, with a stated mission to advance women in the organizational world. The Bentley Board of Trustees named the CWB in her honor when she stepped down from her role as president. While at Bentley, Larson also authored the book PreparedU: How Innovative Colleges Prepare Students for Success, published in 2016 by Jossey-Bass, a division of Wiley.

Before joining Bentley, Larson had a wide ranging career in law, public policy and business. She served as a partner and Co-chair of the Government Strategies Group at the Boston based law firm, Foley Hoag, LLP; as Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, and later as Secretary of Economic Affairs, under Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld; and as Deputy Director of Consumer Protection for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington.

Larson has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including being named multiple times to the “Power 50” by both the Boston Business Journal and Boston Magazine, as well as to The Commonwealth Institute’s roster of the Boston Globe Magazine’s Top 100 Women-led businesses in Massachusetts. In 2018, she was awarded the Ellen M. Zane Award for Visionary Leadership from Tufts Medical Center. More recently, she received a Woman of the Year Award from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and was named one of the University of Virginia School of Law’s One Hundred Change Agents, recognizing those alumni who have made a distinctive impact in the world over the course of the law school’s 200 year history.

Larson received her Bachelor of Arts with honors from Vassar College and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is the recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Laws degrees from Northeastern University and Wachusetts Community College. Married to attorney Allen Larson, the couple resides in Yarmouthport, MA and Isle of Palms, SC, along with English Labs Olive and Sally.

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Sarah Ketchen Lipson

Sarah Ketchen Lipson, PhD, EdM

Assistant Professor at the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health and Co-Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Network

Sarah Ketchen Lipson is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is also co-Principal Investigator of the national Healthy Minds Study, an annual survey of undergraduate and graduate student mental health and related factors.

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Sarah completed a dual-PhD at University of Michigan in Health Services Organization and Policy at the School of Public Health and Higher Education at the School of Education, where she was awarded best dissertation of the year. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, her master’s from Harvard University, and was a Fulbright scholar. Sarah teaches a range of graduate-level research courses at the Boston University School of Public Health.

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Marjorie Malpiede, MPA

Executive Director of the Mary Christie Institute

Ms. Malpiede is Executive Director of the Mary Christie Institute, Editor of the Mary Christie Quarterly and host of the Quadcast. As a journalist and strategist, Ms. Malpiede has over thirty years of leadership experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

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She has advised public agencies, campaigns, private companies and non-profit organizations on policy, communications, and government relations. From 2007 to 2013, Ms. Malpiede was the Vice President of Programming and Public Affairs for MassINC and CommonWealth magazine, a non-partisan research organization and policy journal. Before then, she spent twelve years as the Vice President of Public Affairs at The MENTOR Network, a national health and human services company based in Boston. She began her career at BOSTON Magazine and later worked in state government as a press aid and speechwriter. Ms. Malpiede has a Masters in Public Affairs from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston and a BS from Drew University.

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Will Meek, PhD

Global Director of Mental Health and Wellness at Minerva University

Will Meek is a psychologist and Global Director of Mental Health & Wellness at Minerva. He has also been the lead psychologist at several other university counseling centers, including Counseling & Psychological Services at Brown University.

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He started his professional career as a one-person counseling center serving 4000 students at Washington State University Vancouver.

Will received his BA from Baldwin-Wallace College and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is best known for the Flexible Care Model, which is a culturally-informed system of providing psychological services on college campuses.

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Paul Monteiro, JD

Chief of Staff at Howard University

Paul Monteiro is the Chief of Staff and Assistant Vice President of External Affairs at Howard University. Monteiro worked at the United States Supreme Court and later served in the Capitol Hill office of Senator Barack Obama before transitioning to his 2008 presidential campaign headquarters in Chicago, IL.

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Paul served on President Obama’s White House staff as an associate director of the Office of Public Engagement and coordinator of the My Brother’s Keeper mentorship program for young men attending local high schools. President Obama later appointed him as the national director of AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). In 2015, Attorney General Loretta Lynch designated him as head of the Community Relations Service at the U.S. Department of Justice where he focused on addressing the rise in hate crimes and mediating communities in conflict following fatal law enforcement-involved shootings.

He is a member of the Leadership Greater Washington Class of 2021, the Prince George’s County (MD) Public Schools Board of Education, and the Board of Governors of Wesley Theological Seminary.

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Nick Motu

Treasurer of the Mary Christie Institute

Nick Motu brings over 25 years of executive behavioral health care management experience to the Mary Christie Institute. He is responsible for supporting growth initiatives and managing government relations and public and media relations.

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Motu served in a number of executive roles for 26 years at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation (HBFF), the nation’s largest non-profit provider of addiction services. Most recently he was Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer managing business development, marketing, media relations/communications, government affairs and public advocacy.

During Motu’s tenure at HBFF the organization grew from 7 regional sites to 17 and from $110M to $220M in revenue. He was on the management team that successfully merged Hazelden with the Betty Ford Clinic, managed the transition to a new commercial insurance business model, launched the organization’s Government Affairs and Advocacy initiative, led the partnership between Emory Health and HBFF and directed new website development and data-driven marketing efforts.

Motu also served for 10 years as HBFF’s Publisher–the largest publisher of prevention, addiction treatment and recovery content in the world. During his tenure, Motu led the company’s transition from a print to electronic publisher of consumer products, professional curricula and web-based apps. He also managed the company’s successful launching of 17 evidence-based prevention curricula (the most recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recovery apps that received national recognition, and was instrumental in securing numerous federal and state government grants and projects

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Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim

Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim, PhD

Deputy Director U.S. at the Ruderman Family Foundation

Hanna is Deputy Director U.S. at the Ruderman Family Foundation. Hanna completed her PhD at the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a focus on philanthropic studies. She joined the Ruderman Family Foundation after completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Brandeis University, specializing in the research of Jewish philanthropy.

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Hanna is focused on documenting and analyzing the activities of multiple foundations and community philanthropies, working closely with hundreds of philanthropists and practitioners of philanthropic organizations in the Jewish world. She researches changes in organized Jewish giving, and has developed a unique database that contains information on the giving trends of thousands of Jewish organizations.

Hanna has been acknowledged worldwide as the expert on American Jewish philanthropy. Her work has been supported by several universities and research institutes, and by American and Israeli foundations. She authors scholarly peer reviewed articles, media publications, and professional reports, and is frequently quoted in national and international media outlets. Hanna is taking an important role in moving the Foundation’s goals forward, based on her extensive knowledge, data and insights of the different dimensions of the US Jewish philanthropy sector, including its grant making institutions, diaspora philanthropy, faith based giving, cross-faith and Israeli philanthropy. In addition, Hanna is a Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Associate Faculty at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and a member of the Faith & Giving Task Force of the Generosity Commission.

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Sofia Pertuz, PhD, SHRM-SCP

Managing Director for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Billie Jean King Enterprises and External Advisor to The Jed Foundation

Sofia B. Pertuz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional with over 25 years of experience leading strategic planning, assessment, and critical incident management for higher education, nonprofit and corporate organizations. Sofia currently serves as Managing Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Billie Jean King Enterprises and is the founder for Mainstream Insight LLC, leading organizations towards inclusive excellence.

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Sofia has presented keynotes and training workshops to international audiences on topics in change management, social justice, racial equity, and LGBTQ advocacy, in both English and Spanish. Sofia has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from SUNY New Paltz and earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University. Sofia also holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR from Cornell University and is a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

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Zoe Ragouzeos

Zoe Ragouzeos, PhD, LCSW

Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University and President of the Mary Christie Institute

Zoe Ragouzeos is President of the Mary Christie Institute. She is Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University, where she oversees the mental health services as well as the sexual misconduct support services for the over 40,000 students.

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She was hired in summer 2004 to start the “Wellness Exchange”, a set of programs and services that respond to the varied wellness needs of students. At its core, the Wellness Exchange offers the NYU community a clinically-staffed hotline that offers counseling support over the telephone as well as access to face-to-face emergency response services 24/7. The hotline receives tens of thousands of calls each year from students themselves but also from their friends, parents, faculty, staff and others who care about their wellbeing. The NYU Wellness Exchange also recruits and trains other Student Affairs and University partners including Athletics, Public Safety, LGBTQ Student Services and faculty from all around the University thereby building a “web of support” for students beyond the walls of the Student Health Center.

From 2004-2009, Dr. Ragouzeos created a significant Emergency Response Service at NYU including a 60 hour/week walk-in service and the Crisis Response Counselor program modeled after NYC Mobile Crisis. These services significantly augmented the support being provided by the traditional Counseling and Behavioral Health Services already in place. In 2009, Dr. Ragouzeos united the two units creating the current “NYU Counseling and Wellness Services”. This service offers approximately 40K visits each year including short term counseling, group treatment, psychiatry services, workshops and emergency interventions.

Given the vast global presence of NYU, Dr. Ragouzeos currently oversees a clinical team of full time NYU staff in 12 countries.

In 2014, Dr. Ragouzeos created the Center for Sexual Misconduct Support Services which seeks to coordinate wrap-around health, mental health, academic, housing, safety and other support services to survivors of sexual misconduct.

Dr. Ragouzeos is a clinical social worker licensed in the state of New York and holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from New York University.

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Robert Roeser, PhD

Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion and Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State College of College of Health and Human Development

Robert W. Roeser is the Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, and a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, in the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan (1996) and holds master’s degrees in religion and psychology (Holy Names College), developmental psychology and clinical social work (University of Michigan).

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He has held faculty appointments at Stanford University, Portland State University, and Penn State University. In 2005 and 2016, Dr. Roeser was a United States Fulbright Scholar in India; and from 1999-2004 he was a William T. Grant Faculty Scholar. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the Senior Program Coordinator for the Mind and Life Institute and a coordinator for the Mind and Life Education Research Network (MLERN). Since, that time, Dr. Roeser has served in numerous roles with the Mind and Life Institute and currently is a member of its Steering Committee.

Dr. Roeser’s main research interests are in the areas of human motivation, identity and learning; adolescence and early adulthood, schooling as a central cultural context affecting students’ academic, social-emotional and identity development; and the implementation and impacts of mindfulness and compassion training programs on parent, teacher and student outcomes with respect to health and wellbeing, teaching and learning, and the creation of compassionate and equitable learning environments in schools. He also has a deep scholarly interest in indigenous Asian Indian psychologies and related forms of pedagogy, and conducts developmental and educational research in India on efforts at holistic human development and holistic education based on these indigenous ideas.

His recent scholarly articles have focused on mindfulness in education, compassion in human development, and the need for new forms of holistic education to meet pressing global challenges.

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Nance Roy, MS, EdD

Chief Clinical Officer of the Jed Foundation and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry

Dr. Roy serves as the Chief Clinical Officer of the Jed Foundation and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry. She has over 20 years of experience as a psychologist working in college mental health.

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She served as the Assistant Dean of Health and Wellness at Sarah Lawrence College and most recently was the Associate Dean of Health and Wellness at Rhode Island School of Design. She is a senior advisor for the National College Depression Partnership and publications have focused on effective strategies for treatment and management of at-risk students on college campuses.  She has been actively involved in college strategic planning initiatives focusing on a holistic approach to education, crisis management and a public health model for delivery of care on college campuses.  Through her work with The Jed Foundation, Dr Roy has worked on mental health initiatives with the former Surgeon General, the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance, the Department of Defense, The Veteran’s Administration, the Clinton Health Matters Initiative and college and university systems across the country.

She earned a BS degree from the University of Rhode Island, an MS from the University of North Carolina and an Ed.D. from Harvard University.

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Photography of leadership team at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Timothy Ryan, CPA

US Chair and Senior Partner, PwC

Tim Ryan is US Chair and Senior Partner of PwC after having been elected by his fellow partners. He is responsible for setting the strategy, leading the culture, and setting the tone on quality for the firm’s 55,000 employees and partners.

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Tim serves as the Chair of the US Board of Partners and Principals and is a member of the Network Leadership Team (NLT), which includes the senior partners from the network’s four largest territories. He serves as Asia Pacific Americas (APA) Leader and oversees the execution of the network strategy in that region.

Tim is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Brookings Institution. He also serves as a member of the Governing Board at the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ), a non-partisan and non-profit group dedicated to enhancing investor confidence and public trust in the global capital markets.  He also serves on the Financial Accounting Foundation’s Board of Trustees and is the Co-Chair of its Standard-Setting Process Oversight Committee.

Tim worked with a small group of CEOs to launch CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™– now the largest ever CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, with 2,000 signatory organizations. He also founded CEO Action for Racial Equity to identify and promote scalable and sustainable policies and corporate best practices to address systemic racism and social injustice.

Tim has over 30 years of diversified experience serving clients across the globe. He is a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New York and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from Babson College where he studied accounting and communications, and joined the firm after graduation. Tim is a Boston native, a runner, and proud father of six children.

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Andrew Shepardson_CROP

J. Andrew Shepardson, MEd, PhD

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Andrew Shepardson has been a member of the Bentley University community since 1993, when he started as judicial coordinator. Following promotions to assistant dean, associate dean and dean, he assumed the position of vice president for student affairs and dean of students in 2011.

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In this capacity, Andrew oversees all aspects of student life on and off campus through the management of numerous student-facing officers. In addition to his roles on campus, Andrew has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Bentley, Northeastern and Suffolk universities. He has been named staff member of the year by Bentley students and received the university’s Founder’s Day award. He is currently chair of  the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) James E. Scott Academy.  Andrew holds a PhD from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, an MEd in Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University, and a BA in English from St. Michael’s College in Vermont.

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Christopher Stawski, MA, PhD

Senior Program Manager and Senior Fellow at the Kern Family Foundation

Christopher Stawski is Senior Program Director and Senior Fellow at the Kern Family Foundation.  He works to build relational networks and co-develop strategic directions to integrate the Foundation’s focus areas in character, entrepreneurial mindset, and creating value for others.

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He is also an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he is working with a national network of leading medical schools to integrate character into medical education.  Stawski has been a program and strategy consultant and previously served for ten years at the John Templeton Foundation, where he was a Vice President leading a high-energy, R&D philanthropic unit worth more than $100 million across the Foundation’s donor intent focused on proactively developing cross-disciplinary projects and initiatives.  He developed new grant programs on a global scale to advance themes such as awe, curiosity, future-mindedness, gratitude, imagination, joy, purpose, and wisdom through academic research, educational intervention, and public engagement.  Prior to his role as a Vice President, he was a Program Officer at Templeton managing portfolios in character development, freedom and free enterprise, genius and gifted education, and the human sciences. Stawski is a High Honors graduate of Swarthmore College, with a master’s degree from Harvard University and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in the study of religion.  He was a Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and serves on several non-profit boards, including as past Chairman of the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) and current Chairman of USPEN.

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