Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D., is the Principal Investigator for the Adolescent Moral Development Lab and a Professor of Psychology in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Claremont Graduate University. She is a developmental scientist interested in studying and promoting positive youth development and the moral growth of young people. Along with studying character strengths, including humility, gratitude, hope, and patience, she has most commonly investigated young people’s purposes in life.

Her research has explored the relationship between purpose and healthy growth, the ways young people discover purpose, and the developmental trajectory of youth with strong commitments to various purposes in life. Her work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the Templeton Religion Trust, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Fulbright Foundation.

In addition to her substantive interests, Kendall has also helped define and outline the parameters of the exemplar methodology, an approach that allows researchers to gain a view of exemplary development, which is critical for a full understanding of human development, and she teaches courses and workshops on qualitative research methods.

After graduating with a B.S. from Northwestern University, Kendall earned her doctorate from Stanford University and completed postdoctoral research at the Stanford Center on Adolescence. She teaches master’s and doctoral classes on positive contexts, child development, adolescent development, and qualitative research methods. She also teaches a directed research course for first-year positive developmental doctoral students.

Dacey Bashaw earned her M.A. in psychological research from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. She is a member of the Adolescent Moral Development lab and is passionate about using Positive Psychology to improve developmental outcomes of youth from disadvantaged communities. Broadly, she is interested in exploring the ways in which disadvantaged youth discover their purpose in life and how having a purpose promotes positive developmental outcomes. Currently, she is working on a project aimed at cultivating purpose among early adolescents faced with economic challenges, and will be exploring how having a purpose in life relates to well-being and positive academic outcomes for economically disadvantaged youth.

Shani Binyamin is an M.A. student in the Positive Organizational Psychology and Evaluation program at Claremont Graduate University. She has her B.S. degree in psychology and sociology from Eckerd College. Her research interests include meaning, the development of purpose, belonging, well-being, and the role of nature in psychological development. She is passionate about helping people flourish and deepening their connection with nature for holistic wellness.

Christine D'Amico has her M.A. in organization development and adult education from the University of Minnesota. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in positive developmental psychology. In addition to her projects with this lab, she is also working as a coach giving feedback on 360-degree assessments with LeAD labs and runs a small education business focused on parent, child, and family development. Her research interests include studying the development of purpose, the parent-child relationship, and how parents can support optimal child and adolescent development.

Jared Hales graduated from BYU in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While there, he worked in Dr. Jared Warren’s Mindfulness Lab, where he fell in love with the principles of positive psychology. After graduating, Jared worked as a behavior technician for autistic adolescents in Utah Valley. He is currently in the MA positive developmental psychology program at CGU, where his research interests center on fostering adolescent purpose and finding purpose through religious observance. Jared is an avid pickleball player, baker, and pianist

Kay Leung is an M.A. student in the Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation program at Claremont Graduate University. She previously earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Biola University. She is interested in studying character virtues, well-being, purpose, and positive development within youth. In addition to being involved in projects from this lab, she has also worked as an evaluation assistant at the Claremont Evaluation Center, conducting evaluations for several youth after-school programs. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Kay is also passionate about exploring different areas in positive psychology with a cross-cultural lens. She enjoys cooking new recipes, exploring different restaurants, and watching sports with family and friends in her free time.

Sarah Morales is a joint M.A in Public Health and Positive Health Psychology student, with a concentration in Health Promotion, Education, and Evaluation. She holds a B.A in social science from the University of La Verne. She is interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating positive health and development programs focusing on play, social and emotional learning, meaning, and relatedness. She has a passion for advocacy and policy reform utilizing  human-centered, mixed-method, and collaborative approaches. Her overarching goal is helping society, especially youth, reach peak wellbeing and flourishing.

Lisa Pendleton Kearns earned her MSW at Columbia University in New York and earned her MFT and an MSCP from Notre Dame de Namur University. She is currently a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. As a licensed mental health clinician, she is passionate about improving the mental health of adolescents suffering with anxiety and depression. She initially worked to improve happiness levels in high schools and now believes strongly that purpose-fostering interventions have a higher likelihood of promoting positive developmental outcomes. She is a member of the Adolescent Moral Development Lab and her current research interests include purpose-promotion in high schools, purposeful parenting, and youth thriving.

Breanna Sampo earned her B.A. in psychology from McKendree University and is currently a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. She is a member of the Adolescent Moral Development Lab and is interested in purpose development, holistic well-being, and supportive environments, especially for adolescents and emerging adults. Currently, she is working on various projects, hoping to gain deeper insights on the pathways to purpose.

Christina Schwartz is a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include positive identity development, purpose development, and character strengths. She is especially interested in how these constructs develop during young adulthood and emerging adulthood. Her hobbies include pickleball, hiking, and video games!

Zachary T. Swanson, M.S., is a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. He earned his master’s degree in psychological sciences from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he was a member of the Cognitive Aging, Learning, and Memory Lab and the Hood Psychology of Religion Lab. Throughout his graduate career, he has worked on projects funded by the John Templeton Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust. He is an applied developmental psychologist in training interested in studying and promoting community flourishing through positive leadership, positive media, spirituality and well-being, and individual and collective purpose development. He is a project manager in the Adolescent Moral Development Lab for a research grant investigating how emerging adults search for purpose in life and the potential role of patience and religion during this search process. Professionally, he aims to assist organizations in cultivating collective purposes that prioritize social responsibility and community impact. When he is not working hard on his graduate degree, he enjoys spending time with his partner, playing rugby, and conversing about philosophy and life. Learn more about his positive media startup ventures by exploring his Substack, Paving The Way.

William Whitney is a doctoral student in the Positive Developmental Psychology program at Claremont Graduate University. He currently serves as associate professor of psychology at Azusa Pacific University and is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Pasadena, California. His research interests lie in the intersection of Religion/Spirituality and Virtue Development.

Song Xue is a second-year master’s student in the Positive Organizational Psychology and Evaluation program. He graduated from the University of Pacific with a B.S. in psychology and a M.S. in organizational psychology from Azusa Pacific University. He has researched employee work engagement and work-life balance in the remote work environment and consulted for various companies from different industries. His current research interests include workplace spirituality, calling, and ikigai intervention. His next academic goal is to get admitted to the Positive Organizational Psychology Ph.D. program at CGU.

Elyse Postlewaite
Post-Doctoral Researcher in Family Sciences and Human Development, Montclair State University

Brian Riches
Adjunct Professor, Salt Lake City Community College 

Eva (Jia Qi) Li
Pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology at UC Riverside

Brittany Hite
Doctoral Student, Youth Development Evaluation Lab, Claremont Graduate University

Caleb Mitchell
Educational Research Analyst, Santa Ana Unified School District

James McConchie
Vice President of Collaborative Impact, United Way of San Diego

Valeska Dubon
Senior Organization Development Consultant at Baptist Health

Celina Benavides
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Ventura Community College District

Susan Mangan
Assistant Professor of Psychology, St. Joseph’s College of Maine

Rachel Baumsteiger
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Cal Poly Pomona

Sam Mehoke
Founder, Development Matters Research & Evaluation

Ryan Cheung
Doctoral Student in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, University of Northern Colorado

Dustin Hunt
Lecturer in Educational Psychology, Ball State University

Lin Lin (林霖)
Doctoral Student in Organizational Psychology at Claremont Graduate University

Jinghui (Elaine) Zhang (张璟慧)
Doctoral Student in Social Psychology, Claremont Graduate University