Dr. Kimberley Schonert-Reichl
Dr. Schonert-Reichl is an Applied Developmental Psychologist and a Professor in the Human Development, Learning, and Culture area in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is also the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership in the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Dr. Schonert-Reichl is a renowned expert in the area of social and emotional learning (SEL) research with children and adolescents, particularly in relation to the identification of the processes and mechanisms that foster positive human qualities such as empathy, compassion, altruism and resiliency.
She received her M.A. from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She was a National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry), and Special Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo
Hereditary Chief from B.C.’s Ahousaht First Nation and former co-chair of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Shawn has served First Nations as a leader, facilitator, mediator, planner and teacher. He was elected as B.C. Regional Chief in 2009, and National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009 and 2012.
Heather Atleo
An experienced negotiator, mediator, strategist and facilitator, Heather Atleo has extensive background in strategic partnerships and business investments, engagement, communications and policy analysis and development.
Dr. Amy Cheung
Dr. Amy Cheung is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. She is jointly appointed at the Mood Disorders Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Cheung’s research focuses on the management of depression in adolescents. Dr. Cheung has recently been in the news highlighting the latest update of Teen Depression Guidelines to help physicians tackle mental health issues, recently published by the American Academy of Paediatrics. Dr. Cheung is one of the lead authors and among a team that has developed the first update to the guidelines in 10 years. She was quoted in the Washington Examiner, Medical News Today, and interviewed for other radio and print publications. The guidelines have garnered headlines including CBS and The Today Show on NBC.
Dr. Kathy Short
Clinical Child Psychologist with research and practice interests in school mental health promotion, knowledge mobilization and implementation science, Dr. Kathy Short is Director for School Mental Health ASSIST, a provincial implementation team supporting the uptake and sustainability of evidence-based promotion and prevention programming in schools. Dr. Short has served on several provincial advisory groups, including the Student Well-Being Advisory Committee for the Ministry of Education and the Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council for the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, and is involved in several national projects. She co-chairs the School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (SMHILE), a network of global leaders focused on key themes in mental health promotion.
Molly Stewart Lawlor
Primary Author, WE Well-being Program
Primary author for the Hawn Foundation’s MindUPTM program (www.mindup.org) and Committee for Children’s Mind Yeti mindfulness-based digital application (www.mindyeti.com), Molly Stewart Lawlor, M.A., Ph.D. candidate, has expertise in social and emotional development throughout childhood and adolescence. Molly’s research includes the investigation of mindfulness and psychological adjustment in children and adolescents, and evaluations of social-emotional learning programs for children and adolescents in school settings. Molly has expertise in program development, specifically social emotional learning (SEL) programming and mindfulness-based curricula. She is the Director of Education and Research for Playing Forward, and developer of the Taxi Dog Social Emotional Learning Program.