Our Team

Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl is the NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning and Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. From 1991 to 2020, she was a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Schonert-Reichl received her MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Chicago, her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa, and completed her postdoctoral work as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence at the University of Chicago and the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern University Medical School. Prior to her graduate work, Dr. Schonert-Reichl worked as middle school teacher and then as a teacher at an alternative high school for adolescents identified as at risk for high school completion. Dr. Schonert-Reichl’s research focuses on identification of the processes that foster positive human qualities such as empathy, compassion, altruism, and resiliency in children and adolescents.

Josh Lovett (he/him) is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Community & Applied Developmental Psychology Program at UIC. Josh earned his BA in psychology from Duke University, where he also studied education and Korean. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Josh was a Fulbright Scholar in South Korea, where he spent three years teaching ESL to a wide range of students. Josh uses a mixed-methods approach to explore the social and behavioral contexts of learning, with particular attention to teachers’ social-emotional competencies and how these influence classroom dynamics and school ecology. His current research examines how teachers integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) into their instruction and the individual and contextual factors that shape this integration. Josh is also deeply passionate about teaching and pedagogy, and he plans to pursue teaching-focused faculty roles after completing his PhD. You can visit his personal website to learn more about him and his work.

Dr. M. Jennifer Kitil earned her PhD in Human Development, Learning, and Culture, at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. Prior, she earned her BA in Psychology and MPH in Community Health Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research investigates the efficacy of social and emotional learning programs on the well-being of children and youth in school-based settings. She is particularly interested in the role that mindfulness-based practices can have on neurocognitive and self-regulatory processes in the developmental trajectories of psychological well-being and the cultivation of positive human qualities. In her free time, you can find her wandering amongst structures and amidst the forests.

Dr. Denise Buote is a private consultant (Arbor Educational & Clinical Consulting Inc.) who has focused the past 25 years of her work on direct practice as well as research and evaluation. In her direct practice, Denise has worked in the public school system, residential treatment and community settings as a teacher and therapist, supporting a wide range of children and youth with a focus on supporting individuals with mental health challenges. In research and evaluation, Denise has conducted over 100 needs assessments, evaluations and research briefs for numerous schools, non-profit community organizations, and healthcare organizations that aim to provide services and programs that foster the well-being of children, youth and adults. She has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia and has provided numerous workshops and intensive training sessions in Canada and abroad for schools and community organizations in the areas of youth development, educational practices, and evaluation.

Claire Galloway (she/her) is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Community and Applied Developmental psychology program at UIC. She graduated from DePaul University with a BA in community psychology while researching nervous behavior around police and children coping with chronic pain. Prior to UIC, she worked for a workforce development non-profit for survivors of human trafficking, and she is now the co-chair of Salt & Light Coalition’s Associate Board. Her current research interests involve inclusion in the classroom and student relationships with peers and teachers.

Ashley Bledsoe is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Community and Prevention Research program at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her research centers on enhancing the educational experiences of Black youth by examining factors such as ethnic-racial socialization, ethnic-racial identity, and culturally responsive classroom dynamics. She draws on frameworks including Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) and the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST). Ashley works in the SEL Lab under Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, contributing to projects focused on teacher and student evaluations of the MindUP program, adolescent kindness, and whole-school mindfulness interventions. She has presented this work and other projects at national and regional conferences. Through her practicum with CASEL, Ashley supported the development of a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) pilot process. In addition to research, she is passionate about teaching at the collegiate level and using applied, community-engaged methods to promote equity, wellbeing, and meaningful school experiences for Black students.

Pooja Bhanushali is a third year PhD student in the Community and Applied Developmental Psychology program at UIC. She holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from SNDT University, India, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from St. Xavier’s College, India. Intentionally shifting from a curative to a preventative and transformative lens, Pooja has been an SEL Fellow at a non-profit organization, Apni Shala Foundation, facilitating SEL workshops for over 250 students from Mumbai Public Schools and their educators and caregivers. Her research involves studying mindfulness and social-emotional competencies in education systems internationally. She has led a field scan to assess SEL infrastructure internationally, which informed the development of CASEL’s International SEL Fellows program. Currently, she is investigating the mechanisms through which teachers’ social-emotional competencies influence students’ mindfulness and prosocial behaviors.

Linyun Fu is a PhD candidate at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. Her research primarily focuses on the development and evaluation of culturally sensitive, school-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs for rural Chinese children. Additionally, she explores resilience mechanisms within family, school, community, and policy systems that support vulnerable children. With over six years of experience, Linyun is a community-engaged researcher who has collaborated extensively with an NGO in China to support the development and evaluation of their SEL programs.

Phoenix Kask (he/him) is a first-year doctoral student in the Community and Applied Developmental Psychology program at the University of Illinois Chicago. He earned his B.S. in Psychology with minors in Education and Instructional Design & Training from UIC. His research explores how inclusive, trauma-sensitive, neurodiversity-affirming, and equity-centered approaches to education can foster social and emotional competencies, critical consciousness, and well-being among youth and educators. He is especially interested in critical media literacy as a social and emotional learning tool. Phoenix also focuses on the design and evaluation of educational programs and is passionate about using rigorous qualitative and mixed-methods research to center lived experiences and redistribute power in the research process. His broader goal is to reimagine education as a collaborative, liberatory process that prepares young people to be compassionate, critically engaged citizens in a democratic society—where belonging, dialogue, and social change are not only possible but expected.

Areesha Rahim (she/her) is a fourth-year undergraduate research assistant at University of Illinois Chicago, majoring in Applied Psychology with a minor in Education. She holds an associate in arts degree and is passionate about community and applied developmental psychology, with a focus on child and adolescent mental health. Areesha is a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and has served as a tutor for undergraduate students. She has also previously volunteered at UI Health. Outside of academics, Areesha enjoys sketching and spending time with her family.

Laith Doleh is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s and completing a double major in Integrated Health Studies and Psychology and will graduate in December 2025. He is a pre-medical student and will be starting medical school in Fall 2026. His end goal is to become a pediatric emergency medicine doctor and specialize in behavioral emergencies. Currently, Laith works as an EMT at a fire department in a suburb near the Illinois-Indiana border. He also volunteers with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Crisis Text Line, and at Advocate Children’s Hospital. Laith’s research interests revolve around incorporating mindfulness in classrooms to improve mental health outcomes for adolescents.

Dr. Rebecca Baelen’s research focuses on the design, implementation, and testing of school-based mindfulness and social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for teachers and students. Rebecca is currently the Director of Research and Development at the Center for Reaching and Teaching the Whole Child.

Aynsley was a post-bac fellow in the SEL Lab. She is now a doctoral student in the Occupational Therapy program at Rush University.

Dr. Kay Thursby-Bourke graduated with her PhD from UIC in Community and Applied Developmental Psychology in 2025. Her research interests include mentoring relationships and ways in which interpersonal skills, such as empathy or attunement, can be cultivated and developed over time for volunteer mentors. She is now an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Lake Forest College.