Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D. is Professor and Past-Director of Clinical Ph.D. Training, Psychology Department, Rutgers University, Director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab (www.secdlab.org), Co-Founder and Contributing Faculty of The Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service (engage.rutgers.edu), Past President of the Society for Community Research and Action, and Founding Member of the Leadership Team for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (www.CASEL.org).
Dr. Elias lectures nationally and internationally, is frequently sought out as an expert in print and electronic media, and devotes his research and writing to the area of social-emotional and character development in children, schools, and families. Books include Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving Curricula for Elementary and Middle School Students (2006-12, www.researchpress.com), The Educators Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement: Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom (Corwin, 2006), Bullying, victimization, bullying, and peer harassment: A handbook of prevention and Intervention (Taylor & Francis, 2007), Urban Dreams: Stories of Hope, Character, and Resilience (2008, Hamilton Books), School Climate: Building Safe, Supportive and Engaging Classrooms & Schools (2011, National Professional Resources), the e-book, Emotionally Intelligent Parenting (via Kindle and Nook), Schools of Social-Emotional Competence and Character, The Other Side of the Report Card: Assessing Students’ Social, Emotional, and Character Development (how schools and districts can integrate SECD systematically into their ongoing student report cards—Corwin Press) and others. He collaborated with storytellers in the U.S. and Israel, and a prominent Israeli School Psychologist, to create a book for young children: Talking Treasure: Stories to Help Build Emotional Intelligence and Resilience in Young Children (www.researchpress.com, 2012).
Dr. Elias has received the SCRA Distinguished Contribution to Practice and Ethnic Minority Mentoring Awards, APA’s National Psychological Consultants to Management Award, the Joseph E. Zins Memorial Senior Scholar Award for Social-Emotional Learning from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the John P. McGovern Medal from the American School Health Association, the Sanford McDonnell Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education, and the Jane Bostrum Service to School Psychology Award. He is a licensed psychologist in NJ and writes a blog on Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD) for the George Lucas Educational Foundation at www.edutopia.org.
