Character Academy Launch Part II

Dr. Jennifer Brown Urban is Professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University where she also co-directs the Institute for Research on Youth Thriving and Evaluation. Dr. Urban is trained as a developmental scientist with specific expertise in youth character development and program evaluation. Her scholarship is encapsulated under the umbrella of systems science including both theoretical approaches and methodologies and consists of three strands: (1) Relational Systems Evaluation: the development, testing, and implementation of a relational systems approach to program evaluation and planning to enhance internal evaluation capacity particularly for youth program practitioners and evaluators; (2) Innovative Approaches to Advancing Developmental Science: by developing and promoting a social justice perspective, the use of innovative methods, and professional development resources; and (3) Building the Evidence-Base in Developmental Science: specifically to determine the key features of character development programs that promote positive youth development; and advance the application of character science in multiple contexts to enhance human flourishing across the life span.

Jane Buckley, M.Ed. is an established facilitator and program development consultant who specializes in pathway modeling as well as facilitating the development of evaluative thinking, group decision making processes, and fostering effective organizational culture. Her work as an independent consultant as well as in partnership with the RYTE institute at Montclair State University has taken her around the world (with support from the Templeton World Charity Foundation and Catholic Relief Services), across the country (with the PACE project, the Greater Good Science Center, Yale’s STEM-PERL lab, the Riverside Church and others) and established Jane as a go-to author and workshop facilitator on the topics of pathway modeling and evaluative thinking.

Laurie Browne serves camps and their communities through her work as the Senior Director of Research and Education at the American Camp Association.  In that role, Dr. Browne supports a team of researchers and grant managers who gather insights from the field and translate them into practice.  She is passionate about the transformative role evaluation can play in a camp organization and enjoys working with camp professionals as they work develop a culture of continuous improvement at their camp.  Prior to joining ACA, Dr. Browne was on faculty at California State University, Chico and prior to that she was a day camp director in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She earned her doctorate in parks, recreation, and tourism from the University of Utah.

• 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. — *Opening Remarks - Keynote Speaker Dr. Jennifer Urban
• 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. — Break 
• 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. — *Drawing Character into Camp
• 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — Break
• 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. — *Every Camp Is a Learning Organization
• 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. — Break
• 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. — *Character at Camp Information Session & Closing Remarks

*This session will be recorded and will be available in the character library following the event.