Blake A. Colaianne, Ph.D., is an Assistant Research Professor in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State University. His research integrates developmental science, prevention science, and contemplative education to examine the social and emotional development of adolescents and emerging adults, with particular emphasis on compassion and human flourishing. Dr. Colaianne has developed and evaluated novel compassion-based curricula for K-12 school and university settings, centering social development and relationality as key mechanisms of change.

More recently, Dr. Colaianne has been named the inaugural Director of the Learn to Flourish Hub at Penn State, funded by the new Julie and Jason Borrelli Learn to Flourish $2 million endowment. The hub will bring together undergraduate and graduate students to co-design, build, and test mental well-being tools and resources for various college student groups.

Dr. Colaianne’s work has been supported by funding from the Mind & Life Institute, the Mental Research Institute, and the Grable Foundation, including the 2023 Samuel B. Hanser Visionary Grant from the Mind & Life Institute. He has published in journals such as Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Research on Adolescence, Mindfulness, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, and JAMA Open Network, and currently serves on the editorial board of Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy. He was recently named a 2026 CASEL Weissberg Scholar, recognizing early-career scholars making significant contributions to the field of social and emotional learning. As a former public high school teacher, he brings extensive experience in curriculum design and building school–research partnerships. Dr. Colaianne earned his B.S. from Juniata College, his M.Ed. from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. from Penn State University.

Michael Burroughs, Ph.D. serves as Executive Director of Organizational Change, Ethics, and Culture at the University of Southern California. In this role, Michael leads strategy and vision setting for the Culture Team; serves as an organizational change and culture consultant for schools, business units, and university leadership; and collaborates with faculty, staff, and student stakeholders to support, assess, and catalyze values and culture initiatives across our university. 

Michael has worked in higher education for 20 years as an educator, researcher, and administrative leader focusing on culture, ethics, and productive organizational change. He has published over 25 articles and chapters in the areas of ethics, education, and leadership. Michael has also worked extensively as an ethics consultant in healthcare, law enforcement, and nonprofit contexts and is a licensed Leadership Professional in Ethics and Compliance. Prior to joining USC, Michael held faculty and administrative leadership positions at California State University, Bakersfield; Penn State University; and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Michael received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Salisbury University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Memphis.

Elisabeth Arnold Weiss, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Technical Communication Practice at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Engineering in Society Program. She teaches Advanced Writing and Communication for Engineers, focused on character transformation, technology ethics, and engineering for social impact. She has also taught the communication courses for Ph.D. students, the overseas program, and Freshman Academies. She developed the cross-cultural and global community building components of the Industrial and Systems Engineering global innovation course and is part of the instructor team for the Human Performance, Resilience, and Leadership, and Safety Management Systems courses in the Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program.

Elisabeth is a Fellow with Virtues & Vocations, a national forum reimagining character education in the professions, sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation and a grant recipient from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, sponsored by the Lily Endowment.

She leads the Improv for Engineers co-curricular partnership with the USC School of Dramatic Arts, to infuse theater arts techniques into engineering communication and expression. She served as P.I. on the multidisciplinary grant project Improv for Engineers Master Class in VR, sponsored by the Engineering Information Foundation, and continues to develop immersive educational experiences through the creation of the ViterbiVerse and as part of Connected Futures, a USC coalition innovating in spatial computing.

She has formed long-standing outreach partnerships with The Accelerated Schools and AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles and built ATLAS, a community engaged experiential learning project focused on social impact, sustainability, and societal readiness. She is a frequent faculty contributor to Viterbi K-12 STEM Center programs.

She founded TEAM, Athletes Mindset for Engineers, with USC Athletics to promote human excellence across physical and mental domains through character development and the Keys to Life series with the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life to foster student success and well-being through purpose. She founded the DREAM Industry Mentorship speaker series to cultivate leadership and exemplar-ship for pre professionals and “A Board of Trustees for every Student” to provide mentorship at scale.

Elisabeth is the recipient of the USC Mentoring Award in 2024, the USC General Education Writing Award in 2022, and the Viterbi Dean’s Award for Innovation in Teaching and Education in 2019.

She is the Past Chair of the American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest region Executive Board, and the Associate Director of Partnership and Outreach for the Viterbi iPodia Program. She is a faculty affiliate of the Marshall School of Business Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making and serves on the board of the Viterbi John Brooks Slaughter Center.

Elisabeth joined the faculty at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering in 1999 and previously taught at Harvey Mudd College. She holds degrees in literature, film, and sociology from the University of Virginia and Claremont Graduate University.