Studies

Michael Lamb is the Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character and Assistant Professor of Politics, Ethics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities. He is also a Research Fellow for the Oxford Character Project. He earned a B.A. in political science from Rhodes College, a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University, and a second B.A. in philosophy and theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. His interdisciplinary research focuses on moral education, the ethics of citizenship, and the role of virtues in public life. He is the co-editor of Everyday Ethics: Moral Theology and the Practices of Ordinary Life, and his work has been published in a number of edited volumes and academic journals, including the American Political Science Review, Review of Politics, Augustinian Studies, and Journal of Religious Ethics. A political theorist with experience in practical politics, he has advised colleges on character education and civic engagement, co-founded a non-profit that supports sustainable development in Uganda, and served as chief of staff for campaigns for state senate, Governor, and U.S. Congress in his home state of Tennessee. Prior to joining Wake Forest, he helped to launch the Oxford Character Project and served as Dean of Leadership, Service, and Character Development for Rhodes Scholars. A recipient of teaching awards from Princeton and Oxford, he teaches “How to Keep a Republic” and “Commencing Character: How Should We Live?” and directs programs to develop leaders of character at Wake Forest.

Heather M. Maranges is the Senior Research Scholar at the Program for Leadership and Character, leading the program’s empirical assessment of programming, courses, and interventions to understand how to facilitate the formation of virtuous character. Heather received her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at Florida State University, and the Horizon Postdoctoral Fellowship for work at the Social Justice Centre and Departments of Psychology and Philosophy at Concordia University. Early on in her in university years, her coursework incorporated considerable study not only in psychology, but also in philosophy, English literature, and biology. Today, her research seeks to understand what facilitates cooperation and virtue, inspired by both Aristotelian virtue ethics and behavioral ecology frameworks. In particular, she studies how both self-control and childhood environments/experiences shape moral character and decision making.

Dr. Kate Allman is a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character. She received her B.A. in English from Emory University, her M.Ed. in English Education from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on fostering holistic connections between student learning, evaluation, programmatic planning, and organizational thriving in Institutions of Higher Education. She has specialized expertise in holistic program evaluation, grant management, and institutional accreditation. Prior to coming to Wake, she served as a faculty member and administrator at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University, where she led numerous formative, outcome, and impact evaluation projects using a collaborative, participatory approach. At Duke University, she was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the development of teacher leaders in STEM Education. As a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character, Kate coordinates and supports research activities and internal evaluation.

Sara Etz Mendonça is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Program for Leadership and Character and in the Department of Psychology. She earned a B.A. in Romance languages and literature from the University of Chicago, an M.Ed. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Her research focuses on the development of character and virtues in youth and the creation of effective character interventions.  Her work has been published in edited volumes such as Developing Gratitude in Children and Adolescents and peer-reviewed academic journals including Current Psychology and Cross-Cultural Research. She has also presented her findings at multiple national and international conferences including the Society for Research in Child Development and the Association for Moral Education. Beyond her scholarly work, she is a dedicated educator who has won teaching awards from multiple middle and high schools from Illinois to Mexico to Sweden, and, most recently, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While working in high schools, she founded programs for immigrant parents and their children to inform them about the college admissions process so that the students could continue their education by attending university. A firm believer in the connection between mind and body, she has both founded and coached various track and soccer teams in the educational institutions where she has worked.

Michael Lamb is the Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character and Assistant Professor of Politics, Ethics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities. He is also a Research Fellow for the Oxford Character Project. He earned a B.A. in political science from Rhodes College, a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University, and a second B.A. in philosophy and theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. His interdisciplinary research focuses on moral education, the ethics of citizenship, and the role of virtues in public life. He is the co-editor of Everyday Ethics: Moral Theology and the Practices of Ordinary Life, and his work has been published in a number of edited volumes and academic journals, including the American Political Science Review, Review of Politics, Augustinian Studies, and Journal of Religious Ethics. A political theorist with experience in practical politics, he has advised colleges on character education and civic engagement, co-founded a non-profit that supports sustainable development in Uganda, and served as chief of staff for campaigns for state senate, Governor, and U.S. Congress in his home state of Tennessee. Prior to joining Wake Forest, he helped to launch the Oxford Character Project and served as Dean of Leadership, Service, and Character Development for Rhodes Scholars. A recipient of teaching awards from Princeton and Oxford, he teaches “How to Keep a Republic” and “Commencing Character: How Should We Live?” and directs programs to develop leaders of character at Wake Forest.

Kenneth Townsend is the Director of Leadership and Character for the Professional Schools and Scholar-in-Residence at the Wake Forest School of Law. A recipient of the Truman Scholarship for Public Service and the Rhodes Scholarship, he earned a B.A. from Millsaps College, an M.Phil. from the University of Oxford, and a J.D. and M.A.R. from Yale University. Prior to joining Wake Forest, he worked at Millsaps College as Special Assistant to the President, Assistant Professor of Political Science, and Founding Executive Director of the Institute for Professional and Civic Engagement and, before Millsaps, as a Fellow in the University of Mississippi’s Barksdale Honors College and Lott Leadership Institute. A licensed attorney and frequent commentator on public affairs, he has taught courses in ethics, political theory, public policy, and constitutional law at Millsaps College, University of Mississippi, and Yale University. He teaches “Professional Responsibility” and “Leadership and Character in the Professions” at the Wake Forest School of Law. His research focuses on the relationship between law and morality, the role of religion in a democracy, and the ethical obligations of professionals.

Dr. Kate Allman is a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character. She received her B.A. in English from Emory University, her M.Ed. in English Education from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on fostering holistic connections between student learning, evaluation, programmatic planning, and organizational thriving in Institutions of Higher Education. She has specialized expertise in holistic program evaluation, grant management, and institutional accreditation. Prior to coming to Wake, she served as a faculty member and administrator at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University, where she led numerous formative, outcome, and impact evaluation projects using a collaborative, participatory approach. At Duke University, she was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the development of teacher leaders in STEM Education. As a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character, Kate coordinates and supports research activities and internal evaluation.

Heather M. Maranges is the Senior Research Scholar at the Program for Leadership and Character, leading the program’s empirical assessment of programming, courses, and interventions to understand how to facilitate the formation of virtuous character. Heather received her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at Florida State University, and the Horizon Postdoctoral Fellowship for work at the Social Justice Centre and Departments of Psychology and Philosophy at Concordia University. Early on in her in university years, her coursework incorporated considerable study not only in psychology, but also in philosophy, English literature, and biology. Today, her research seeks to understand what facilitates cooperation and virtue, inspired by both Aristotelian virtue ethics and behavioral ecology frameworks. In particular, she studies how both self-control and childhood environments/experiences shape moral character and decision making.

Sara Etz Mendonça is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Program for Leadership and Character and in the Department of Psychology. She earned a B.A. in Romance languages and literature from the University of Chicago, an M.Ed. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Her research focuses on the development of character and virtues in youth and the creation of effective character interventions.  Her work has been published in edited volumes such as Developing Gratitude in Children and Adolescents and peer-reviewed academic journals including Current Psychology and Cross-Cultural Research. She has also presented her findings at multiple national and international conferences including the Society for Research in Child Development and the Association for Moral Education. Beyond her scholarly work, she is a dedicated educator who has won teaching awards from multiple middle and high schools from Illinois to Mexico to Sweden, and, most recently, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While working in high schools, she founded programs for immigrant parents and their children to inform them about the college admissions process so that the students could continue their education by attending university. A firm believer in the connection between mind and body, she has both founded and coached various track and soccer teams in the educational institutions where she has worked.

Elizabeth Whiting Pierce is Assistant Director for Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools. She earned a B.S. from Trevecca Nazarene University, an M.Div. from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University, concentrating in Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. Before joining the Leadership and Character Program at Wake Forest University, Dr. Pierce directed the Center for Ethics and taught philosophy courses at Mars Hill University. Those courses include “Democratic Legitimacy,” “Environmental Ethics,” and “Business Ethics.” A primary goal of her research and teaching is equipping leaders to constructively engage conflicts arising in their professional settings and in society at large.

Dr. Kate Allman is a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character. She received her B.A. in English from Emory University, her M.Ed. in English Education from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on fostering holistic connections between student learning, evaluation, programmatic planning, and organizational thriving in Institutions of Higher Education. She has specialized expertise in holistic program evaluation, grant management, and institutional accreditation. Prior to coming to Wake, she served as a faculty member and administrator at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University, where she led numerous formative, outcome, and impact evaluation projects using a collaborative, participatory approach. At Duke University, she was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the development of teacher leaders in STEM Education. As a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character, Kate coordinates and supports research activities and internal evaluation.

Dr. Kate Allman is a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character. She received her B.A. in English from Emory University, her M.Ed. in English Education from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on fostering holistic connections between student learning, evaluation, programmatic planning, and organizational thriving in Institutions of Higher Education. She has specialized expertise in holistic program evaluation, grant management, and institutional accreditation. Prior to coming to Wake, she served as a faculty member and administrator at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University, where she led numerous formative, outcome, and impact evaluation projects using a collaborative, participatory approach. At Duke University, she was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the development of teacher leaders in STEM Education. As a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character, Kate coordinates and supports research activities and internal evaluation.

Bradley Burroughs is Assistant Director of Leadership and Character in Religious Life. He received a B.A. from Allegheny College, an M.Div. from Duke University Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University. His academic work integrates theological ethics, modern social theory, and contemporary theories of virtue to explore the role and development of character in contemporary life. He is the author of Christianity, Politics, and the Predicament of Evil: A Constructive Theological Ethic of Soulcraft and Statecraft, as well as articles that have appeared in The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, The Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Christian Century, and elsewhere. Prior to joining Wake Forest, he taught at Allegheny College, United Theological Seminary, and the Graduate Theological Union, where he held a joint appointment at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. In addition to teaching courses in ethics, theology, and formation, he also has experience in broad-based community organizing.

Dr. Kate Allman is a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character. She received her B.A. in English from Emory University, her M.Ed. in English Education from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on fostering holistic connections between student learning, evaluation, programmatic planning, and organizational thriving in Institutions of Higher Education. She has specialized expertise in holistic program evaluation, grant management, and institutional accreditation. Prior to coming to Wake, she served as a faculty member and administrator at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University, where she led numerous formative, outcome, and impact evaluation projects using a collaborative, participatory approach. At Duke University, she was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the development of teacher leaders in STEM Education. As a Research Scholar in the Program for Leadership and Character, Kate coordinates and supports research activities and internal evaluation.

Michael Lamb is the Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character and Assistant Professor of Politics, Ethics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities. He is also a Research Fellow for the Oxford Character Project. He earned a B.A. in political science from Rhodes College, a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University, and a second B.A. in philosophy and theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. His interdisciplinary research focuses on moral education, the ethics of citizenship, and the role of virtues in public life. He is the co-editor of Everyday Ethics: Moral Theology and the Practices of Ordinary Life, and his work has been published in a number of edited volumes and academic journals, including the American Political Science Review, Review of Politics, Augustinian Studies, and Journal of Religious Ethics. A political theorist with experience in practical politics, he has advised colleges on character education and civic engagement, co-founded a non-profit that supports sustainable development in Uganda, and served as chief of staff for campaigns for state senate, Governor, and U.S. Congress in his home state of Tennessee. Prior to joining Wake Forest, he helped to launch the Oxford Character Project and served as Dean of Leadership, Service, and Character Development for Rhodes Scholars. A recipient of teaching awards from Princeton and Oxford, he teaches “How to Keep a Republic” and “Commencing Character: How Should We Live?” and directs programs to develop leaders of character at Wake Forest.

Heather M. Maranges is the Senior Research Scholar at the Program for Leadership and Character, leading the program’s empirical assessment of programming, courses, and interventions to understand how to facilitate the formation of virtuous character. Heather received her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at Florida State University, and the Horizon Postdoctoral Fellowship for work at the Social Justice Centre and Departments of Psychology and Philosophy at Concordia University. Early on in her in university years, her coursework incorporated considerable study not only in psychology, but also in philosophy, English literature, and biology. Today, her research seeks to understand what facilitates cooperation and virtue, inspired by both Aristotelian virtue ethics and behavioral ecology frameworks. In particular, she studies how both self-control and childhood environments/experiences shape moral character and decision making.

Peter is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Calvin College whose research focuses on the cultivation of character virtues. Previously, he researched character education interventions as a postdoctoral fellow with the Character Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Angela is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. A MacArthur Fellow, she is also the Founder and CEO of Character Lab.

Jesse is George S. Eccles Professor of Business Ethics and Associate Professor of Management at the University of Utah. He has extensive expertise on the psychology of moral values, moral judgment, and character education.

Bart is Assistant Professor of Philosophy who has published on the use of nudges and exemplars in moral education. Coordinating the service teaching courses at Tilburg, he plays a pivotal role in the implementation of the Tilburg Educational Vision with its focus on Academically Building Character.

Alfred is Assistant Professor in Ethics with expertise in moral philosophy, moral psychology, and moral education. He was the primary investigator of the “Identifying Morally Exceptional People” project (funded by The Beacon Project at Wake Forest University) that brought together a team of philosophers and psychologists to investigate how morally exceptional people can be identified and what role they ought to play in moral education. 

Joanne is Assistant Professor of Psychology with expertise on emotions and personality development. She is co-investigator of the project, “Emotional Character Growth Following Adversity” (funded by the Pathways to Character Project/John Templeton Foundation).

Theo is Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology. He has expertise in narrative analysis, the development of identity and morality-related personality dimensions, and longitudinal data analysis.

Anne is Assistant Professor in Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on the social contexts and processes of the development of personality and the self and draws on developmental, personality, and social perspectives while applying a wide range of longitudinal research methods.

Jelle is Assistant Professor in Developmental Psychology. He has expertise in the field of social relationships and pro- and anti-social behavior.

Michael is Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character and Assistant Professor of Politics, Ethics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities. He is also a Research Fellow with the Oxford Character Project, where he researched, designed, and facilitated exemplar-based character interventions. A Rhodes Scholar, he previously served as Dean of Leadership, Service, and Character Development for the Rhodes Trust.

Ann is the Director of Programming for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. Previously, she served as Interim Director of Religious Life, Adjunct Professor, and Director of the Faith and Work Initiative at Millsaps College and a Research Fellow, Teaching Assistant, and Residential Fellow at Yale University.

Kenneth is the Director of Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools and Scholar-in-Residence in the School of Law. Previously he was Assistant Professor of Political Science, Special Assistant to the President, and founding Executive Director of the Institute for Civic & Professional Engagement at Millsaps College. A Truman Scholar and Rhodes Scholar with a J.D. and M.A.R. from Yale University and an M.Phil. from the University of Oxford. He pursues research on law and morality, the role of religion in a democracy, and the ethical character of professionals.

Eranda is an Associate Professor of Psychology with expertise on the philosophy and psychology of character virtues and growth in character virtues following challenges and failure. He is currently the Project Co-Leader of the Pathways to Character Project and a Psychology Co-Leader of the Honesty Project. He was a Faculty Investigator on The Beacon Project.

Ann Marie is a clinical and research psychologist who researches post-traumatic growth, resilience, and well-being.

Michael is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Glasgow who focuses on the philosophy of emotion and its links with moral philosophy and epistemology. He was Director of the British Philosophical Association, having previously served as Secretary of the Scots Philosophical Association. He is Philosopher in Residence with Quarantine, the Manchester-based theatre and performance company.

Liz is Senior Lecturer in Positive Psychology at the University of Northampton. Previously, she developed projects on the development of character virtues as a Senior Research Fellow at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham.

Edward is the Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project, where he has researched, designed, and facilitated exemplar-based character interventions.

Oliver is a lecturer in the faculty of History at the University of Cambridge who specializes in literary and textual analysis.

Jonathan is Director of the Oxford Character Project, a Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. He is also the Chaplain for the Oxford Pastorate.