Jennifer Brown Urban Editor & Author

Jennifer Brown Urban, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University, where she also codirects 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:

• systems evaluation, the development, testing, and implementation of a systems science approach to program evaluation and planning to enhance internal evaluation capacity, particularly for youth program practitioners and evaluators
• innovative approaches to advancing developmental science by developing and promoting a social justice perspective, the use of innovative methods, and professional development resources
• 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.

Dr. Urban is currently principal investigator on several grant-funded projects, and her most recent research focuses on character development and innovative approaches to program evaluation and planning. She uses mixed-methods approaches in her own research and has mentored many undergraduate and graduate students in designing and executing applied research projects. She developed and has taught a doctoral professional development course for several years and is passionate about mentoring students.

Miriam R. Linver, PhD, is professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University and codirects the Institute for Research on Youth Thriving and Evaluation (RYTE Institute). Previously, Dr. Linver was a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research reflects Bronfenbrenner's ecological paradigm, focusing on the contexts of child and adolescent development. She has expertise in the importance of the home environment for infants, children, and adolescents; the ways school and out-of-school experiences matter for children and youth; and flourishing and character development as key outcomes. She has served as guest editor of several journal special issues, including Parenting: Science and Practice (""Parenting at HOME""), Infant Mental Health Journal (""New Directions in Young Children's Socio-emotional Measures""), and Research in Human Development (""'My Life Purpose Is...': Assessment of Youth Purpose in Context""). Dr. Linver is co-principal investigator on several funded projects in the RYTE Institute focused on program evaluation and character development outcomes in youth. She enjoys the challenges and rewards of mentoring and collaborating with undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and colleagues.