Who We Are
The Thrive Center for Human Development is a multidisciplinary research center established with a dual mission as both (1) an academic research center that teaches and mentors future scholars in the field of psychology, and (2) a non-profit organization that conducts and converts research about human thriving into applied resources.
Formerly known as the Center for Research in Child and Adolescent Development (CRCAD), the Thrive Center was first founded in 2011 within the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary, focusing on the areas of human thriving, positive youth development, spiritual and religious development, and virtue development. In 2021, the Thrive Center joined Fuller's Leadership Formation Division as one of six pioneering centers in its mission to empower leaders and their communities.
Meet the Team
Executive Director, Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science
Pamela Ebstyne King, Ph.D. has worked with the Thrive Center for Human Development since its inception in 2011. In 2021, she was named executive director of the Thrive Center and continues to serve as the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science in Fuller's School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy.
Her primary academic interests are applied research at the intersection of human thriving and spiritual development. She is passionate about understanding what individual strengths and environments enable humans to thrive and become all God created them to be. She holds particular interest in understanding the role of faith, spirituality, religion, virtues in this process.
Dr. King's work combines theology, empirical research, and community engagement to further understand what contexts and settings enable people to thrive. She has conducted research funded by Biologos Foundation and John Templeton Foundation, among others.
Senior Director
Jilleen Westbrook, Ph.D. recently joined the staff of the Thrive Center for Human Development in 2022. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University and has taught at Temple University, the University of Southern California (USC), and Claremont Colleges.
Her academic work involved empirical investigations of the complicated psychological and market effects that result from policy decisions. Before joining, the Thrive Center, she worked as a consultant. Dr. Westbrook has long been interested in issues of faith and well-being, particularly in the practices that encourage mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Lauren Kim
Operations Manager and Special Projects/Events Coordinator
With over 10 years of operational & admin experience, Lauren Kim joined the Thrive Center in 2022 to utilize her passion for faith-based creativity and witnessing others' ability to be joyously renewed. With an innate interest in different cultures and being born & raised in Seoul, Korea, Lauren hopes to connect a bridge between students of various backgrounds and their spirit's capability to thrive as He intended. In her intimate pursuit of God while cultivating the artistic passions of her heart, Lauren takes pride in being part of a team that brings forth the fruit of encouragement and spiritual joy in all.
Lauren Van Vranken
Thrive Scholars Fellow
Lauren Van Vranken is a second year Psy.D. student in Fuller's Clinical Psychology Program. She received her bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences from Oregon State University. She has spent the past decade working in prison, jail and juvenile hall settings in Los Angeles and Ecuador as a volunteer chaplain, creative writing instructor, and facilitator of art therapy groups. This sparked her research interests in resilience, restorative justice practices, and collective thriving in the aftermath of trauma. Dedicated to research and clinical work that promote thriving through allyship with adolescents and adults affected by incarceration, she is particularly interested in researching how spirituality and hospitality promote resilience, kinship, and thriving for returning citizens.
Sean Noe
Thrive Scholars Fellow
Sean Noe is a third year Ph.D. student in Fuller's Clinical Psychology Program. He completed his bachelor’s in psychology at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also has experience as an educator and tutor, working with middle school and high school students in San Diego, California. His research interests lie in examining how aspects of religiosity and spiritual experience relate to youth and adolescent development. He has a particular interest in understanding religious experience and how this can help youth and adolescents develop and thrive.
Rebecca Baer
Thrive Scholars Fellow
Rebecca Baer is a first-year Ph.D. student in Fuller's Clinical Psychology Program. She holds a masters in systemic counseling from the Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell in Germany. Her experience working with a large variety of demographics and cultures—from students at German University to refugees from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan—has shaped her desire to explore how joy, gratitude, and purpose can contribute to a thriving life no matter the background. As fellow at the Thrive Center for Human Development, she is currently examining the overlap between joy and gratitude as part of the Shades of Gratitude Project.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Susan Mangan, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral research associate with the Thrive Center for Human Development. As a positive developmental psychologist, Dr. Mangan is interested in how we, as individuals and as a society, can lead happier, more fulfilling lives. Her research efforts focus on positive youth development, gratitude, and joy. She is also co-investigator for the Thrive Center's Shades of Gratitude Project and Compassion International Study of Positive Youth Development.
As a scholar more broadly, Dr. Mangan's research focuses on positive psychology interventions, well-being, psychological need satisfaction, and emerging adulthood. She also has a keen interest in evaluation, community program development, and measurement development, as evidenced by publications such as the Claremont Purpose Scale: A measure that assesses the three dimensions of purpose among adolescents. Dr. Mangan has been a longtime fan of the Thrive Center and is excited to contribute to its ongoing success. In addition to her research with the Center, Dr. Mangan is currently a visiting professor at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
Thrive Collaborators
Associate Professor of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
Lisseth Rojas-Flores, Ph.D. associate professor of clinical psychology in Fuller's School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. Her primary research interests focus on trauma, youth violence prevention, the quality of parent-child relationships, and the overall well-being of children and parents living in low-income immigrant families in the United States. As a bilingual/bicultural licensed clinical psychologist, she takes a special interest in addressing the interrelationships between family, mental health, and social justice issues.
Dr. Rojas-Flores has produced a variety of mental health resources at the Thrive Center for Human Development, particularly for leaders who work with undocumented youth with and without DACA status.
Associate Professor of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
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