Denise Larsen is a professor, and an experienced elementary teacher, psychologist, and researcher. For the past 18 years she has been dedicated to field research investigating the importance of hope in classroom and counselling psychology settings. She has led many large cross-disciplinary research teams in mixed-methods studies. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and other major funders. Her work is published in top-tier academic journals, the Encyclopedia of Hope, as well as in teacher classroom materials. She is an internationally recognized hope researcher and an in-demand public speaker who has delivered numerous professional development workshops to Alberta educators on working effectively with hope in the classroom. The work of her research lab, Hope Studies Central, has been recognized with several awards including the 2011 Canadian Mental Health Association Celebrate Mental Health Award – Ron Lajeunesse Award. In 2016, she was received the University of Alberta top prize for graduate teaching, the Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Dr. Rebecca Hudson Breen is an Associate Professor in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta and a registered psychologist. In her faculty role, she teaches and supervises graduate students while conducting research on how individuals build meaningful lives and navigate learning, work, and transitions across the lifespan. Her scholarship examines the ways in which both paid employment and unpaid contributions, such as volunteering, foster resilience and contribute to positive change within communities.

As the co-Director on this participatory research project, Dr. Hudson Breen developed the initial research questions and is committed to working alongside teachers and students to refine these questions and co-create knowledge. Her most recent project, Building Hopeful Futures: Climate Aware Career Development Through Participatory Action Research, brings together youth, educators, and researchers to explore how hope can support career and life planning in the context of climate change.

In addition to her academic and research leadership, she remains engaged in professional practice and active community service.