From the Director

We have had a busy year at the Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development!

Thank you for your interest in the Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development. The Clark-Hill Institute is a university-level center that was named in honor of two former VCU faculty members, Dr. Maxine Clark and Dr. John Hill. It includes an interdisciplinary team of faculty from the School of Medicine – Drs. Nicholas Thomson; School of Education – Drs. Chin-Chih Chen and Kevin Sutherland; School of Social Work – Dr. Jamie Cage; and the College of Humanities and Sciences - Drs. Rosalie Corona, McKenzie Green, Gabriela León-Pérez, Fantasy Lozada, Bryce McLeod, Terri Sullivan, and Chelsea Williams. We recently welcomed three new CHI Affiliate Faculty Members - Drs. Jennifer Lambert, Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, and Kelly O’ Connor! We will greatly miss Dr. An Pham, and she and Dr. Shelby McDonald are Clark-Hill Institute Affiliate Faculty Members.  

The vision of the Clark-Hill Institute is to conduct high-quality, impactful research and community service that is developed in partnership with youth and their families and community members and organizations.

The Clark-Hill Institute envisions families, schools, and communities that are empowered and supported by evidence-based research in providing opportunities for youth to (1) develop positive and healthy relationships, (2) realize and enhance their strengths, (3) view themselves as leaders, and (4) make positive contributions to their schools and communities. To help achieve this, we strive to conduct research that utilizes various community-based participatory approaches and through offering impactful training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and early career researchers to develop the next generation of community-based researchers. We have a strong network of community partners and our research is centered on community-identified needs that address important societal issues (e.g., community-derived action strategies that promote increased opportunities for positive youth development).

Among our recent accomplishments are having seven faculty members who were recipients of the VCU National/International Recognition Awards including Drs. Corona, Lozada, McLeod, Sullivan, Sutherland, Thomson, and Williams.

We initiated a Clark-Hill Institute Impact Writing group led by Dr. Chelsea Williams in 2024-2025 where students and faculty across colleges and schools collaborated on manuscripts. With Dr. William's leadership in this area, we have strengthened both the volume and scope of our collaborative publications to include interdisciplinary collaborations encompassing undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty interdisciplinary collaborations. 

A key initiative for 2026-2027 is to establish our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for the Clark-Hill Institute. The YAC includes youth who have participated in project based YACs or partnered in other leadership roles, as well as undergraduates and graduate students who will serve as near-peer mentors. The YAC will support youth leadership development and young people as co-creators in research, dissemination, and community impact. 

Best wishes,

Terri Sullivan, Ph.D.
Director, Clark-Hill Institute