Thriving in Isolation

Anthony Ong is a professor of human development at Cornell University, where he directs the Human Health Labs. He received his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Southern California and completed his postdoctoral training in adult development and aging at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Ong’s research and teaching have been recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Gerontological Society of America, and he is the recipient of the APA Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging, the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Early Career Award in Social and Behavioral Gerontology, and the Merrill Presidential Scholar Award for Teaching. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, John Templeton Foundation, and the RAND/Hartford Foundation. Dr. Ong is the co-editor of “Emotion, Aging, and Health” and “The Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology.”

Erin Peavey is a Vice President at HKS Architects, where she helps lead the integration of research and practice to advance the creation and communication of knowledge across the firm with a focus on design for health and well-being. Ms. Peavey is a believer in the power of places to heal, connect, and serve vulnerable people — from hospital patients and their families to people struggling with social isolation and mental health issues. Her research has been published in international scientific journals and industry publications, and she is a leading voice on how design can combat loneliness and foster social health. Ms. Peavey has been featured by SXSW, Curbed, and Metropolis Magazine. Her podcast, “Shared Space,” explores the hidden structures of our spaces that impact how we connect, live, and heal.

Heather Kolakowski is a lecturer in food and beverage management at Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration and Associate Director of the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. She teaches several food and beverage courses, including “Restaurant Management” and “Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice.” Ms. Kolakowski is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), the student-run hospitality showcase conference that allows students the opportunity to put theory into practice each spring while taking on leadership responsibilities. She is the recipient of the 2017 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship for her dedication to service learning.

Kristina Workman is a senior lecturer of management at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration. She received her PhD in management and organizations from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and graduated summa cum laude with a BBA in management and psychology from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Workman’s research focuses on affirmative interpersonal dynamics, or in other words, how individuals at work do (or do not) relate in ways that foster acknowledgment, respect, and support. In this vein, she conducts research in the areas of prosocial behavior, behavioral ethics, compassion, leadership, and sharing and responding to news at work. Workman is particularly interested in the power of seemingly small, everyday interactions, and how individuals’ actions influence the quality of treatment they receive from interaction partners or third parties. Her research highlights individuals’ agency in determining how particular interpersonal encounters unfold and how their relational context at work develops.

Workman has published research articles in such journals as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of Management Inquiry.

LaWanda Cook joined the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability in July 2010. She has extensive experience in vocational counseling, personnel management, and program development within nonprofit organizations. Ms. Cook holds a B.S. in Rehabilitation Services from the University of Connecticut and an M.S. in Human Resource Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and she is a certified rehabilitation counselor. Ms. Cook completed her Ph.D. from the College of Applied Health Sciences/Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois. Her research explores the well-being and the inclusion of people with disabilities in integrated work and leisure settings.

Matthew Saleh is the Director of Research at the Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI). His research focuses on career pathways and workforce development for youth with barriers to employment, such as justice involvement. At Cornell, Professor Saleh teaches undergraduate courses in disability studies and a course in the Government Department on mass incarceration in the United States.

Professor Saleh is principal investigator (PI) on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s funded project “Improving Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes for Out-of-School Youth Involved in the Justice and/or Foster Care Systems” as well as PI on a pilot program called “Pro Se: Empowering Justice-Involved Youth and Young Adults through Speech, Debate, and Self-Advocacy Training,” which provides virtual certificate program in “Speech and Debate” to justice-involved youth, offered by Cornell undergraduate students. Professor Saleh is faculty advisor for the Cornell Undergraduate Mock Trial Association and was a 2015-16 Fulbright Scholar in Barbados through the U.S. Department of State.