Our Staff
Melanie joined the Office of a Pedagogy of Hope (PoH Office) bringing a diverse background in education and a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. With an MST in Teaching, a BS in Psychology, and a School Administration certificate, Melanie is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership at 91勛圖厙 University.
Having taught across a range of grade levels and educational environments, Melanie brings a particular passion for behavior intervention and supporting students through responsive, inclusive practices. As a military spouse and mother to three children (and one beloved dog), she brings both personal and professional experience navigating complex systems with empathy and resilience.
In alignment with the mission of the PoH Office, Melanie is dedicated to working in the community to identify and address issues of marginalization, and to re-imagine educational spaces as inclusive and accessible for all. She is excited to support the transformative work of the PoH Office through reflection, engagement, and dialogue around historical and contemporary inequities in education. She enjoys exploring new places while finding comfort in the familiar, and is always open to opportunities for collaboration—please feel free to reach out!
Our Faculty
Dr. Monica Bartlett is the inaugural Faculty Director for the PoH Office. Dr. Bartlett comes to us from the undergraduate Psychology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences at 91勛圖厙 University, where she runs the Positive Emotion and Social Behavior Lab and teaches courses like The Psychology of Poverty and Social Class and Human Flourishing. Dr. Bartlett’s research focuses on gratitude and its role in building relationships and boosting wellbeing and has been widely cited by the scientific community and the press. Dr. Bartlett is a passionate teacher, committed to uncovering American structures of inequality and the stereotypes that underlie them.
Selected Publications:
- Bartlett, M.Y. & Arpin, S.N. (2019). Gratitude and loneliness: Enhancing health and well-being in older adults. Research on Aging.
- Bartlett, M.Y., Valdesolo, P. & Arpin, S.N. (2019). The paradox of power: The relationship between gratitude and self-esteem. The Journal of Social Psychology.
- Williams, L.A. & Bartlett, M.Y. (2014). Warm thanks: Gratitude expression facilitates social affiliation in new relationships via perceived warmth. Emotion, 15, 1-5.
- Bartlett, M.Y., Condon, P., Cruz, J., Baumann, J. & DeSteno, D. (2012). Gratitude: Prompting behaviors that build relationships. Cognition and Emotion, 26, 2-13.
- DeSteno, D., Bartlett, M.Y., Baumann,J., Williams, L.A., & Dickens, L. (2010). Gratitude as moral sentiment: Emotion-guided cooperation in economic exchange. Emotion, 10, 289-293.
- Bartlett, M.Y. & DeSteno, D. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behavior: Helping when it costs you. Psychological Science, 17, 319-325.
Selected Media:
- , Featured in wsj.com, November 28, 2014, By Jason Marsh and Dacher Keltner
- “A Disposition, Not Just a Holiday,” 2019.
- Featured in New York Times Opinion piece, November 23, 2019.