OUr team
Leslie Berntsen
Leslie Berntsen is a board member of the Society Workshop and an award-winning educator and science communicator passionate about harnessing the power of social science in the service of positive social change. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and is the recipient of four national teaching awards from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
Franki Kung
Franki Kung is a board member of the Society Workshop and a professor of industrial-organizational and social psychology at Purdue University. His research focuses on conflict management, particularly how people's assumptions and perceptions shape their ability to resolve conflict and foster human and community flourishing. Franki's research employs mixed methods (e.g., experimental, qualitative, longitudinal).
Cydney Dupree
Cydney Dupree is a board member of the Society Workshop and a professor of organizational behavior and management at University College London. Cydney studies social inequality and the stereotypes that maintain it. Her research reveals how stereotypes shape our behavior, determining who gets along and who gets ahead. Cydney earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Policy from Princeton University.
Brittany Torrez
Brittany Torrez is a board member of the Society Workshop and a senior manager focused on diversity, inclusion, and belonging at Yelp. Brittany is an organizational researcher with a decade of experience designing, analyzing, and communicating people-centered research. Passionate about data-driven organizational strategies, Brittany employs multiple analytical techniques and a mixed-methods approach to deepen our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations.
Michael Kraus
Michael Kraus is the founding director of the Society Workshop and a professor at Northwestern University based in psychology and the Institute for Policy Research. Michael is one of the world’s experts on understanding the psychology of societal inequality. Michael’s work is situated in the space between research and practice and has helped community organizations, local and national governments, and teams navigate their challenges with cutting-edge evidence.
Catherine Wall
Catherine Wall is a board member of the Society Workshop and a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Catherine’s work seeks to integrate principles and theories founded in social, cognitive, and health psychology with insights from fields such as public health, media studies, and political science to tackle critical and current issues. Catherine’s experiences and work have constantly straddled the lines between social and health psychology, allowing opportunities to examine phenomena through an interdisciplinary lens.