Maurice J. Elias is a professor in the psychology department of Rutgers University, the director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional Character Development (SECD) Lab, and a codirector of the Rutgers-based Academy for SEL in Schools, which offers online certificates in social-emotional learning instruction and school leadership. The recipient of multiple awards for SEL and character education scholarship, he has published extensively on these topics and currently writes a blog on social-emotional and character development for Edutopia.