The non-profit VIA Institute on Character advances the science and practice of character development. We provide the VIA Surveys and other assessments, free of charge, to help all people live their best possible lives. We also provide continuing education worldwide.
Interview requests
Please contact kellya@viacharacter.org or call 513-621-7501 to request an interview. Our experts include:
Dr. Neal H. Mayerson, psychologist, philanthropist, business leader. Neal founded the VIA Institute with a major grant from his family foundation, The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, in order to develop character strengths in young people and adults based on the principals of science. This first-ever, three-year project involved the mapping of character traits and virtues across time and culture and was conducted by 55 top social scientists. The project, which resulted in the VIA Classification and Survey, was led by Dr. Martin E. Seligman, then president of the American Psychological Association, and noted researcher, Dr. Christoper Peterson.
Dr. Donna Mayerson, psychologist, educator, coach. Donna is one of the key practitioners in the field of positive psychology. She develops and teaches effective exercises that are based on the emerging science. She works, primarily, with teachers, school psychologists and administrators, and coaches. She was the Chief Coaching Officer of Hummingbird Coaching Services, a company she founded with her husband, Neal, that was sold to Humana.
Dr. Ryan Niemiec, psychologist, author, coach. Ryan is an expert on movies as they exemplify mental health -- both illness and wellness. He has viewed and reviewed for multiple publications, thousands of movies. He is co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies and Movies and Mental Illness. He is Education Director of the VIA Institute, trains psychologists and practitioners world-wide, and is a frequent lecturer on character strengths, movies, positive psychology, mindfulness and meditation.
Dr. Tayyab Rashid, psychologist, school psychologist, researcher, author. Tayyab has co-developed, with Martin E. Seligman (former president of the American Psychological Association) of a new practice of psychotherapy called Positive Psychotherapy. Positive Psychotherapy involves significant work on character strengths. He directs research at the VIA Institute, and personally conducts research in the practice of character strengths. He balances this work with his position as a school psychologist in the Toronto school district.
Dr. Chris Peterson, author of the VIA Classification and Survey, is VIA's Science Director. He researches, teaches at the University of Michigan and lectures, world-wide, on the topic of character strengths. He has authored several books including the Primer of Positive Psychology, and Character Strengths and Virtues, a Classification and Handbook, with Martin Seligman, Oxford University Press and the American Psychological Association, 2004.