Marc A. Zimmerman, PhD
Dr. Zimmerman is Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the Director of the YES program. He also directs the Prevention Research Center, and the CDC-funded Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. Dr. Zimmerman’s research focuses on adolescent health, resiliency, and Empowerment Theory which provides the foundation for the YES program. His work on adolescent health examines how positive factors in adolescent’s lives help them overcome risks they face. Dr. Zimmerman’s work on Empowerment Theory includes measurement and analysis of psychological and community empowerment. The research includes both longitudinal interview studies and community intervention research. He has published on a wide variety of topics including adolescent violence, sexual behavior, substance use, and mental health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and Empowerment Theory. He is the Editor of Youth and Society, a member of the editorial board for Health Education Research, and Editor Emeritus of Health Education and Behavior.
Pete Hutchison
Pete Hutchison is the Program Director for the Youth Empowerment Solutions program. Mr. Hutchison was a part of designing and implementing the original YES program and has been involved in the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center (MI-YVPC), since its inception. He has been involved in numerous community-based initiatives in Genesee County since retiring from Genesee County Probate Court. He has also been involved in youth violence prevention in Flint since 1973.
Susan Morrel-Samuels
Susan Morrel-Samuels, MA, MPH, is the Managing Director of the Prevention Research Center and the CDC funded Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Ms. Morrel-Samuels was a Program Manager and Trainer for Hawaii Healthy Start, a child abuse and neglect prevention program that has been widely replicated throughout the United States. She has provided leadership for numerous violence prevention projects, including evaluations of the Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, the Neighborhood Violence Prevention Collaborative, Flint Photovoice, and Youth Against Violence Photovoice projects. As a Co-investigator with Youth Empowerment Solutions, she was instrumental in the development of the YES curriculum and has provided training and technical assistance for organizations that have implemented YES.
Thomas Reischl, PhD
Dr. Reischl is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at University of Michigan School of Public Health. He received a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Illinois and has held previous faculty appointments at Michigan State University, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Waikato (New Zealand). Dr. Reischl serves as the Director of Evaluation for the Prevention Research Center and the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, and conducts evaluation research studies of community-based public health programs, childhood obesity prevention programs, violence prevention programs, family support programs, consumer-controlled (self/mutual help) programs, and public health preparedness programs.
