RISE Summit

The 2025 RISE Summit focused on the cognitive dimension of resilience; that is, how accepting challenges, developing a growth mindset, and changing irrational thoughts can support our ability to move through expected and unexpected challenges. There was a special emphasis on seeing failure as an opportunity for growth. This two-part event featured a lunch keynote session and a dinner panel session.

The 2025 RISE Summit featured Dr. Shauna Shapiro as the keynote speaker during the lunch session. Dr. Shauna Shapiro is a mother, best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. She is a professor at Santa Clara University and has published over 150 papers and three critically acclaimed books, translated into 23 languages. Dr. Shapiro has presented her research to the King of Thailand, the Danish Government, Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Summit, and the World Council for Psychotherapy, as well as to Fortune 100 Companies including Google, Cisco Systems and LinkedIn. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Oprah, NPR, and the American Psychologist. Dr. Shapiro is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke University and her TEDx Talk, The Power of Mindfulness, has been viewed over 3.5 million times.

In partnership with Pepperdine’s Center for Faith and Learning and their Callings program, the dinner session featured Pepperdine Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Dr. Tomas Martinez. Dr. Martinez was born in Baldwin Park, California, in the San Gabriel Valley. He earned his PhD in 1979, in the field of Community/Clinical Psychology, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Since then, Dr. Martinez had served for the past forty-five years and is now Professor Emeritus of Psychology with the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and Seaver College at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Dr. Martinez is responsible for developing the first mental health crisis services program in the San Fernando Valley in 1982 targeted to the Latino community, Manos De Esperanza, as part of the San Fernando Community Mental Health Centers Inc. Dr. Martinez was also the founder, as a consulting psychologist, to El Centro de Amistad Inc., a non-profit, community-based organization currently servicing 10,000 low-income community members in the Northern Los Angeles area. Currently he serves as a member of the Board and one of the founders of the Luminarias Institute, a treatment and training center for Latino mental health therapists.

The dinner session also featured a panel of Pepperdine undergraduate and graduate student speakers who shared their own compelling stories of cognitive resilience. Following the time of storytelling, a Q&A session was moderated by Dr. Tomas Martinez.

The 2024 RISE Summit focused on the spiritual dimension of resilience; that is, how adopting a faith perspective, engaging in spiritual practices, and belonging to a faith community can support our ability to move through expected and unexpected challenges. This two-part event featured a lunch keynote session and a dinner panel session.

In partnership with Pepperdine faculty Dr. John Peterson and the NetVUE Grant, the 2024 RISE Summit featured Dr. Deanna A. Thompson as the keynote speaker during the lunch session. Dr. Deanna A. Thompson is Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community and Martin E. Marty Regents Chair in Religion and the Academy, and she is the author of five books, including The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World on how digital tools can help us better care for those who suffer and Glimpsing Resurrection: Trauma, Cancer, and Ministry about where the Christian story meets those undone by serious illness. In addition, Thompson’s writings have appeared in the Huffington Post, Christian Century, Gather, and beyond.

The dinner session featured a panel of Pepperdine undergraduate and graduate student speakers who shared their own compelling stories of spiritual resilience. Following the time of storytelling, a Q&A session was moderated by Dr. Deanna A. Thompson.

The 2023 RISE Summit focused on the physical dimension of resilience; that is, how taking care of our bodies by engaging in movement, practicing healthy eating, and prioritizing sleep is key for our ability to bounce back from expected and unexpected adversity.

This two-day event featured a keynote speaker, sharing about the science behind taking care of our bodies, a panel formed by Pepperdine students, faculty, and staff, sharing their inspiring stories of physical resilience, followed by a Q&A session. While day one of the Summit was geared toward the graduate student population and day two to the undergraduate population, all students, faculty, and staff were welcome to attend either of the sessions.

The 2023 RISE Summit featured Dr. Donna Nofziger as the keynote speaker. Dr. Donna Nofziger is a Professor of Biology at Seaver College (Pepperdine University) and teaches classes in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. She is a Los Angeles native who earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Baylor University and her PhD from UCLA as part of the Molecular Biology Institute. She has loved every moment of her 25 years teaching at Pepperdine and in particular enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for learning about the natural world with her students.

The inaugural 2022 RISE Summit focused on the cognitive dimension of resilience; that is, how expecting challenges, adopting a growth mindset, and changing irrational/unhelpful thoughts can support our capacity to make it through expected and unexpected adversities. "Metamorphosis" was the theme of the Summit, rooted in the idea that we are able to be renewed by the transforming of our minds (Romans 12:2) and build healthier practices to help us be more resilient.

This inaugural event featured a keynote speaker presentation, dinner, and RISE’s brain bingo. Head coach emeritus and olympian Marv Dunphy and associate vice president/university registrar Hung Le served as the dual keynote speakers for the Summit and shared their stories of transformation and resilience.