Presenter Bio - Dr. Connie Horton

Dr. Connie Horton is the Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Institute at Pepperdine University, where she leads initiatives to expand resilience education and well-being efforts across the University and beyond. 

RISE is a comprehensive resilience education program that reaches all first-year students through an 8-week small group program and is enhanced by numerous other large and small events in the various schools at Pepperdine. RISE was featured in Insider Higher Education.

A licensed psychologist, Horton previously served as Pepperdine's vice president for student affairs (2017–2025), where she oversaw key areas of student wellness and leadership. Earlier career chapters included serving as a psychology faculty member and as the director of the University's Counseling Center.

Horton's career has focused on student mental health and resilience, and she was instrumental in launching the RISE (Resilience-Informed Skills Education) program to help college students navigate life's challenges.

She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Pepperdine, a master's degree in counseling from California State University, Fullerton, and a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.