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Building Strong Foundations for Future Generations

PAXIS Institute, founded in 1998: 

  • Identifies and connects the best science and wisdom to maximize the peace, productivity, health, and happiness of individuals, families, organizations, and communities everywhere. 
  • Seeks to identify tools and strategies that have both rapid and long-term benefits for all our futures, not just the few or one group over another.  
  • Searches for ways to improve all our futures, since our individual futures hinge on the actions of people near and far 
  • Encourages and supports people of every age and every walk of life to become an “everyday scientist” of their world, becoming a conscious creator of the futures we seek for ourselves and the people we love. 

Our Mission

PAXIS Institute delivers proven, solution-focused strategies that support youth and the adults who care for them—partnering with communities to improve lifelong outcomes and foster peace, productivity, health, and happiness at the population level.

Vision

Empowering individuals and communities to create a more nurturing environment with universal access to research-based prevention science in order to improve the well-being of people from all walks of life around the world.

Values

Passion

We dedicate ourselves to an enduring effort to research, create, and support instruments for immediate impact and lasting change.

Opportunity

We commit to fostering an environment where everyone can fully participate, feel valued, and grow into successful contributors in their communities.

Collaboration

We partner with stakeholders who serve communities around the world to generate positive change, improve behavioral and physical health, and create better lives for all.

Responsiveness

We ensure strategies and support are flexible and adaptable to the diverse and dynamic needs of the public. 

Progress

We promote individual and collective growth through personal and professional development and the practice of life-long learning through inquiry.

Integrity

We adhere to principled actions rooted in replicable science and truth – guided by honesty, ethics, and convictions to better our world and better ourselves. 

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Meet our Founder

Dennis D. Embry, Ph.D. is Senior Scientist at the PAXIS Institute in Tucson, Arizona. He co-leads prevention research at Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention and collaborates with institutions including the University of Manitoba and the University of South Carolina, overseeing over 50 major prevention projects across the U.S. and Canada. He serves on the SAMHSA/CSAP expert panel and was nominated to the President’s Advisory Council on Health Care Prevention. His work focuses on cost-effective, sustainable prevention strategies addressing physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral health. He is also an emeritus Senior Fellow of New Zealand’s National Research Advisory Council. His projects focus on simple strategies that lead to big changes.

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Meet our Vice President

Carmen Irving has worked in youth development and prevention for over twenty years, leading and empowering youth-serving professionals to implement evidence-based practices that support children and families across systems of care. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies from Kent State University and a PhD in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of Arizona. A Certified Family Life Educator and Prevention Professional, Carmen has dedicated her career to strengthening families, building the capacity of youth-serving professionals, and co-authoring curricula, manuals, and journal articles on parent–child connectedness and population-level prevention. Her longstanding commitment to prevention and organizational effectiveness is grounded in the belief that all young people deserve nurturing adults, coordinated systems of support, and healthy environments in which they can thrive.

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