A collaborative community of scholars
The Western Positive Psychology Association is dedicated to creating a collaborative scientific community of faculty, students, and scholars to advance and support an academic agenda in the field of positive psychology.
The vision of the Western Positive Psychology Association is to promote an influential and sustainable academic presence of positive psychology in the western region of the United States and beyond. WPPA encourages teaching, scientific research, interdisciplinary collaborative investigations and dissemination of knowledge in positive psychology and strongly supports the professional development of positive psychology faculty and students.
Established in 2013, WPPA brings together the scientific community of faculty, students, and scholars to share their latest rigorous, evidence-based empirical research in the science of happiness, excellence and optimal human functioning.
WPPA Annual Academic Conference
WPPA Conferences – Since 2014
Celebrating the science of well-being, happiness, and flourishing for individuals, groups and organizations, Claremont Graduate University (CGU) plus California State University, Sacramento (2025) University of New Mexico (2024) hosts the WPPA’s Annual Conferences featuring positive psychology researchers and applied practitioners. Positive psychology leaders keynote our conferences including Martin Seligman, Ph.D. (2014), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D. (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), Robert Vallerand, Ph.D. (2020), Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. (2021), Lea Waters, Ph.D. (2021), Kim Cameron, Ph.D. (2021), Fred Luthans, Ph.D. (2022), Sonja Lyubomirsky (2024), and Bob Emmons (2025), and Sonja Lyubomirsky (2026). Our conferences bring together faculty, students, practitioners, and our growing community to share the latest innovations in positive psychology research and applications. Expanding an emerging forefront on the importance of relationships, co-experienced positive emotions, mindset in well-being and health, and individual and community support in organizations, our 8th WPPA Conference was hosted by University of New Mexico, Academic Conference Chair Professor Bruce Smith, Ph.D. and Conference Chair Matthew Higgins, CGU doctoral candidate bringing in Keynotes Bill Miller, Stewart I. Donaldson, Giacomo Bono, and Sonja Lyubomirsky. Our 9th WPPA conference was held in Sacramento, hosted by California State University – Sacramento (CSUS) in April 2025 led by WPPA Conference Chair Meliksah Demir, Ph.D., The Rekhi Singh Endowed Professor in Happiness endowed chair by The Rekhi Singh Foundation at CSUS featuring Keynote presentations by Jeanne Nakamura , Giacomo Bono, Kendall Cotton Bronk, and Robert A. Emmons. Our 10th WPPA Anniversary Conference was held May 29-31, 2026 hosted by Claremont Graduate University (CGU), Claremont, CA led by Conference Chair Tatiana Shemiakina, CGU doctoral candidate, bringing in Keynote speakers Shaun Thomson and Sonja Lyubormirsky (2026). This conference was sponsored by The Rekhi Singh Foundation and the Claremont Flourishing Center.
2025-2026
As the Western Positive Psychology Association (WPPA) commemorates its 10 Anniversary Conference and Claremont Graduate University (CGU) marks 100 years of academic excellence, we are grateful to CGU for hosting our 10th WPPA Anniversary Conference.
Conference theme: “Flourishing in Challenging Times.”
We invite you to visit CGU Centennial – Claremont Graduate University featuring 100 vignettes celebrating vision, perseverance, teaching, research, impact, and philanthropy that have helped shape CGU throughout its first century.
2026-2027
WPPA 11th Conference will be hosted April 23-28, 2027 and hosted by California State University – Dominguez Hills (CSU-DH) with Giacomo Bono, Professor of Psychology serving as WPPA Conference. Look for more news to come!
Community of Practice (CoP)
WPPA also hosts regular online roundtable public Community of Practice (CoP) events throughout the year. Recordings of past WPPA Conference presentations (2014-2025) and past Community of Practice (CoP) meetings can be found on our WPPA Past Events page. For more information about our WPPA 2026 10th Annual Anniversary Conference held May 29-31, 2026 at Claremont Graduate University (CGU), please visit the side bar or WPPA Past Events.
You may learn more about our past 2014, 2017, and 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 WPPA Academic Conferences on our WPPA Past Events page with links to conference photos and videos.