Steve Leventhal

Since joining WorldBeing as Chief Executive Officer in 2008, Steve Leventhal has focused on helping some of the world’s most marginalized and economically disadvantaged populations to find their personal strengths, advocate for their rights, and become agents of positive societal change.

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Under his leadership, WorldBeing mental health and wellbeing programs have empowered thousands of marginalized and vulnerable young people, particularly girls and young women, with the skills to develop mental, emotional, and social wellbeing—such as mindset, agency, and resilience—so they can transform their life trajectories and forge a path for future generations.

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Today, Steve is widely respected as a pioneer in the development and application of positive psychology- and resilience-based programming for adolescent youth in low- and middle-income countries. He is the author of numerous published scientific papers, documenting significant impacts of WorldBeing’s programming on mental and physical health and wellbeing; education achievement and attainment; prevention of early marriage; gender attitudes; and self-advocacy for health and education rights.

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In 2019, Steve received the prestigious Outstanding Practitioner Award at the World Congress of Positive Psychology, awarded to a practitioner who has shown outstanding excellence and impact in advancing the practices of positive psychology in ethical and evidence-based ways.

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Prior to joining WorldBeing, Steve served as an executive and strategic consultant in the US, Asia and Africa with start-ups, Fortune 500 firms, and global nonprofit organizations. Previously, he served as Director, External Relations at the San Francisco, CA-based Fritz Institute, focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian logistics around the world. At PSI, he brought together leading global private and public health partners to launch an innovative web-based medical training program for healthcare workers in Zimbabwe. Prior to that, Steve served as Director & General Manager of PlanetSearch Networks at Philips Electronics, and as founder and CEO of Point Asia, Inc.

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Steve holds a BA in Psychology and Asian Studies from Washington University, St. Louis, MO, and a MPA with an emphasis in organizational psychology and conflict management from The Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. He has been an avid meditator for over 40 years, and holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido.

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