We bring together researchers, schools, young people, and partners to make human connection a foundation of how children learn and grow.
We envision a world in which every young person develops the relational capacities to flourish, and where schools, communities, workplaces, and technologies are designed to strengthen human relationships.
Our ambition is to make relational intelligence as foundational to growing up as reading and math, so that every child is surrounded by a strong network of caring, safe relationships that help them thrive.
In spring 2026, Isabelle Hau's cover article in Stanford Social Innovation Review, "Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence," struck a chord with educators, researchers, and families around the world. It has since been translated into more than 30 languages. The response made one thing clear: people are hungry for a serious, hopeful conversation about human connection in an age of increasingly capable machines.
The Relational Intelligence Institute was founded to carry that conversation forward. We bring together researchers, schools, young people, and partners to build the science of relational intelligence, put it into practice, and make the case for it in policy and technology design. Many people have studied relationships for decades, and we see our role as building on that work and helping it reach every classroom and community.
Isabelle is Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and the author of Love to Learn. Her writing on relational intelligence has helped spark a global conversation about the human capacities that matter most as AI reshapes how we learn and work.
Ben began his career as a middle school teacher in San Jose and has spent two decades building and scaling innovative schools and learning models, including Envision Education, AltSchool, Higher Ground, and Art of Problem Solving. He co-founded Edtech Insiders and served as an elected school board member. At RQI, he leads strategy, partnerships, and day-to-day operations.
Our founding advisors bring deep experience in research, school systems, and community-centered innovation.
Supports RQI's scientific and measurement agenda.
Former President of the Bezos Family Foundation and a nationally recognized education leader who has served as superintendent of major U.S. public school districts.
Founder and CEO of Adaptive Commons, bringing expertise in community-centered innovation and institutional design.
The Relational Intelligence Institute is an independent initiative operating under the fiscal sponsorship of Cambiar, which provides the organizational foundation for our programs and partnerships as we grow.
We are looking for partners who believe human connection belongs at the center of how young people learn and grow.