In my career, I have dedicated myself to helping children with disabilities. Specifically, I have over 20 years of experience in the field working with children with behavioral, learning and development disorders in a wide variety of cultural contexts. Further, I have worked in higher education for four years preparing the next generation of professional teachers and educators. My education includes graduate study at UTEP where I was awarded a Peace Corps Fellowship to work as a special education teacher while pursuing my Master of Arts degree. My time at UTEP provided me with the opportunity to conduct original qualitative research involving street children in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. My work on this project was published in the journal International Social Work in 1999. My doctoral studies were completed in 2006 at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the area of behavioral disorders.

• Ph D in Special Education with concentrations in Behavioral Disorders and Mental Health, University of Missouri (2006)
• MA in Education with concentration in Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso (1996)
• BS in Psychology, Frostburg State University (1985)

• Tracking the rise of Web information needs for mobile education and an emerging trend of digital divide Computers in the Schools: Interdisciplinary Journal of Practice, Theory, and Applied Research 32 2 (2015), Meilan Zhang, Robert Trussell, Daniel A. Tillman, Song A. An.
• Tracking the rise of Web information needs for mobile education and an emerging trend of digital divide Computers in the Schools: Interdisciplinary Journal of Practice, Theory, and Applied Research 32 2 (2015), Meilan Zhang, Robert Trussell, Daniel A. Tillman, Song A. An.
• Using math apps for improving student learning: An exploratory study in an inclusive fourth grade classroom TechTrends 59 2 (2015), Meilan Zhang, Robert P. Trussell, Benjamin Gallegos, Rasmiyeh R. Asam.
• Assessing opportunities to respond within inclusive classrooms: Utilizing the setting factors analysis tool to determine optimal rates and interactions of essential instructional variables Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions 11 2 (2009), J. P. Stichter, T. J. Lewis, T. Whittaker, N. Johnson, M. Richter, Robert Trussell.
• The impact of targeted classroom interventions and function-based behavior interventions on problem behaviors of students with emotional/behavioral disorders Behavioral Disorders 33 3 (2009), T. J. Lewis, J. P. Sitchter, Robert Trussell.

• A Review of Three Research Projects Focusing on Students with Autism and Problem Behaviors, Volume Nashville, TN, Robert Trussell, Racheal Trujillo, Villalobos Jose, Surber Matthew.
• Measuring ASD awareness among university students and pre-service teachers (2014), Volume Tempe, AZ, Gita Upreti, Nicole Sepulveda, Robert Trussell.
• Improving Transition into Adulthood (2011), Volume El Paso, TX, Robert Trussell.
• Using a three-tiered approach to dropout prevention (2011), Volume Washington, D.C., Robert Trussell.
• Classroom Universals and Individual Strategies for Addressing Escape/Avoidant Behaviors in both Behavioral Classrooms and the General Education Setting (2010), Volume Tempe, AZ, Robert Trussell.

• Children with Autism Need a Great Education: Project CHANGE
• PBIS Initiative in San Elizario ISD