Prior to joining the BEAR Center at UC Berkeley, Dr. Fisher was Chief Science Officer with Avatar International in Orlando, Florida, a Senior Scientist with MetaMetrics, Inc. in Durham, North Carolina, and Professor of Research in the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from the University of Chicago, where he was a Spencer Foundation Dissertation Research Fellow. With over 25 years' experience, Fisher's current research interests range from philosophical and historical issues in science and measurement to special education under IDEA to the practical implementation of learning progressions in math and science education.

Casey Hord completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology at Millikin University in 1997. After three years as a mental health professional, he returned to college and earned his Master of Science in Education degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 2002. He was a special education teacher at the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels for two years. Then, he taught sixth grade general education mathematics for four years. In 2008, he was admitted to the PhD program in Special Education at Purdue University and began studying under Professor Yan Ping Xin. For over two years, he has been the project coordinator of the NSF-funded NMRSD project. He has also provided guidance and supervision to special education student teachers while at Purdue University. His primary goal as a researcher is to help students with mild disabilities gain access to higher level mathematics such as algebra and geometry.

Judy Vesel is a Principal Investigator/Project Director at TERC. She has degrees in Biology, Linguistics, and Education. She is the Principal Investigator/Project Director for TERC’s Signing Science and Math initiative, which includes the SSD, SMD, SSP, and SESD. Her experience as an educator extends from the primary grades through high school.