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.