Dr. Roberta Atha Strosnider, Professor Emerita in Special Education, Towson University, Towson, MD currently works as an educational consultant in the areas of executive functioning, learning disabilities, and teacher preparation. Roberta and Val co-founded Project Boost, a program to help students use metacognitive strategies to boost their executive function skills. They wrote and co-taught a curriculum that provides executive function skill training for students K-12 by building skills through a 7-Step Model. This model, described in The Executive Function Guidebook: Strategies to Help All Students Achieve Success, was co-authored by the pair and published by Corwin in 2019. The pair has trained teachers (preservice and in service) and administrators throughout the world to use the program. They currently co-direct the Institute on Executive Functioning to provide teachers methods, including the use of metacognitive strategies, to improve their students’ executive function growth. As Co-Directors of the Institute on Executive Functioning, they provide face to face and online trainings, author instructional videos and develop instructional materials to assist in executive function skill training.
Roberta graduated from Fairmont State University with a major in Secondary Education, and in 2017 she was a recipient of an Alumna of Achievement Award from that institution for her achievements in special education. She earned her master’s degree in Special Education from West Virginia University and her doctorate in Special Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. While working in P-12 schools, Roberta taught in both general and special education classes and served in administrative roles. She also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher preparation and held leadership roles at Hood College, Fredrick, MD and Towson University, Towson, MD.
While at Hood College, Roberta received a fellowship to study HIV Prevention Education for Students with Disabilities and was chosen as a national trainer for the Co-Teaching HIV Prevention Program sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). At Towson University, Roberta directed an off-campus teacher preparation program in special and general education and received the Teacher Education Division (TED) of CEC Nasim Dil Award for her service to Special Education Teacher Preparation. She serves her profession as a reviewer and auditor of special education teacher education program reports for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In addition, she has made contributions to the field through publications, presentations, and grants. She also served as a consultant to the Maryland State Department of Education preparing materials and online resources to provide professional development to teachers.
During her career, Roberta has been and continues to be active in advocacy efforts for students with disabilities having served as a board member and advocate for several organizations. Her leadership with the Frederick County, MD Arc Board was recognized with the STAR Award from the Arc. The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) awarded her the Floyd G. Hudson Award for her contributions to the field of learning disabilities, and her high school named her to the Bridgeport High School Hall of Fame for her advocacy for students with disabilities. She currently serves as a representative from CLD to other public policy groups such as the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, a group of organizations committed to the education and welfare of individuals with learning disabilities.
