About
Rebecca O'Brien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education at Whitworth University, joining in 2019. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut (2018), an M.Ed. in Special Education from Northwestern State University (2013), and a B.S. in Biology from Centenary College (2008). Her expertise spans gifted education, talent development, and assessment in underserved populations. She has received multiple awards, including the NAGC Survey Research SIG Graduate Student Award and AERA’s Joseph Renzulli Fund.
Her research focuses on identifying high potential in diverse students, statistical modeling, and teacher learning. She has contributed to peer-reviewed journals like Gifted Child Quarterly and Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. O’Brien actively presents at conferences such as the National Association for Gifted Children and AERA, addressing topics like computational thinking in early education and strategies for fostering gifted behaviors in classrooms.
Professionally, she served as Director of Children’s Programs at the University of Louisiana’s Center for Gifted Education, designing programs for PK-10 learners. She also co-led grants funded by the Louisiana Department of Education, focusing on teacher preparation and residency programs. Her work emphasizes equity in gifted education and evidence-based practices.
