Christen Russell
Profile
Christen Russell, PhD, BCBA-D, is a doctoral-level behavior analyst whose work at Endicott College includes graduate instruction, course development, and academic advising within the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. Her research and teaching interests include ethics, organizational behavior management, cultural responsiveness, and instructional design. She brings over two decades of applied practice and a commitment to training ethical and compassionate behavior analysts.
Education
Endicott College
Ph.D.
Applied Behavioral Science
2022
M.S.
Psychology
2012
Rutgers University
B.A.
Psychology
2002
Research
Dr. Russell's research is focused on ethics instruction, organizational behavior management, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in graduate ABA training. Her published work examines competency based approaches to teaching ethical decision making, and she is an active member of the Shaping Change Research Community, where her ongoing research examines implicit bias, practitioner perspectives on ABA, and decision making in ethical scenarios. Additional research interests include best practices in teaching behavior analysis, systems analysis, and instructional design.
Courses
Personnel Management & Supervision
Comprehensive Review
Concepts & Principles
Cultural Responsiveness & Diversity
Conceptual Issues in ABA
Measurement & Experimental Evaluation
Ethical Considerations in ABA
Behavioral Assessment
Behavior Change Procedures
Translating Behavior Analysis to the Organization
Organizational Behavior Management in Clinical Practice
Accomplishments
Awards
Faculty Excellence Award, Capella University, 2025
Stephen Shank Recognition of Teaching and Learning Excellence, Capella University, 2024
Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award, Capella University, January 2024
Exceptional Contribution to DEI Initiatives Award, Endicott College Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, May 2022
Excellence in Teaching Nominee, Endicott College, May 2022
Academic Excellence Nominee, Endicott College, May 2022
Appearances
TEDx Endicott College speaker (April 2024), presenting on curiosity and relearning what we think we know.
Serving as an Expert Ethicist for the ABA Ethics Hotline since 2022, one of the field`s primary resources for practicing behavior analysts navigating ethical dilemmas.
Co-facilitator and researcher within the Shaping Change Research Community (2023-present), contributing to studies on equity, implicit bias, ethical decision making, and speaker selection in behavior analysis.
Publications
Russell, C. E., Harper, J., Weiss, M., & Bailey, J. (2024). Practice makes progress: Evaluating ethics instruction using competency-based assessments. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00949-7
Syed, N. Y., Marshall, K., Russell, C. E., Tereshko, L., & Driscoll, N. (2024). Embedding cultural responsiveness in graduate coursework and supervision training. In A. DeSouza & D. Crone-Todd (ed.), Behavior Analysis in Higher Education: Applications to Teaching and Supervision.
Hilton, J., Syed, N., Weiss, M., Tereshko, L., Marya, V., Marshall, K., Gatzunis, K., Russell, C., & Driscoll, N. (2021). Initiatives to address diversity, equity, and inclusion within a higher education ABA department. Behavior and Social Issues.