Stephen T. Russell

Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor in Child Development, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, and Amy Johnson McLaughlin Director, School of Human Ecology,

University of Texas at Austin

Stephen T. Russell is the Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor in Child Development in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and the Amy Johnson McLaughlin Director of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin. He was formerly distinguished professor and Fitch Nesbitt Endowed Chair in Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona and the former president of the Society for Research on Adolescence. Russell is an expert in adolescent development and on LBGTQ youth and young adult health with a focus on sexual orientation, gender identity, and parent–adolescent relationships. His book Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Schooling: The Nexus of Research, Practice and Policy won awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research on Adolescence. He has also served on the governing boards of the Society for Research in Child Development and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. Russell received his PhD in sociology from Duke University.

updated 2024

Contributing topics

Educational governance & policy

Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health

Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes

Commentary by Stephen T. Russell