Dr. Byrd is the President and CEO for the Center for Assessment, Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Research (CASPER). Dr. Byrd began his career as a middle-school educator before being trained as an industrial/organizational psychologist specializing in program evaluation and statistics. He further focused his expertise by receiving a doctorate in counseling psychology with a focus on evaluation, assessment, and treatment of children, families, and those with severe and persistent mental illness. Primarily trained as a psychologist, Dr. Byrd is the author of several chapters within the Encyclopedia of Counseling Psychology regarding intellectual assessment and high-stakes achievement testing. Dr. Byrd has also received significant training and expertise in leadership theory, program evaluation, survey development, data management, statistics, and data analysis.

Dr. Byrd has written over 100 awarded grants and contracts since 2002, receiving over $125 million in federal, state and private funding. He has also received over $215,000 in donations and gifts to enhance his projects. Sources for funding have included the National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, EdVentures, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, State Farm Companies Foundation, The Darden Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Further enhancing his grant-writing skills, Dr. Byrd has been a reviewer for a variety of grant competitions, such as Race to the Top for the US Department of Education, Charter Schools for the FDOE, and 21st CCLC in multiple states.

Dr. Byrd also holds a faculty appointment as a Licensed Psychologist and Adjunct Professor with the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he is also an affiliate faculty of the Counseling Psychology Program and a prior member of the Graduate Faculty. Dr. Byrd recently worked eight years as a Research Assistant Professor with the University of Florida, where he managed an annual budget of over $2 million to provide administrative oversight of several large-scale educational and youth service programs, including Florida's 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, Florida's Learn and Serve Program, and Florida's School Crossing Guard Training Program. Dr. Byrd oversaw all facets of managing and implementing these funds, including budget development and maintenance, compliance with rules and regulations, supervision of professional staff, development and implementation of internal policies and procedures, and collaboration with university and state offices. Dr. Byrd also provided statewide leadership to administrators and front-line staff in planning, developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining programs that address both state and federal goals and objectives. He oversaw a wide range of tasks, including program evaluation, student outcome evaluation, creating and evaluating statewide policy, compliance and accountability monitoring, providing technical assistance, overseeing grant reviews and negotiations, developing online grant scoring and tracking systems, budget negotiations and compliance reviews, and communication with a wide range of key stakeholders. Leadership was also provided to sub-grantees in such areas as developing evaluations of quality and effectiveness, developing and implementing best practices, creating inclusive environments, and developing trainings and tools for staff and program development.

Although primarily focused on administrative duties, Dr. Byrd has attempted to maximize opportunities to further knowledge in the fields of education and psychology. Dr. Byrd has consulted with a variety of education agencies and youth-focused organizations throughout the United States (e.g., Maryland State Department of Education, New York State Education Department, Oregon Department of Education, Georgia Department of Education) and has been invited to provide workshops on program evaluation with the United States Department of Education, Harvard University, and several other institutions. Dr. Byrd has over 20 publications in journals and books, and has delivered over 100 presentations at national and international venues, including Germany, China, Australia, Canada, and across the United States.

Dr. Byrd is a sitting member of several education-focused governing boards, including the Florida Afterschool Network (composed of corporate executives and educational administrators providing advocacy for the afterschool initiative) and the Florida After School Alliance (professional membership organization composed of program administrators and focused on enhancing the efficacy and qualify of afterschool programs in Florida), as well as a prior member of Florida's 4-H Youth Development Council (composed of key 4-H stakeholders and students dedicated to enhancing and expanding the impact of 4-H in Florida). Dr. Byrd is also an active member in a variety of professional associations, including the American Evaluation Association, American Psychological Association, National Afterschool Association, Florida After School Alliance, and Florida Educational Association.

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