Dr. Trussell received her Ph.D. in Economics from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Prior to that, she received her MPA from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at GSU, and her Bachelor’s in Discrete Mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Trussell’s teaching philosophy comes from her mentor’s admonition to multiply her passion. She is passionate about improving lives through economic development and providing students an incentive to learn by teaching them the details of economics and showing them the relevance of those details to their every day lives. She has spent time in Liberia, Africa, studying the impacts of child soldiering experiences on education and employment, the relationship of peace and trust, and local economic development in Liberia.