C. Matthew Fugate is Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Assistant Chair of the Department of Urban Education at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD). He received his doctorate in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies at Purdue University. Prior to this, Matthew worked as an elementary teacher in the Houston Independent School District where he also served as a Gifted Coordinator and Magnet Coordinator. During this time, Matthew received his Master’s in Educational Psychology, Gifted Education from the University of Connecticut. His research has examined the relationship between working memory and levels of creativity in gifted students who also have characteristics related to ADHD. He has also examined the coping mechanisms of twice-exceptional girls in secondary school as they navigate both their academic studies and interpersonal relationships. Matthew is also the Co-Director for the UHD Call Me MiSTER Initiative, in partnership with Clemson University and the Houston Independent School district. This program is designed to recruit and prepare graduating high-school male students of color to go into the teaching profession. Matthew currently serves on the Board of the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented and as Chair-elect of the Special Populations Network for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).  Matthew was recently named one of Variations magazine’s "22 People to Watch in the Neurodiversity Movement” and received the “Early Career Award” from the NAGC Special Populations Network. He has published several articles, book chapters, and books related to his work.