Faculty & Staff

Faculty

Heather Peshak George, PhD Professor & Division Director Phone: 813-974-6440 Fax: 813-974-6115 Office: MHC 2136 Send an email View 2026 Curriculum Vitae

Heather Peshak George, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Child & Family Studies at the University of South Florida and Director of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC), a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). She is internationally recognized as a leader in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and has extensive experience providing training and technical assistance across educational, community, and systems-level contexts.

Dr. George has served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on numerous large-scale PBIS initiatives, which she directs or co-directs. Her current projects include Florida’s PBIS Project: A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (FLPBIS) and the National Technical Assistance Center on PBIS (Center on PBIS). She also teaches graduate-level courses through USF’s Graduate Certificate in Positive Behavior Support and facilitates the PBIS State Leaders Network. Since joining USF in 2001, she has authored more than 135 publications, delivered over 470 professional presentations, and secured more than $101 million in external funding as a PI or Co-PI.

Dr. George’s research and implementation efforts focus on coordinating, implementing, and sustaining systems-level change at local, national, and international levels to promote integrated, evidence-based practices within a multi-tiered PBIS framework. Her scholarly interests include PBIS, school-wide discipline, implementation science, systems change, state- and program-level technical assistance, and international applications of PBIS.

Dr. George earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with emphases in Special Education, School Psychology, and Reading from Louisiana State University and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Indiana State University. She served as President of the International Association for Positive Behavioral Support (APBS) from 2014-2017 and was an elected member of the APBS Board of Directors from 2009-2021.

Prior to joining USF, Dr. George served as the Technical Assistance Coordinator for Louisiana’s statewide Positive Behavior Support Project. Earlier in her career, she worked as an Administrator for a community-based respite, rehabilitation, and vocational program in Indiana, supporting individuals with disabilities and their families.