The Alliance's Online Learning Center

Brandi Purswell earned a BS in Community Health with an emphasis in Psychology and Life Science from Texas A&M University. She has worked with foster youth for the last 15 years, specializing in youth aging out. Brandi completed the Department of Family and Protective Services Leadership Program and has served as a Texas Education and Training Voucher Specialist with BCFS Health and Human Services for 3 years.

Drew Melton earned his B.A. in Education at Graceland University specializing in mathematics. He has worked in the fields of education and recreation as a paraprofessional/teacher and instructor/director for over 15 years. Drew also spent 2 years working for BCFS as a case manager for the Preparation for Adult Living program and has experience assisting former foster youth with overcoming obstacles faced when aging out of the foster care system. He is now a Texas Education and Training Voucher Specialist.

Sheila Bustillos, Ph.D. is Director for Strategic Initiatives for the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies. She earned her doctoral degree in Multicultural Womens and Gender Studies at Texas Womans University. She also has an M.A. in Sociology from Texas Womans University, an M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance with an Emphasis in Higher Education Administration from Texas State University-San Marcos, and a BESS in Pre-Physical Therapy with a minor in Health and Wellness from Texas State University. Her research interests (among many others) are issues faced by pregnant and parenting foster youth/alumni, higher education and foster care alumni, aging out youth, and moral development in foster youth and alumni. In the past, Sheila has taught in higher education for seven years and has worked as a higher education administrator at both The University of Texas at Austin and at Texas State University. Sheila has held many leadership positions in the 501c3 nonprofit Education Reach for Texans that champions post-secondary education success for foster care alumni. She continues to research and support foster alumni in higher education as a former foster care liaison in higher education.