Profile

I hold a Ph.D in gifted education from the University of Connecticut and an M.A. in educational psychology (emphasis gifted and creative studies) from the University of Georgia. My undergraduate degrees (A.A. and B.A.) are both from Simon's Rock College of Bard. I am also working on an M.S. in Community Counseling from Columbus State University.

I am currently a consultant in gifted education with the Phenix City school district in Phenix City, Alabama. Previously, I spent four years as Assistant Professor of Gifted Education at the University of South Alabama, until they discontinued their online gifted-education program.

I serve in the following organizations:

Future Problem Solving Program International: Affiliate Director for Alabama Affiliate

National Association for Gifted Children: Conceptual Foundations Network Chair

I'm also an active participant in the World Council for Gifted, Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted, and a past Member-at-Large of the Triple Nine Society.

More generally, I'm interested in the social and emotional aspects of giftedness, which appear to be more constant over time and situation than the high performance most commonly used to identify and define giftedness--- and thus may be a more valid and reliable means of identifying gifted young people, especially those in less-than-"optimal" situations, for services. One subset of this interest is the use of bibliotherapy, or "the right book for the right child at the right time", with gifted students--- and not just books: I'm also interested in the ways that other art forms, like music, television, and movies, can be used to support individuals' emotional growth. Accordingly, I find portrayals of giftedness in fiction, literature, and popular culture generally fascinating, and I've presented on related topics at state, national, and international conferences.