Presenters

2024 Featured Speakers

Dr. Dornswalo Wilkins-McCorey

Dornswalo Wilkins-McCorey Ed.D., is a coordinator in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the Office of Gifted Programs in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS). The programs and services Dorn coordinates focus on underrepresented populations, leverages innovative technology, and provides extensive professional learning opportunities.

In her 21 years as an educator, McCorey has worked as a coordinator, gifted specialist, gifted resource teacher, and gifted teacher in Virginia. In 2006, she was selected as a Frasier Scholar for the National Association for Gifted Children.

Dorn serves as an officer in several organizations: the Virginia Association for the Gifted (VAGifted) President-Elect, VAGifted conference chair, Virginia Advisory Committee for the Education of the Gifted (VACEG) secretary, and Project E-Ignite Board. Additionally, she is a Supporting Emotional Needs for the Gifted (SENG) Model Parent Gifted (SMPG) facilitator.  She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Virginia Tech University.

Dr. Steven Coxon

Steve Coxon, PhD, is a professor of education and executive director of the Center for Access and Achievement (CA2) at Maryville University. The CA2 focuses on partnerships with schools and nonprofits to prepare pre-collegiate students for college and careers of the future and their teachers through Constructivist STEM education. 

Steve conducts research on developing STEM talents, especially spatial ability, mathematics, and creativity with a special focus on talent development in populations traditionally underrepresented in gifted programs and STEM professions. He is the author or more than 60 publications including the book Serving Visual Spatial Learners and have given more than 100 presentations and workshops on these topics. 

Steve earned his PhD from the William & Mary in educational policy, planning, and leadership. He was the 2010 recipient of the Joyce VanTassel-Baska Award for Excellence in Gifted Education and the 2020 recipient of the Laura Joyner Award from the Mensa Foundation.

NCNC24 Breakout Session Speakers

Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D.

Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D., holds an endowed chair, Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, and is the executive director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students at William & Mary. He has published more than 300 articles, book chapters, and columns; made more than 400 presentations at conferences; published 14 books; and edited 8 journals. He received the Distinguished Service Award from The Association for the Gifted (TAG) and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the Early Leader, Early Scholar and Distinguished Scholar Awards from NAGC, and in 2009 was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MENSA Education and Research Foundation. He has edited seven journals and is president emeritus of CEC-TAG and NAGC. 

Dr. Mihyeon Kim

Mihyeon Kim is the Director of the Precollegiate Learner Programs at the Center for Gifted Education, William and Mary. She develops and implements academic services for K-12 students for various student populations, including Saturday, summer, and residential programs. Under her leadership, K-12 programs at the Center for Gifted Education, William and Mary expanded their educational services to international students. Her passion to serve diverse students led her staunchly committed to providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged students. She is eager to make a difference in the lives of high-ability students that may not have been given out-of-school educational opportunities. 

Jennifer Riedl Cross, Ph.D.

Jennifer Riedl Cross, Ph.D. is the director of research at the William & Mary Center for Gifted Education. She teaches educational psychology and gifted development courses in the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership department. Dr. Cross is the 2022-2025 Editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, the research journal of the National Association for Gifted Children. She is a former editor of the SENG Journal: Exploring the Psychology of Giftedness.  Dr. Cross is co-editor, with Tracy L. Cross, of the Handbook for Counselors Serving Students with Gifts and Talents, now in its second edition. She and Dr. Tracy L. Cross co-authored the book, Suicide among Gifted Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.), and numerous articles on the topic.

In addition to research on mental health aspects of giftedness, Dr. Cross’s studies in the field of gifted education emphasize its social aspects. Extending Coleman and Cross’s early work on the stigma of giftedness, she led a cross-cultural study of the social experience of gifted students, which stimulated the development of the Social Experience of Gifted Students Scale (SEGSS). Through the Center’s collaboration with the Centre for Talented Youth-Ireland, Dr. Cross has conducted numerous studies with Irish educators, parents, and gifted students.

Ashley Y. Carpenter, Ph.D.

Dr. Chandra Floyd

Chandra Floyd is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Director of Curriculum at the Center for Gifted Education. With teaching and administrative experience at the P12 and higher education levels, Dr. Floyd's experience spans over 25 years. Her research centers on equity in gifted education. Under this umbrella, she examines gifted education’s relationships to the broader educational enterprise; leadership that advances equitable access to gifted education; and teacher preparation that results in not only instructional excellence but also robust advocacy for individuals, marginalized groups, and the field at large.

Jennifer Callison

Jennifer V. Callison has been in the field of education for 24 years, including teaching and training on the English Language Arts units developed by William & Mary's Center for Gifted Education. After having taught elementary and middle school students, she currently is the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at the Center and trains teachers, coordinates curriculum revision projects, and writes curriculum. She lives in St. Petersburg, FL with her husband and two sons.

Kimberley Daly, Ph.D.

Dr. Kimberley Daly has more than 25 years of experience in educational and academic environments and currently serves as the coordinator for Project E-Ignite, a Jacob K. Javits federally-funded grant that works with teachers, students, and schools to investigate problem-based learning as a screening tool to identify culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students for gifted coursework. She cooperatively works with the leadership team, graduate and undergraduate research assistants, the evaluator, and other stakeholders as well as manages data analysis and research approvals. Additionally, Dr. Daly teaches graduate education coursework to pre- and in-service teachers at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Since 2009, she has been affiliated with Mason’s College of Education and Human Development and the Advanced International Baccalaureate (IB) Studies and Research Program, the first American IB teacher award program authorized by the International Baccalaureate. She has presented widely on educational methods and IB programs and is an expert concerning IB recognition at universities. Her research interests include problem-based learning and professional learning, advanced academic programs, human rights education, and international-mindedness.

Dawn King

Dawn King is the Gifted Education Specialist in Chesterfield County Public Schools.  Dawn has taught in Chesterfield County for the past 27 years. As a classroom teacher, she served as a general education, Title I reading, and gifted education teacher for twenty-four years. Dawn served multiple schools as a gifted support specialist for five years and in her current role, she serves as the division's gifted identification and placement specialist.  Dawn earned her Bachelor of Science in History and her gifted education endorsement from the University of Richmond.

Christan Martin

Dana L. Lockhart

Amy Wallace

Amy Wallace is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership program at William & Mary. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and master’s degree in Gifted Education and Talent Development at Western Kentucky University. She worked as a middle grades teacher for seven years teaching advanced reading, mathematics, and ancient history. Her research interests include gifted ESL, GLGBTQ+, 2e, and gifted program design. For the past ten years, she has collaborated with educational professionals and students in the CreArte high-ability art program located in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. She also is a member of Art2Dream, where she collaborates and designs high-ability arts curriculum for K12 students locally and globally. 

Allison Guilliams, M.T.

Allison Guilliams is a Gifted Education Support Specialist in Chesterfield County Public Schools. Allison began her teaching career in 2007 in Orange County before moving to Chesterfield County in 2009. After spending 13 years as a classroom teacher in Chesterfield, she moved into her current role in 2022. As a classroom teacher, she served as a general and gifted education teacher in both counties. Allison currently serves multiple schools as a gifted support specialist and is passionate about assisting teachers in differentiating curriculum to meet the needs of gifted and high-achieving students.

Mellisa A. Stein, M. Ed.

Mellisa is currently the educator for a gifted program at Kiptopeke Elementary School on the Eastern Shore. She spent 10 years serving students with IEPs in both inclusive and self-contained settings. She has lived in a number of places including NYC, the gulf coast of Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee and the US Virgin Islands; but the Eastern Shore has captured her heart with its sense of community and rural beauty. Teaching is a third career for Mellisa who earned her Masters in Education at 40. Before entering the education field, Mellisa worked as a youth counselor, social worker and casino table games dealer.

Tri Huynh

Tri Huynh is currently serving as the director of curriculum and instruction at the Mirman School in Los Angeles, CA. In this role, he oversees curricular alignment, supports professional growth, and teaches two classes. At Mirman, he has also served as the STEAM Coordinator and science department chair. Tri has over a decade of teaching middle school science and held multiple roles in independent school. This includes serving as an advisory and service learning coordinator for the Menlo School in Atherton, CA from 2018 - 2021. He has a degree in molecular and cellular biology (minor in global health) from Harvard and a master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Denise Mytko

Denise Mytko is an Associate Director of the Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University where she oversees curriculum and pathway design. Denise’s background includes the design of labor market influenced programs and the implementation of equitable pathway-focused public/private partnerships at organizations ranging from academic institutions like The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bunker Hill Community College, to city and state governments, as well as industry leaders like MassRobotics and Draper Laboratory. Denise also has two decades of teaching experience, leading classrooms from pre-kindergarten to the graduate level.

Denise holds an Associate's Degree with a concentration in Advanced Early Childhood Education from Oakton Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Behavior from Northwestern University, and a Master’s degree in Education, Sociology, and Public Policy, also from Northwestern University. Denise is pursuing a PhD at Lesley University, where she researches the intersection of non-traditional pathways, labor markets, and learning.

Meg Marshall

I am currently an elementary Gifted Instruction Teacher in Northampton County, VA. I graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Anthropology. After a brief stint of professional archaeology, I moved to the Eastern Shore with my husband where we started and ran a baking mix manufacturing business with his mother. I spent about 6 years as a homemaker raising our three young daughters (all of whom have the same birthday!) Ready to re-enter the workforce, I earned my Pre-K through 6th grade teaching certification through Old Dominion University. I became an elementary math teacher for Northampton County Public Schools before transitioning to gifted instruction in 2019. I now provide enrichment lessons in Math, Reading and STEM content areas for grades Kindergarten through sixth. I consider myself to be uncommonly lucky to hold this teaching position and I love finding new ways to challenge my students. Our STEM days are their favorite, so I am always on the lookout for budget friendly ways to provide fun and engaging engineering opportunities!

Sophia Wells-Williams, M. Ed.

Sophia Wells-Williams is a 3rd year PhD student in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, specializing in Teaching and Teacher Education and Educational Leadership. She is an experienced K-12 educator and a graduate research assistant for the GMU’s Ignite Project, a U.S. Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program funded project. Her research interests include examining the macro and micro constructs within PK-12 schools that shape the educational experiences of historically marginalized students, mitigating curriculum violence, and using asset-based pedagogies to increase students’ academic achievement and sense of belonging.

Richard Ashburn

Rich Ashburn is currently the Coordinator for Elementary Talent Development with Henrico County Public Schools and the Gifted Resource Teacher at Glen Lea Elementary and Laburnum Elementary. He has piloted and delivered several Talent Development initiatives including Kids of Promise and the Talent Development Expo. Kids of Promise received a 2021 NACo and VACo award for its successful efforts in increasing the identification of underrepresented gifted students. He earned a Master of Arts in Education from Regis University and a Master of Science in Community Health Promotion from West Virginia University.

Brianne Gunn, M. Ed.

Brianne Gunn is a Gifted Education Support Specialist in Chesterfield County Public Schools. As a classroom teacher, she served a diverse student population working with exceptional education and gifted learners in Title I middle schools beginning in 2003. Brianne moved into her current position in 2017, supporting, advocating, and actively working alongside teachers, school personnel, and families to foster the holistic development of every gifted learner.

Dr. Miwon Choe

Amanda Nevetral

Amanda Nevetral is the Director of the Office of Advanced Learning at the Virginia Department of Education. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, gifted resource teacher, and gifted lead teacher in Henrico County Public Schools. Amanda earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and gifted endorsement from the University of Virginia. She also holds a reading specialist endorsement from Longwood University. In 2017, she achieved National Board Certification in Gifted Education. Amanda is working to build capacity in educators and expand advanced opportunities for students across the Commonwealth.