GiftedNYS is an all-volunteer effort of parents, educators, and other professionals from across the state of New York. We draw from years of experience and varying perspectives to work toward our shared goal of increasing awareness, understanding, and support for gifted and twice-exceptional people in New York State.
Lois Baldwin, EdD
Dr. Lois Baldwin was both a teacher of twice exceptional students and an administrator of the Gifted Special Education Program operated by the Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), one of the first programs in the country serving 2e students. She has assisted teachers and staff with curriculum development, student issues, transition planning, assessment and professional development. She co-founded the Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students (AEGUS) and is currently serving as the president.
Dr. Baldwin has taught courses on giftedness and twice exceptionality at Manhattanville College, Pace University, College of New Rochelle and Regis University and has been a consultant and speaker at numerous national conferences and symposiums.
She consulted for the Colorado Department of Education Twice Exceptional Project where she helped to design and present an on-line course, workshops, training modules, manuals and materials for educators throughout the state. In addition, she has co-authored several professional articles and chapters. She has served as the chair of the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) Twice Exceptional Special Interest Group and the co-facilitator of the 2e Community of Practice.
Elissa Brown, PhD
Dr. Elissa Brown is the Director of the Hunter College Center for Gifted Studies and Education and Program Coordinator of Hunter’s Advanced Certificate Program in Gifted Education. She is an education policy fellow under the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Before coming to Hunter, she was the North Carolina state director of gifted education and teacher preparation programs. Dr. Brown was the former director of the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary from 2002-2007. She has been a district gifted program coordinator, the principal of a specialized high school, and a classroom teacher. She has served as an adjunct professor at several universities, including Rutgers and Duke University. She is a published author in the field of gifted education and presents widely.
Amanda Christy
Amanda Christy is a co-founder of Gifted New York State, Inc. (GiftedNYS) and founder of the 2e Kids ROC project, an initiative to raise awareness about twice exceptionality in the Rochester, NY region. She resides in Rochester with her husband and loving, energetic son.
Amanda is a graduate of New York State Partners in Policymaking and a support parent for Parent to Parent of NYS. Prior to becoming a full-time mom and advocate, Amanda held various business intelligence and management positions. Amanda received her B.A. in Economics from Saint John Fisher College and earned a M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Kathryn Cohen
Kathryn Cohen is a dedicated advocate for education, equity, and neurodiversity, serving as a member of her local Board of Education. She is passionate about gifted education and special education policy, contributing her expertise to initiatives that support students, parents, and educators.
As a LEND Fellow at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, Kathryn focuses on leadership, workplace culture, and policy advocacy. A proud parent of neurodiverse children, she combines her personal and professional experiences to create inclusive spaces and drive meaningful change in her community.
Sandra I. Kay, EdD
Sandra I. Kay has a Doctor of Education in Special Education and Master of Education in Instructional Practices from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she remained as a Visiting Scholar for 10 years. Her Bachelor and Master of Science in Art Education and the grounding of over 30 years of K-12 teaching directed her research focus on developing talent/expertise and on the problem-finding aspects of creative thought, visual thinking, and other habits of mind that engage the imagination and promote self-directed inquiry in children and adults. She was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the National Art Education Association in 2018.
Stacey Shepard
Stacey Shepard is a National Board Certified teacher with over 25 years experience teaching gifted students. She presently teaches Innovation lab, which is a K – 5 STEM program in the North Colonie School District. Stacey holds a passion for challenging students to collaborate in problem solving situations.
