Our Team

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.

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 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 is a passionate advocate for gifted, twice-exceptional (2e), and neurodivergent learners. She brings a unique perspective to her work through her experiences as a parent advocate, school board member, and nonprofit professional. Kathryn has held leadership roles within both the gifted and special education communities and is committed to raising awareness about the unique strengths and needs of gifted and 2e students.

A graduate of Columbia University with a master’s degree in Nonprofit Fundraising Management, Kathryn also completed the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) fellowship through the Westchester Institute for Human Development and the New York Education Policy Leadership Program through Fordham University.

While she values these professional experiences, Kathryn considers her most important role to be that of a mom to her two twice-exceptional children, whose journeys continue to inspire her advocacy and leadership.

Crystal Kaczmarek-Bogner, a dedicated advocate for children and families, began her journey as a Mental Health Counselor. As a parent of two children with gifted education needs, she established a district-level gifted education support group in 2017. Recognizing the necessity for state-level reforms, she joined GiftedNYS in 2020.

Crystal is committed to making a meaningful impact through her advocacy and community service. She has held key leadership roles on the Williamsville Special Education PTSA and the Williamsville Board of Education. Currently, she serves as Secretary for StrongWILL Food Pantry and volunteers with the Williamsville Gifted Education Advisory Council, Amherst Youth and Community Coalition, and Hearts & Hands.

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.

Melissa Natale, EdD is a music educator, gifted and talented educator, enrichment specialist and Department Chairperson for the Fine & Practical Arts at North Salem MS/HS in North Salem, NY. She is also course facilitator at the Longy School of Music and Boston University. Dr. Natale holds degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, Northwestern University and SUNY Potsdam/Crane School of Music, and a gifted and talented certificate from the University of Connecticut. Her teaching experience spans a wide variety of music contexts as well as enrichment and gifted & talented education.

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.