Super Results for NAGC and the Field

The weekend of March 20-22 was a very important and exciting one for NAGC and for the field of gifted education. As it always does, the NAGC Board of Directors met for its third meeting of the fiscal year. NAGC also held the annual state affiliate conference, which involves hosting leaders of state advocacy gifted organizations for a series of shared learning sessions and making visits to senators and representatives on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal legislation that supports gifted education and gifted learners. The third annual event, during what NAGC staff affectionately calls “Super Weekend,” was the meeting of the Program Committee to finalize the presentations for the upcoming Convention in Phoenix in November.

This year there was a fourth event. The Executive Director Search Committee, led by NAGC Past President Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and President-Elect George Betts, met for three days to make their final decision on the individual who would become the association’s next executive director. The committee has been meeting since last fall and conducted interviews with finalists in Washington, D.C.

We were pleased to announce the selection of M. René Islas earlier this month. A former Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education and Chief of Staff in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Islas joins NAGC from Learning Forward, where he served as Senior Vice President responsible for the organization’s consulting arm as well as its federal and state policy agenda. I hope you will join me in a warm welcome for René, who comes to NAGC with the knowledge and passion it takes to successfully lead our organization.

"Super Weekend" owes that moniker to the commitment of volunteers to guide the direction of NAGC into its next phase, the commitment of state leaders to share and learn from each other about ways to support gifted students and families in their states, and the NAGC staff who has worked especially hard these past few months to keep everything running smoothly.

A recap of news from the Board meeting was in the April 23rd issue of Compass Points. If you would like to know more about René, who joins the staff on May 18, read the press release.