People
SENG's Board of Directors and Professional Advisory Committee
are made up of volunteers from across the United States who are psychologists,
teachers, parents, researchers, administrators, physicians, and gifted
adults — and who are dedicated to increasing understanding about the
emotional side of giftedness.
Board
of Directors |
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Wenda
Sheard, J.D., Ph.D.
Norwalk, Connecticut
President
wenda.sheard@sengifted.org
Wenda Sheard is an attorney, teacher, and mother of three gifted
children. After practicing law for nearly twenty years, she
earned a Ph.D. in political science with an emphasis on education
policy. From 2004-2006, Dr. Sheard lived in Hangzhou, China
and taught international students. She's currently living in
Connecticut outside New York City. Dr. Sheard is a founder of
the Athens (Ohio) Association for Gifted Children, a recipient
of an Ohio Association for Gifted Children award, a presenter
at state and national gifted conferences, and a writer of articles
about gifted children. She has helped teach the highly gifted
portions of on-line gifted education courses and has presented
at teacher in-service days. She has also worked, presented,
and published in the political science field, and served in
numerous volunteer and professional capacities in the legal
field.
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 Rosina
M. Gallagher
Chicago, Illinois
Vice President
rosina.gallagher@sengifted.org
Rosina M. Gallagher is a psychologist and educational consultant
who was born and raised in Mexico City through early adolescence.
She has been evaluator of bilingual programs and administrator
of gifted programs in a large urban school district. Her research
and writings include second language acquisition and working
with students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Dr. Gallagher has authored and collaborated in several federal
grants to include culturally and linguistically diverse students
in gifted education. Active in several professional organizations,
she is past president of the Illinois School Psychologists Association
and past co-chair of the Special Populations Division of the
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Currently,
she is on the SENG Board of Directors, and a member of the Illinois
Gifted Advisory Council, NAGC's Diversity and Equity Committee,
and co-chair of the Underserved Populations Committee of the
Illinois Association for Gifted Children.
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 Mary Lovell
Carrollton, Texas
Financial Officer
mary.lovell@sengifted.org
After a successful business career in the energy industry, Mary Lovell is now applying her leadership and management skills to inspiring educational causes. She is a three-term president of a parent association for the gifted in Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Texas. This public school district is an acknowledged leader in serving highly gifted and gifted students in an ethnically diverse population. She is the proud mother of a highly gifted and inspiring daughter. She is a contributor to the Texas Association for the Gifted’s publication, Tempo and has presented on effective parent groups at conferences on gifted education.She has led fundraising efforts as a board member of an international adoption agency in Dallas and as a grant writer for several successful community based organizations. She is instrumental in the local AAUW chapter’s annual career conference in math and science for 7th and 8th grade girls.
She continues to provide consulting services to the energy industry. Mary earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in Communication from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. |
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 Lori Comallie-Caplan
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Secretary
lori.comallie@sengifted.org
Lori Comallie-Caplan is currently the Coordinator for Advanced Education Services (gifted services) for the Las Cruces Public Schools, Gifted Education Faculty at New Mexico State University and Independent Educational Consultant. She is also a Frasier-Talent Assessment Profile Trainer for the State of New Mexico. Over the last 25 years, Ms. Comallie-Caplan has gained public school experience in the field of gifted as teacher, counselor, educational diagnostician and program specialist. She has also worked with gifted students in the area of music, vocal performance and theater arts in the private sector. She has served on the Conference Planning Committee for the New Mexico Summer Institute for Gifted Education and been a featured presenter for the past four years. Ms. Comallie-Caplan earned a lifetime membership for her accomplishments as the 2005-2006 President for the New Mexico Association for the Gifted (NMAG) and she continues as the webmaster for NMAG (http://nmgifted.org ). She frequently presents at SENG and NAGC annual conferences. She is married to Dr. Marc Caplan, a clinical psychologist in Las Cruces and between them have two gifted sons.
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Tiombe Kendrick, S.S.P., NCSP
Florida
Director
tiombe.kendrick@sengifted.org
Tiombe-Bisa Kendrick is a nationally certified school psychologist and is licensed to practice school psychology in the state of Florida. She has been employed with the Miami-Dade County Public School District as a school psychologist since 2005.
Ms. Kendrick has a very strong passion for addressing the needs of gifted students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations and has been instrumental in significantly increasing the numbers of culturally diverse students participating in the Gifted Program at her schools. In addition, she has many helped parents find services outside the school district to help address the needs of their gifted children. In 2006, Ms. Kendrick was a member of Miami-Dade Public Schools Gifted Task Force Committee and was also awarded the Mary Frasier Scholarship sponsored by the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC). In 2007, she was both appointed to the NAGC Diversity/Equity Committee and was awarded a grant by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Children Fund Inc to establish a resource center specifically designed for gifted students from culturally and linguistically diverse ackgrounds. Ms. Kendrick completed her undergraduate work at Miami Dade College and Florida State University and her graduate work at Barry University. Ms. Kendrick has presented at numerous professional conventions on the topic of gifted children. |
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 Todd McIntyre
Pennsylvainia
Director
todd.mcintyre@sengifted.org Todd McIntyre is a special education advocate with a practice focused on gifted educational issues. In addition to his advocacy work with parents and gifted students, Todd conducts trainings for districts and intermediate units on gifted education topics ranging from Present Levels of Educational Performance, Goals and Short Term Learning Outcomes, to general presentations on gifted education. Todd was extensively involved in Pennsylvania's recent revision of its gifted education regulations. Todd is a former board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Gifted Education (PAGE) and Pennsylvanians for the Education of Gifted Students (PEGS) and is a winner of PAGE's "Parent of the Year" award for his work in helping parents become more effective advocates for their gifted children. He and his wife, Kris, are parents of two identified gifted students who attend public school. |
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Heidi Molbak
New Orleans, Louisiana
Director
heidi.molbak@sengifted.org
Heidi Molbak is the mother of three gifted boys. She has carefully guided her sons through the obstacle course that is gifted education to meet their social and emotional needs. Heidi has supported her children through twelve schools in five states and two countries, and has even run her own small school from home. She has experience with many types of schools--public magnet, independent, public charter foreign-language immersion, one-room multi-age, boarding, and home schools. She's also experienced in distance learning and summer college programs. Heidi earned an A.B. from Stanford University and is currently completing a Masters in Counseling at Loyola University New Orleans. She is also a trained SENG-Model Parent Group Facilitator.
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 Vidisha Patel, EdD
Sarasoto, Florida
Director
vidisha.patel@sengifted.org
Dr. Vidisha Patel has a doctorate of Education in Counseling Psychology and practices as a therapist in Sarasota, Florida, where much of her work is with gifted children and their families, with a focus on stress and anxiety. She is licensed to teach stress management techniques. Dr. Patel is active in her local community and regularly speaks at conferences, schools, and parenting groups throughout the community and the state. As a consultant for Florida State University she trains primary caregivers on infant mental health. Dr. Patel’s professional affiliations include The American Counseling Association, The World Association of Infant Mental Health, The Zero to Three Society, Sarasota County Medical Society Alliance, and the Pine View School Board of Directors. Dr. Patel holds an MBA from Columbia University and worked in finance on Wall Street and overseas before obtaining her doctorate in psychology. Dr. Patel is the mother of two gifted children.
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 Steven
I. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
Tallahassee, Florida
Director
steven.pfeiffer@sengifted.org
Steven Pfeiffer is a Professor in the Psychological Services
in Education program in the Department of Educational Psychology
and Learning Systems at Florida State University. Prior to tenure
at FSU, Dr. Pfeiffer was at Duke University, where he served
as Executive Director of Duke's internationally renowned Talent
Identification Program for gifted students (TIP). Professor
Pfeiffer is lead author of a new scale to identify multiple
types of giftedness, the Gifted Rating Scales. He also
coauthored the Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders and the Devereux
Behavior Rating Scale-School Form and he recently co-edited
a popular book for parents of young gifted children entitled Early Gifts: Recognizing and Nurturing Children's Abilities.
Dr. Pfeiffer maintains a private practice where he works with
children, adolescents and families.
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 Sheri Plybon
Plano, Texas
Director
sheri.plybon@sengifted.org
Sheri Plybon is a SENG Model Parent Group Facilitator and Trainer, and she has been a Gifted Specialist for 28+ years in public education, K-12. She has worked on curriculum development and staff development at state and district levels and served for 8 years on the Texas Association for Gifted Board of Directors. Ms. Plybon has presented at both national (NAGC) and state (Colorado & Texas) Gifted Conferences. Her passion for understanding giftedness was inspired by her three gifted children and by her own personal experiences in gifted education. Ms. Plybon earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science from Loretto Heights College, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Colorado State University.
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Elizabeth
Shaunessy, Ph.D.
Tampa, Florida
Director
elizabeth.shaunessy@sengifted.org
Elizabeth Shaunessy is an assistant professor at the University
of South Florida where she teaches a course that is required
for the state’s endorsement program for teachers of the gifted,
"Guidance, Consultation, and Counseling of the Gifted." She
is Gifted Program Coordinator in the College of Education and
a member of the Florida Association for the Gifted Board of
Directors. Her research addresses several facets of affective
needs of the gifted such as bilingual Hispanic gifted learners
and identity development and the voices of parents of children
with disabilities including those who are twice exceptional.
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Professional Advisory
Committee |
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James T. Webb, Ph.D.
Phoenix, Arizona
SENG Founder, Chair of the Professional Advisory Committee
james.webb@sengifted.org
Jim Webb established the SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of
Gifted) program at the School of Professional Psychology at
Wright State University in 1981. This led to the publication
of the award-winning book, Guiding the Gifted Child,
and later, Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model. He was
previously President of the American Association for Gifted
Children, on the board of directors for the National Association
for Gifted Children, President of the Ohio Psychological Association,
and a member of the Council of Representatives of the American
Psychological Association. Dr. Webb was recognized as one of
the 25 most influential psychologists in gifted education in
a national survey published in Gifted Child Today. |
Richard Clouse, M.D.
Dr. Clouse is a family practice physician and Associate Professor
at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He is a
graduate of the
University
of
Kentucky
and has
practiced medicine in
Pennsylvania
and
Kentucky
for nearly 20 years. |
Steven E. Curtis, Ph.D., NCSP
Bainbridge Island, WA
Dr. Steven Curtis is a Licensed Child Clinical Psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He has worked in a variety of medical, school, and university settings for the past 25+ years. Dr. Curtis has specialized in the assessment and treatment of children presenting with emotional, behavioral, developmental, and learning difficulties throughout his training and work experience. Dr. Curtis completed his doctoral training in 1992 in Professional-Scientific Psychology at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. This program is approved by the American Psychological Association in Clinical Psychology, as well as Counseling and School Psychology. He completed his Pre-doctoral internship and Post-doctoral fellowship in Child Clinical Psychology at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the former Special Education Director at Seattle University and is currently a clinical faculty member in the Psychology Program at Antioch University in Seattle. Dr. Curtis now engages in full time private practice with Lifespan Psychological Services, PS. In his private practice, he provides psychotherapy and assessment services to children and families. He primarily works with elementary-aged children who are struggling with behavioral and learning difficulties at home or school. He has a particular interest in working with gifted children who have additional challenges with behavior, learning, or socialization (dual exceptionalities). Dr. Curtis is the author of Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges. |
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Brock Eide, M.D., M.A.
Edmonds,
Washington
Dr.
Brock Eide is a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor
Society from the University of Washington School of Medicine.
He has trained in clinical medicine and basic science research
at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, and the University of California–San Francisco
School of Medicine.
Fernette Eide, M.D.
Edmonds
,
Washington
Dr. Fernette Eide is a graduate of
Harvard
University
and received her M.D. from the University of California–San
Francisco School of Medicine. She has been on the Neurology
faculties of
University
of
Washington
,
the University of California-San Francisco, and University of
Chicago School of Medicine.
The Drs. Eide run the Eide Neurolearning Clinic, which
provides neurology consultation, neuropsychological assessment,
and learning and school report recommendations for children. |
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Ronald E. Fox, Ph.D., Psy.D.
Chapel Hill
,
North
Carolina
Dr. Fox received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the
University
of
North
Carolina
in 1962 and held faculty positions
at UNC and the
Ohio
State
University
before becoming the founding Dean of the
School
of
Professional Psychology
at
Wright
State
University
in
Dayton
,
Ohio
. He is a recipient
of the American Psychological Foundation’s prestigious Career
Contributions to Practice Award, the APA Board of Educational
Affairs’ award for Career Contributions to Education, and a
lifetime achievement award from the Society for the Psychological
Study of Ethnic Minority Issues. He holds an honorary Doctor
of Psychology degree from the California School of Professional
Psychology. He is the Executive Director of THE CONSULTING GROUP,
a division of Human Resource Consultants and holds a part-time
faculty appointment in the UNC Department of Psychology. Dr.
Fox is a past president of the American Psychological Association. |
Jean Goerss,
M.D., M.P.H.
Glendale, Arizona
Dr. Goerss is a Board Certified pediatrician and a co-author of the book, Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depression and other Disorders. She is former director of the Bove Institute, and she is committed to counseling parents and to helping provide information about gifted children to pediatricians, family doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists. |
Jerald Grobman,
M.D.
New York
,
New
York
www.PsychotherapyServicesfortheGifted.com
Dr. Grobman is a board certified psychiatrist
in private practice in
New
York City
. He specializes in the psychodynamic
and cognitive/behavioral psychotherapy of adolescents and adults.
Currently he is a member of the attending staff of the
Lenox
Hill
Hospital
’s
department of psychiatry where he is a senior supervisor in
the psychology intern and externship training program. For a
number of years he was the psychiatric consultant to the open
heart surgical team at
Lenox
Hill
Hospital
.
From 1975-1980 he was an associate clinical professor in the
department of psychiatry of the Tufts University School of Medicine.
While there, he was the director of the group psychotherapy
training program and was a group therapy training instructor
in the American Group Psychotherapy Association’s national training
institute. He also developed a full service community based
mental health center and was the psychiatric consultant to the
guidance staff of a middle school. Dr. Grobman has published in the fields of community psychiatry,group psychotherapy and consultation/liaison psychiatry. His paper Underachievement in Exceptionally Gifted Adolescents and Young
Adults: A Psychiatrist’s View was recently published in
the Journal of Secondary Gifted Education Vol.17 #4 summer
2006. |
SENG
staff |
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Amy Price
Poughquag, New York
Executive Director
amy.price@sengifted.org
Amy Price is a marketing and public relations specialist. She
consulted on the account management teams of major NYC advertising
agencies before becoming President of her own marketing network.
Prior to joining the SENG team, she was Executive Director of
a public school education foundation. Her passion for serving
the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children and adults
is a personal and professional commitment. Amy is the proud
(and often challenged) mother of two gifted sons. |
Suzanne O'Boyle, M.A.
New York
Technology Manager
suzanne.oboyle@sengifted.org
Suzanne O'Boyle comes to SENG with expertise in Educational Technology with an emphasis on cognition and multimedia design. She also brings her experience in psychiatric research, primarily in Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Depression. She is a graduate of Marist College and will be completing a second Master's at Columbia University shortly. |
Patty Petrillo
Poughquag, NY
Office Manager
patty.petrillo@sengifted.org
Patty Petrillo had a long career with the Pepsi-Cola Company, where she started as Administrative Assistant and moved up the ranks to Executive Administrative Assistant, Senior Packaging Industry Analyst, and Marketing Coordinator. She left Pepsi to be a stay-at-home mom, dedicating her time to raising twin boys. Prior to working with SENG, she worked part-time as Administrative Assistant to YWCA. Patty volunteers her free time with school and fundraising activities.
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