The gifted education professionals who participate in PG Retreat share presentations that are lively and interactive. They know many of us and we know them, or have been eager to meet them. Roundtables and more casual conversations over lunch, on a bench beside a path, or in a hallway provide opportunities for us to ask questions, chuckle over anecdotes,
and experience their wisdom and guidance in a direct, personal way.
In 2010, we were lucky to have Dale Stuart, P. Susan Jackson,
and Storysmith® Susan Marie Frontczak as our keynote speakers.
Leaders for 2010 sessions also included PGR Parents
(Lisa Betts-LaCroix, Loni Kaplan,
Jimmy Wales, Joe Betts-LaCroix, Todd Kaplan,
Gary and Lisa Choquette, Justin Chamberlin, Peggy Hamilton);
PGR Teens (Nico Peck, Rachel Garner)
as well as
Michele Kane, Dan Tichenor,
Catherine Zakoian, Victor Roberts,
Ken Gerson, Aaron Tuck,
and
Paul Hildebrandt.
2010 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
P. Susan Jackson in the Founder and Therapeutic Director of “The Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted” in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. This international institute offers service to highly and profoundly gifted children and adults supporting the educational needs and overall development of this exceptional population. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field and the author of numerous articles and chapters in the gifted education literature. Sue is currently the Chairperson of the Counseling and Guidance Network of the National Association to Support Gifted Learners, a member of the Advisory board for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) and the Vice President of the Gifted Children’s Association of British Columbia. She is also the District Coordinator of “Programs to Support Gifted and Talented Students” in Langley BC Canada. Sue is a poet, nature lover and mother of two exceptionally gifted children.
P. Susan Jackson will be leading a session titled Close to the Bone: Character and Temperament of the Highly Gifted.
Storysmith® Susan Marie Frontczak brings history and literature to life, creates stories from thin air, and hones personal experience
into tales worth telling again and again. She has presented to university, corporate, school, family, and theater audiences across 34 of the United States, Canada, and Europe. Whether inventing stories
off the cuff, infusing poetry with fresh breath, or presenting a honed dramatic performance, Susan Marie lives up to her motto, "Give me a place to stand, and I will take you somewhere else." For more
information see http://www.storysmith.org.
In 2010, Susan Marie Frontczak was Mary Shelley. In 2009 she was Marie Curie.
Dale Stuart, Ph.D. Sc.D. wears the title of Clinical Psychologist, with a private practice specializing in working with gifted individuals. Her own diverse range of prior interests and careers tell the story of a person fulfilling dreams and living life with intensity and passion.
It’s a common struggle for gifted individuals – you have so many interests in such widely different areas, you can’t decide which one to focus on. You feel like you need a dozen lifetimes to do all the things you want to do in life! Dale Stuart faced this dilemma – with diverse interests in science, aerospace, sports, and flying from the moment she was born. Dale will share what she has learned from her personal journey as a gifted female growing up feeling passionate about many things and making difficult decisions about what to pursue.
Dr. Stuart will be discussing
Multi-Potentiality and Making Difficult Choices.
She will also be working with our teens in a session including
career choices.
2010 SPEAKERS
Michele Kane, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Gifted Education Program at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Michele is also is the President-Elect of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children and the Chair-Elect of the Global Awareness Network of the National Association for Gifted Children. A major focus of Michele's work is related to the social/emotional needs of the gifted. Along with her husband Dan, she is the parent of six gifted adult children.
This is Victor Roberts’ third year at the PG Retreat. He grew up in Georgia but made a home in Colorado after falling in love with the area while attending CU Boulder. He has over ten years of teaching/tutoring/mentoring experience and has been working with gifted kids for several years. His passion for philosophy and literature (especially science fiction) is evident and has led him to facilitate many discussion groups on the philosophy and layers of meaning behind Star Wars, The Matrix movies, and many other sci-fi films. He currently lives in Lafayette, Colorado and enjoys his work as a math tutor and mentor.
Dan Tichenor has had an affinity for nature ever since he and his buddies would spend hours on end at Motlong's Pond. He has had experiences as a journalist, editor, storyteller, teacher of students with special needs and gifted students, as well those of a dad of six gifted (now adult) kids. He has been active in summer programs for gifted kids including those at a private school for gifted, a college program for gifted kids, and Yunasa camp for the highly gifted. Dan is a firm believer in the notion of "taking it outside" and his activities are firmly rooted in being outdoors and in learning from the environment.
Catherine Zakoian, MA, LPC earned her masters degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver and her undergraduate degree in art from Cornell College. Catherine is in private practice as a child and family therapist
in the Boulder and Vail, Colorado communities where she specializes in working with gifted and profoundly children, adolescents, families and organizations. She founded and operates an art workshop experience business and she also works privately as an educational consultant with a focus
on assisting schools develop and offer richer social and emotional experiences and environments to the students and families they serve. Additionally, Catherine is an organizational development consultant specializing in leadership development and thoughtful and productive hiring and employment practices.
She has worked in human resources and production management for creative businesses, as an elementary school art educator, as a school counselor, on the adult, child and family teams at a regional mental health center and has also developed and taught undergraduate psychology coursework.
Speakers at PG Retreat 2009 included:
Susan Marie Frontczak,
Joan Smutny,
Ms. Bobbie Gilman,
Michele Kane,
Dan Tichenor,
Catherine Zakoian, Victor Roberts,
Paul Hildebrandt, Dr. Rebecca Theobald, and Dr. Steven Jennings.
You can see other details at the 2009 Parents' program.
Dale Stuart, Ph.D. Sc.D. wears the title of Clinical Psychologist, with a private practice specializing in working with gifted individuals. Her own diverse range of prior interests and careers tell the story of a person fulfilling dreams and living life with intensity and passion.
