Expertise

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius is the director of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University and an associate professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. She has worked at the Center for 20 years during which she has conducted research and published widely on issues of talent development, particularly the effects of accelerated educational programs and the needs of special populations of gifted children. She was the recipient of the Early Scholar Award of the National Association of Gifted Children. She has designed and conducted educational programs for learners of all ages as well as workshops for parents and teachers. She is active in national- and state-level advocacy organizations for gifted children. She currently serves as editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, and previously edited the Journal of Secondary Gifted Education. She has served on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted, and Gifted Child International, and the The Roeper Review.

Susan Corwith has been involved in gifted education for over fifteen years. Her experience ranges from working as a gifted and talented coordinator to serving as president of a nonprofit organization providing programs and services for gifted students and their families. As an Associate Director at the Center for Talent Development, she oversees the Summer Program, Civic Education Program, and marketing and outreach. In 2007, Susan received her PhD. in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Her research interests include attributes of high quality programs for academically talented students and advocacy. She will also be working with the Advanced Teaching: The Gifted masters program in the School of Education and Social Policy.

Randee Blair spent 30 years in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 as a teacher and as a curriculum coordinator for math and gifted. She has co-authored social studies textbooks for students and teachers and two professional development books for teaching reading and science. As a former field participant in the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, she trained and consulted with teachers for the Everyday Mathematics program. She has presented at numerous conferences including NCTM and IAGC. She has written articles for publication for SRA/McGraw-Hill and the Minority Student Achievement Network. She is currently involved in a  research project at the Center for Talent Development concerning minority student achievement.

George Peternel serves as an Associate Director at Center for Talent Development, currently overseeing the Midwest Academic Talent Search, technology, accreditation, community outreach, and several programs focusing on the needs of underserved gifted students. His work with gifted students includes both teaching and administrative experience, including 28 years as an elementary and middle school principal.  He has taught at the college level and  has presented at numerous conferences, including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and National Association for Gifted Children. Mr. Peternel has been actively involved with teachers and parents as a speaker and workshop facilitator.

Rob Donahue is the founder and program director of the Civic Education Project. A Northwestern graduate, Rob founded a popular program for collegiate undergraduates called Alternative Spring Break (ASB) in 1994 to introduce groups of student volunteers to community service and learning over school breaks. In 1997, Donahue adapted this idea for talented high school students through the creation of the Civic Education Project (CEP). In 1998, Rob was given the “Tomorrow’s Leaders Today” Award by Public Allies, a national service organization. More recently, he received a prestigious “Social Entrepreneur Award” from Youth Service America. Donahue has given presentations on service-learning and alternative breaks at several national conferences. In 1999 & 2000, in partnership with faculty from Northwestern’s School of Education & Social Policy, he was awarded a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education to help create a Summer Institute on Service Learning for teachers from throughout the state of Illinois. He is also responsible for the partnership with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY) to expand service learning opportunities for gifted/talented youth.

Administrative Staff, Summer Staff and Faculty

• CTD’s administrative staff consists of accomplished educators experienced in classroom teaching and curriculum.
• CTD’s summer residential staff is well-versed in administering student services and counseling and guidance.
• CTD’s teachers are master teachers working in Chicago’s top schools. Many have been with the center for years.