Center for Talent Development staff members work year-round to ensure that the Saturday Enrichment Program upholds its standard for excellence and continually meets and exceeds participant expectations.
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| Randee Blair |
| Associate Director, Center for Talent Development |
| Having spent 30 years in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 as a teacher and curriculum coordinator for math and gifted education, Blair is well equipped for her role as associate director of Center for Talent Development’s Saturday Enrichment Program and Gifted LearningLinks. She is an esteemed conference speaker, having presented at the National Association for Gifted Children and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She is also author of several professional development books for teachers. Today, Blair applies her expertise to enhancing the professional development of CTD instructors. She loves to witness gifted students’ creativity and enthusiasm for learning, knowing they are precursors to the innovations and accomplishments these students will produce later in life. Blair holds a master of education degree in educational leadership from National-Louis University and a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blair spends baseball season watching Cubs games with her family and spends the rest of her free time working out at the gym, traveling to see her grandchildren, doing needlepoint and reading. Her book club recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and she has been a diehard Cubs fan even longer than that! |
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| Jamie Guess |
| Assistant Coordinator, Saturday Enrichment Program |
| As an assistant coordinator for the Saturday Enrichment Program, Jamie Guess designs and develops enrichment classes for gifted and talented students. She finds inspiration in research-driven innovation and resulting changes in instructional practices. Her experiences as a curriculum developer for the Diocese of San Diego, four years coaching for the Middle School Academic Decathlon, and six years teaching third and fourth grade at a private school in San Diego inform her work. Guess holds a BA in Human Development with an emphasis on Child Development, a Masters of Education, and a Gifted and Talented Education Certificate, all from the University of California, San Diego. Identified as a gifted learner in her elementary school years, Guess understands the exceptional learning styles of high ability students and empathizes with their social and emotional needs. |
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| Amy Gyarmathy |
| Program Coordinator, Saturday Enrichment Program |
| Program Coordinator, Gifted LearningLinks |
As coordinator for the Saturday Enrichment Program, Amy Gyarmathy places students into SEP courses and makes sure the classes continue to prompt rave reviews. The needs of children have always been important to Gyarmathy, from her days as an inner-city teacher until now, as she works to provide high-quality, challenging classes to the underserved gifted population. Gyarmathy joined the Center for Talent Development (CTD) after being amazed by what her own daughter learned through participation in a CTD program and relates to the challenges that parents of gifted children can face. Her respect for parents who tirelessly provide their children with opportunities is equaled only by her admiration for children who determine that seeking knowledge is a worthy pursuit. Gyarmathy holds a bachelor of science in English education from Illinois State University and is working toward a master of arts in public policy and administration at Northwestern University.
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| Sara (Sally) Macnamara |
| Department Assistant, Saturday Enrichment Program and Gifted Learning Links |
As department assistant for Center for Talent Development (CTD), Sara (“Sally”) Macnamara manages CTD’s academic evaluations for students in PreK through grade 3 and applications to the Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) and Gifted LearningLinks. This job requires great attention to detail – making Macnamara the perfect person for the job. Whether she is scheduling appointments, greeting families, proofreading or mailing testing reports, Macnamara is organized, prompt and friendly. In addition to her work with the PreK through grade 3 academic evaluations, Macnamara processes applications and payments, answers phones and responds to general inquiries. She makes sure that office equipment and supplies are stocked and in working order, and she is the SEP point person in the Tech building at the Evanston, Illinois, location. Macnamara really enjoys her interactions with CTD parents and students, and she has a huge respect for her fellow coworkers, whom she rates in that top 5 percent -- just like CTD students!
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| Denise Mytko |
| Coordinator, Saturday Enrichment Program |
Denise Mytko and Center for Talent Development (CTD) seem to be a perfect fit. Just prior to joining CTD, she worked as the program supervisor of education for the City of Lake Forest in Illinois (just north of Evanston). In this position, she designed curriculum and oversaw instructors and the effectiveness of enrichment programming. She has also worked at the Skokie Park District. The critical connection to CTD took place in 2007 when Mytko started working as an instructor for CTD’s Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) “to explore further and work with the gifted population,” she says. “I found the students and curriculum to be invigorating.” Now, as program coordinator for SEP, she works to support SEP students, parents and teachers to create the greatest benefit for our students.The transition from instructing to managing was seamless, says Mytko. “I have always worked continuously to instill curiosity and critical thought in my students. I feel that the opportunity to administratively support a program such as SEP allows me to play a larger part in providing students a high-quality program where they can explore their own abilities and love of learning.” When not working, Mytko enjoys creating all types of art “but ceramics is the most fun.” She also creates art with her feet; she’s an accomplished tap dancer.
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| Anne Stevens |
| Coordinator, Creative Studies, Center for Talent Development |
| Instructor, Saturday Enrichment Program |
| Instructor, Gifted LearningLinks |
| Instructor, Leapfrog |
| Anne Hayden Stevens is the coordinator of our evolving Creative Studies strand and an instructor in the Saturday Enrichment, Gifted LearningLinks, and Leapfrog programs. She has a MA in Visual Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and a BFA in Printmaking and Drawing from California College of the Arts. Stevens taught for many years in the School of Art and College of the Built Environment at the University of Washington. Fifteen years of experience as an interdisciplinary arts educator has led her to advocate for arts-integration as a critical component of gifted differentiation and student success. Stevens maintains an active art practice and, in her free time, frequents estate sales for mid-century design finds. |
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