Staff

The Summer Program team is comprised of program staff and permanent staff. This group of highly competent and caring individuals is brought together by an awareness of gifted students’ academic and emotional needs and a commitment to helping students grow and excel intellectually and socially.


Program Staff
The program staff includes all the dedicated and talented people who interact directly with Center for Talent Development (CTD) students and their families each summer.

• Our distinguished faculty is selected from premiere schools across the nation. Instructors are chosen for their subject matter mastery, classroom experience, enthusiasm, ability to individualize their teaching and skill in providing engaging, thought-provoking and varied classroom experiences.
• Our teaching assistants, some of whom are former Summer Program students, are selected from universities across the country. They are high academic achievers as well as strong relationship-builders with the ability to strike the right balance between academic challenge and support.
• Our residential, commuter and auxiliary staff members also include many Summer Program alumni. Typically undergraduate or graduate students, they are kind and responsible individuals who know how to build rapport, engender trust and ensure a safe and fun-filled living and learning environment.

Permanent Staff
The permanent staff is dedicated to the Summer Program year-round; it is through the diligence and ingenuity of these individuals that the Summer Program runs seamlessly and raises its standard of excellence each year.
 

		Victoria Blanas Apogee Program Coordinator As Apogee program coordinator, Vicky Blanas enjoys developing positive relationships with Apogee instructors, meeting students and their parents and ensuring that students have the best possible experience in the program each summer. She loves being witness to the joy Apogee students display when learning alongside other talented students. Vicky brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. She taught high school social studies for 16 years, served as department chair for five years and received repeated nominations for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as a Disney Teacher Award nomination. She also led numerous educational tours overseas for high school students. Those trips, combined with her personal travels, have taken her to 25 countries on three continents. Vicky has a bachelor of arts in history from Loyola University and is currently working toward a master of arts in history, concentrating on genealogical research, through the University of Toronto. She is also a certified hypnotherapist and uses this skill to facilitate pain relief, improving people’s health and well-being.
		Maureen Connell Leapfrog Program Coordinator With three years of elementary teaching experience, Maureen Connell is well-suited to her position as program coordinator for Leapfrog, which serves students completing PreK through grade 3. She oversees Leapfrog admissions, instructor recruitment, course planning and logistical coordination, ensuring that the program runs smoothly and that participant expectations are met or exceeded. Maureen is inspired by the curious, authentic and engaged people – children and adults alike – whom she meets in her role. Given Leapfrog’s growth, she has also enjoyed being able to help an increasing number of people each of the four years she has been with the Center for Talent Development. Maureen double-majored in English and human development at Boston College, earning a bachelor’s degree there and a master’s degree in elementary education from Northwestern University. When not working at CTD, Maureen can be found running along Chicago’s streets or lakefront. Her greatest athletic achievement? Completing the Boston Marathon in less than four hours!
		Susan Corwith Associate Director, Center for Talent Development Susan Corwith is passionate about the field of gifted education and has been converting that passion into action for more than 15 years. She has held leadership roles in a number of institutions serving the gifted population and brings that experience to bear in her role as associate director for Center for Talent Development (CTD). Her primary responsibilities with CTD include overseeing marketing and outreach as well as the Summer Program, Civic Education Project and PreK through grade 3 testing. She appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the gifted education field in myriad ways: through direct contact with students and their families, program development and research. Her multifaceted role, combined with CTD’s commitment to excellence, allow Susan to feel as though she is helping to reveal gifted students’ incredible potential, which, she believes, often goes untapped. “It’s exciting to see what students can do and who they really are in an environment that nurtures and supports them,” she says. Susan holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy analysis, an MS in curriculum and instruction and a BS in secondary education, all from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
		Nicole Hayden Program Assistant, Summer Program In her role as program assistant, Nicole Hayden talks with gifted students and parents, asking insightful questions and suggesting the CTD programs and services that best suit their needs and interests. Her administrative responsibilities include processing student applications and tuition payments as well as ordering books for the Summer Program. Nicole says that her love of academic settings has prompted her to apply to Northwestern’s master’s degree program in higher education administration and policy. She holds a bachelor of arts in international studies and political science as well as a certificate in African Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and enjoyed studying abroad in London, England, during her junior year. In her free time, Nicole is a jazz, modern and hip hop dancer.
		Victoria Hutchen Spectrum Program Coordinator Victoria Hutchen coordinates the Spectrum program for students completing grades 7 and 8. By managing everything from admissions to program evaluation, Victoria makes certain that Spectrum students, families, instructors and staff all have a positive summer experience. As a former teacher in classrooms from kindergarten through grade 7, Victoria appreciates that the Summer Program gives gifted students opportunities to explore subjects in greater depth than time allows during the school year. Victoria admires Spectrum students for their genuine pursuit of knowledge and their desire to continually challenge themselves. Her own academic achievements include earning a bachelor of arts in anthropology and film studies from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree in elementary education from DePaul University, where she was selected to the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society. In addition to her work at CTD, Victoria and her husband are busy raising their young daughter, a prospective Spectrum student in summer 2020.
		Deborah Lee Summer Program Director When asked in high school to be a teaching assistant for one of Spectrum's Chemistry Honors classes, Deborah Lee had no idea what an impact the experience would make on her career. She has never ventured far from the Summer Program since, teaching in public schools in the Chicagoland area and then serving as Equinox program coordinator. In her current role as coordinator of the Summer Program, Deborah works with Summer Program teachers and staff to develop high-quality programming for gifted students completing PreK through grade 12. She enjoys seeing students excel and appreciates the opportunity to further the education of tomorrow’s leaders. Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and an advanced teaching credential, all from Northwestern University. Ever an educator, she spends free time teaching drawing and painting at a local community center.
		Sara Morrow Program Assistant As program assistant for the Summer Program, Sara Morrow helps families navigate their way from Leapfrog to Apogee, Spectrum and Equinox. She processes applications and payments, answers countless questions and ensures that staff and instructors alike have all the supplies they need. Put simply, she keeps the Summer Program running smoothly! Prior to joining Center for Talent Development, Sara’s education experience included teaching English as a Second Language for two years in Lamia, Greece, and serving as a substitute teacher and swim team coach for a junior/senior high school in Erie, Pennsylvania. Sara earned a bachelor of arts in communications, with minors in English and international studies, from The Pennsylvania State University and enjoyed a semester abroad at the University of Manchester in England. She continues to be inspired by travel and loves meeting Summer Program students, who hail from all over the world!
		Lindsay Wall Equinox Program Coordinator Lindsay Wall joined the Summer Program team after a successful stint with the Center for Talent Development’s Civic Education Project. As the Equinox program coordinator, she oversees all aspects of Equinox, including student admissions, hiring of summer staff, course development and program evaluation. Lindsay’s recent work experience includes collaborating with the Cleveland Municipal School District as an Americorps volunteer and youth organizer and managing community-based projects for an international non-profit organization. She is passionate about youth development initiatives that provide young people opportunities to reach their full potential. Lindsay earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics and political science from Augustana College and a master’s degree in social work and non-profit management from Case Western Reserve University. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, baking chocolate desserts and reading the newspaper.