International Inspiration

Heather Vaughn, Associate Director at Ricks Center for Gifted Children, will speak at the 2025 World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC) World Conference in Braga, Portugal this summer. She will present on the topic and related research, “Teaching Your Heart Out: Addressing G/T Teacher Wellness in Schools.” Attendees will engage with renowned researchers, educators, and stakeholders in gifted education, talent development, and creativity. The rich and diverse conference program will give Ms. Vaughn valuable exposure to other perspectives, research, and applications to the various topics of interest in the gifted education field. 

During the last two years, Ms. Vaughn has been working as the LEAP series editor for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). LEAP is a professional learning framework rooted in NAGC’s belief that educators intentionally choose and lead their own learning and that of their students by using effective and actionable strategies that are applied through a cycle of reflective practice and improvement.  With busy educators in mind, the LEAP series is focused on providing bite-sized research-to-practice strategies and topic information in gifted education through guidebooks, online modules, and trainings. Two guidebooks have been published: LEAP Education Guidebook for Differentiating Instruction for Gifted and High-Potential Students (2023) and LEAP Education Guidebook for Curriculum Design for Teachers of Gifted and High-Potential Students (2024). Currently, Ms. Vaughn in the process of writing and editing the third book with the co-authors.

Additionally, Ms. Vaughn has speaking engagements at the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented annual conference, the National Association for Gifted Children annual convention, the Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted annual conference, among other state and local conferences.

We are so excited for Ms. Vaughn as she continues her amazing work!