The following story originally appeared on the William & Mary School of Education website. – Ed.

Shelagh A. Gallagher, an internationally recognized scholar, advocate and leader in gifted education, has been appointed executive director of the William & Mary Center for Gifted Education (CFGE) and named the Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Gifted Education and Talent Development.

Gallagher will begin in fall 2025, bringing more than three decades of distinguished experience in research, curriculum innovation, policy development, advocacy and teacher preparation to her new role.

Gallagher joins William & Mary from the University of North Texas, where she served as director of the Office of Gifted and Talented Education. She previously led Engaged Education, a consulting organization dedicated to supporting gifted students, their educators and their families through research-based curriculum design, professional development and program evaluation. Her career spans leadership roles in higher education, non-profit organizations and K–12 initiatives, including serving as associate director for grants and contracts at CFGE under the leadership of founding Executive Director Joyce Van Tassel-Baska.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gallagher back to William & Mary,” said Dean Robert C. Knoeppel of William & Mary’s School of Education. “Her extraordinary scholarship, her innovative approaches to curriculum and advocacy, and her deep commitment to equity in gifted education align perfectly with the Center’s mission to transform the lives of high-ability students.”

Gallagher is widely recognized for her expertise in problem-based learning, the development of creative expertise, and the cognitive and personality characteristics of gifted students. She has published extensively on topics including the history of equity efforts in gifted education, gender differences in mathematics performance, and strategies to identify and nurture giftedness in culturally, linguistically and economically diverse populations.

Her policy leadership includes co-authoring the national “America Agrees” report and spearheading “Talent Delayed/Talent Denied II” and “Talent Unleashed,” statewide initiatives in North Carolina aimed at broadening support for traditionally under-identified gifted students. She has been elected three times to the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and currently serves as the organization’s President.

Gallagher’s contributions to the field have been honored with numerous awards. She has been recognized as a Person of SIGnificance in Gifted Education by the National Society for Gifted Education, honored with the James J. Gallagher Advocacy Award and a Distinguished Service Award by the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented, and is a nine-time recipient of the NAGC Award for Exemplary Curriculum, recognizing her groundbreaking work in problem-based learning for gifted students. Her curriculum units, such as “Ferret it Out” and “Fit to Print,” are used in classrooms nationwide and internationally.

Gallagher’s career has been marked by visionary leadership, collaborative partnerships, and an unwavering focus on translating research into practice. She has secured millions of dollars in competitive grants, including U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. Javits awards to develop and scale curriculum models that identify and serve gifted students from underrepresented groups. Her international work includes consulting for the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools in Kazakhstan and contributing to the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children’s “Global Principles for Professional Learning in Gifted Education.”

Her teaching portfolio spans undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, with courses in gifted education theory, social-emotional development, curriculum design and problem-based learning. She has mentored graduate students from diverse backgrounds, preparing the next generation of researchers, practitioners and advocates.

In addition to her scholarship and leadership, Gallagher has remained deeply connected to the K-12 gifted students she serves. Each summer, she works directly with gifted youth at Yunasa Summer Camps, a unique program developed by the Institute for Educational Advancement that supports the intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual and physical development of high-ability young people. Her ability to bridge research and real-world experience ensures that her work is grounded in the authentic needs of gifted learners.

“I am honored to join William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education at such a pivotal time for the field,” Gallagher said. “The center has a long history of excellence in curriculum development, research and advocacy, and I look forward to building on that legacy.”

As executive director of CFGE, Gallagher will oversee the strategic leadership and operational management of five core areas: graduate instruction, precollegiate programs, curriculum development, research and professional development. She will work closely with School of Education leadership and faculty to expand programming for high-ability learners, strengthen educator preparation and increase national and international impact.

Under Gallagher’s leadership, CFGE will continue hallmark initiatives such as the following: educating students in the Ph.D. and Ed.D. in Gifted Education Administration and the Online Certificate in Gifted Education; continuing precollegiate opportunities like Camp Launch, a residential program for underserved middle and high school students, and the Optimist Project, a leadership and history initiative for Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars; providing innovative curriculum materials, including updates to the Center’s acclaimed language arts units to reflect best practices in culturally responsive teaching; and, spearheading new talent development efforts, such as the 2025 Talent Search Program to identify and support emerging scholars.

CFGE materials have been used in all 50 states and approximately 30 countries. The center trains more than 800 teachers a year, has helped more than 500 teachers obtain an endorsement in gifted education and provides programming for more than 400 high-ability students annually. Developing innovative programming and fostering an inclusive environment for gifted and talented students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds have been guiding priorities for decades.

“We look forward to seeing how Dr. Gallagher will build on our strong foundation while charting new paths that respond to the evolving needs of the field,” said Knoeppel.