Executive Board:
Susan Corwith	President
Pamela Shaw	President-elect
Jeanine Buishas	Past President
Denise Kuchta	Secretary
Jill Ko	Treasurer
Board Members At Large:
Sowmya Anjur	Sarah Bright
Deanna Markos	Leodis Scott
Lori Kim	Tara Kristoff
Diana Rea	Evan Glazer
Kenyatta Revelle

About our Board Members:

Susan Corwith - President

Susan Corwith is an Associate Director with Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University. Dr. Corwith leads the Admissions & Advising, Assessment, School and Family Services, and Marketing and Communications teams at CTD. She brings to her role extensive experience in program design and evaluation, advocacy and outreach.  She received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in educational leadership and policy analysis with an emphasis on high-quality programs for gifted students. For over 20 years Dr. Corwith has been active in the field of gifted education, working as a K-12 educator, gifted program coordinator, administrator and researcher. Dr. Corwith is also an instructor in the School of Education and Social Policy’s gifted masters and certificate programs and serves on accreditation teams for AdvancEd and CAEP. Prior to joining CTD, she was President of the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to meeting the needs of gifted students. (Term Concludes 12.31.23)

Pamela Shaw-President-Elect

Pamela Shaw serves as co-chair of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children's Policy and Advocacy Committee. She is the K-12 Course Review Manager for Quality Matters, the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. As the parent of two twice exceptional teens, she has navigated the advocacy process from both the gifted and special education perspectives. She is currently on the board of the Chicago Gifted Community Center, which facilitates educational and emotional support for gifted children and their families. In April 2021, she was elected to the Fremont District 79 Board of Education. She holds a M.Ed. in special education with an emphasis on gifted education from the University of Missouri. (Term concludes 12.31.23)

Jeanine Buishas - Past-President 

Jeanine Buishas is currently the Coordinator of Gifted Services for the DuPage Regional Office of Education. Her advocacy for gifted and talented children is the result of over 30 years of experience in gifted education. In her previous role as an Instructional Specialist for Indian Prairie School District, she supported schools in the development and implementation of a K-8 Gifted/Talented program, led curriculum revision teams in advanced English Language Arts and Mathematics, and facilitated professional learning opportunities for district educators. Throughout her tenure in the district, she served on school and district leadership teams, acted as a liaison to the gifted parent organization, and mentored new gifted-resource and cluster-classroom teachers. Jeanine’s passion for supporting classroom teachers in differentiating instruction and developing a better understanding of the diverse needs of advanced learners continues as she facilitates workshops, conference presentations, and graduate courses.  (Term Concludes 12.31.23)

Jill Ko - Treasurer

Jill Ko is a Certified Public Accountant, Controller and Human Resources Manager with Allways Precision, Inc. Jill earned a Bachelors in Science, Accountancy, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Jill has over 20 years CPA experience in non-profit, for-profit, entrepreneurial, and auditing. In 2008 and 2009, Jill organized the IAGC Springfield Day with hundreds of children in yellow shirts visiting their legislative representatives advocating for their needs to be met. Jill has also served as President of PACE parent  organization (now PTAG) in Oswego District 308 and was a member of the Illinois Math and Science Academy Parent Advisory Council. (Term Concludes 12.31.23)

Denise Kuchta - Secretary

Denise Kuchta is the Coordinator for Gifted, as well as the Mathematics Instructional Coach at Queen Bee School District 16, where she re-established the gifted program in 2015-2016. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with students in grades 3-8, specializing in mathematics, gifted education and acceleration for math and English/Language Arts, and special education and interventions.

Denise serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Association for Gifted Children, and is the Secretary of the organization. She has served on the Social/Emotional Committee as well as the Networking Committee for several years. She also recently served as the chair of the IAGC Leadership Retirement Committee. Her passion in gifted education stems from life-long giftedness and the unique path students will take from the K-8 system to high school and into adulthood. She is committed to the needs of underrepresented learners and providing opportunities that facilitate life goals. She is also an advocate for educating the parents of gifted children – as well as parental involvement in education.

(Term concludes 12.30.23) Denise has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Mathematics, History, Language arts, and Middle school Teaching from Western Illinois University. She has a Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership (Type 75) and an endorsement in Gifted Education from Aurora University. 

Diana Rea

Diana Rea is currently the Curriculum Director for Du Quoin Community Unit Schools, District 300. She also served the district as elementary principal from 2014 - 2021, and was awarded the Elementary Principal of the Year - Egyptian Region in 2020. She is a successful grant writer, designing unique opportunities for students in K-12 surrounding STEM education and enrichment avenues. Prior to her current position, she served in a previous district as the coordinator for gifted programming, expanding programming and acceleration options to meet the unique needs of gifted and talented students from diverse areas and backgrounds. Mrs. Rea also served as an instructional coach where she co-organized and implemented professional development and coaching strategies to support 1:1 technology integration. Her experience includes teaching gifted in Mississippi, Georgia and Illinois. 

Mrs. Rea has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Eastern Illinois University. She holds the gifted teacher endorsement and is currently working on a Ed.S degree with specialization in gifted education and curriculum from the University of Virginia. 

She served as an Illinois State Board of Education Gifted Advisory Council board member from 2013-2019, and was one of two members to serve Illinois in the national assessment vetting process for the gifted endorsement designation on the Illinois professional educator license. She was also a trainer in the Gifted Education Seminar. Mrs. Rea has presented at several conference including the IAGC, ESSA, NCLB, and IRC conferences.  She is passionate about advancing gifted programming through professional development for educators, administrators and families in the areas of programming, differentiated instruction and social-emotional learning. (Term Concludes 12.31.25)

Leodis Scott  

Dr. Leodis Scott, Ed. D. is the Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at DePaul University, College of Education. Dr. Scott has conducted research in the field of education. He developed a Quantitative Survey for Assessing Parent Involvement and Family Engagement at Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center (a Chicago Public School named as a 2020 Blue Ribbon School). Leodis has presented at IAGC regarding gifted schools at Chicago Public Schools and "Tools for Parent and Family Engagement of Gifted Students." He is an advocate for gifted children whose interests include developing educational leaders, schools, and organizations. Leodis possesses a Doctor of Education, Columbia University, Teachers College. (Term Concludes 12.31.23)

Deanna Markos

Deanna Markos is currently an Advanced 8th grade English teacher at McClure Junior High- District 101. Previously, Ms Markos was a Talent Development teacher for 2 years with D102. Deanna serves on the IAGC Advocacy committee as well as the Conference Planning committee as a social media liaison. Previously, Deanna acted as an Advanced Learning Coordinator and Instructor for a private school in Elmhurst for four years, taught high school English and Debate for eight years, and instructed creative drama classes at the Children's Theater of Western Springs (IL) for 17 years.

An Illinois certified K-12 teacher, Deanna holds a BS in Secondary Communications Education from Miami University (OH), an Elementary Certificate from Columbia College Chicago, and a Masters in Administration (G/T concentration) with principal licensure from the University of Cincinnati. (Term Concludes 12.31.24)

 Kenyatta Revelle 

Kenyatta Revelle is the Principal of Iles School (Gifted Magnet School Grades 1-8 and International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Grades 1-5) in Springfield Public Schools District #186. She has 19 years of experience working as an educator and administrator of gifted children. As principal, she worked collaboratively to develop and implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) primary years concept-driven program of in-depth inquiry focused on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. She has been a member of the Springfield Public Schools Gifted Program Review Committee for 14 years. She is a member of the Springfield Public Schools Equity and Cultural Diversity Committee. Kenyatta has served in several position on the Springfield Sister Cities Board and taught in Ashikaga (Springfield’s Sister City in Japan) for three years.  Kenyatta serves on the Board of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln Board. She is a Committee Member on the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln Scholarship Committee, and was the Horace Mann Administrator of the Year Finalist in 2016 and 2019. She was the Horace Mann Educator of the Year Finalist 2004. Kenyatta has a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Masters from the University of Illinois, Springfield in Educational Administration.  (Term concludes 12.31.25)

Tara Kristoff 

Dr. Tara Kristoff earned her EdD from the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign (2021); JD from The Ohio State University College of Law (1996); MAT from Dominican University (2006); and her BA from University of Illinois at Chicago (1993)

She is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at Rock Falls Elementary School District 13.  She is also licensed to practice law in Illinois as well as the federal bar.

Dr. Kristoff has presented in past IAGC conferences on "The Connection of Science and ELA - The Effective Way to Differentiate and to Integrate Instruction" and she is a national conference presenter on ways to integrate science and ELA.   She is an active member of the IL ASCD, Illinois Reading Council, Illinois Science Teacher Association, and the Illinois Association for Gifted Children.  (Term concludes 12.31.25)

Evan Glazer         

Evan Glazer serves as President of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy bringing a wealth of education experience at both the secondary and university levels. A native of Illinois, he has deep experience leading high performing, specialized secondary STEM schools with rigorous academic programs, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology. Prior to joining IMSA, Evan served as Head of School for Avenues: The World School in New York. Before Avenues, he served more than ten years as principal of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), a state-chartered magnet high school in Alexandria, Virginia.  Dr. Glazer's earlier school leadership experience includes serving as the director of Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology (Roanoke, VA). He began his career in education at his alma mater, Glenbrook South High (Glenview, IL), where he taught math. Evan received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL). He went on to earn a Ph.D. in instructional technology from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). Evan has published two books, Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking and Everyday Use of Mathematical Concepts: A Reference Guide. Having spent most of his career in progressive schools with interdisciplinary and project-based curricula, Dr. Glazer holds a deep regard for instructional and student-led innovation, diversity, equity and inclusion and ethics, all underpinned by a strong culture. (Term concludes 12.31.24)

Lori Kim