Each year, NJAGC looks to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of Gifted Education and to honor distinguished students.
Dr. Joy Lawson Davis
Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Davis is a career educator with over 30 years of experience as a practitioner, scholar, author and consultant. In addition to local district and university experiences, Davis served for five years as the Virginia State Specialist for K-12 Gifted services. A graduate of the College of William & Mary Dr. Davis holds both masters and doctorate degrees in Gifted Education. Davis has conducted workshops, served as a consultant, and keynote speaker and distinguished guest lecturer across the nation, and South Africa, Turkey, Dubai, the Caribbean.
Diversity Education and Gifted Education are her areas of special expertise. As a highly sought after speaker and vocal advocate for increasing access and equity in gifted education, Davis is often called upon by other scholars, parent advocacy groups and other organizations to share and provide feedback when related matters come to the attention of the general public through mass media.
Dr. Davis has published numerous articles, technical reports and book chapters. Dr. Davis’ award-winning book, Bright, Talented & Black: a Guide for families of African American Gifted Learners is the first of its kind on the market to specifically address the advocacy needs of Black families raising gifted students. Davis is currently the Special Populations columnist for the NAGC publication: Teaching for High Potential and serves on the Gifted Child Today advisory board.
Dr. Davis served a two year term as chair of the NAGC’s Diversity & Equity Committee and is an at-large member of the NAGC Board of Directors. Dr. Davis is the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) organization.
Diversity Education and Gifted Education are her areas of special expertise. As a highly sought after speaker and vocal advocate for increasing access and equity in gifted education, Davis is often called upon by other scholars, parent advocacy groups and other organizations to share and provide feedback when related matters come to the attention of the general public through mass media.
Dr. Davis has published numerous articles, technical reports and book chapters. Dr. Davis’ award-winning book, Bright, Talented & Black: a Guide for families of African American Gifted Learners is the first of its kind on the market to specifically address the advocacy needs of Black families raising gifted students. Davis is currently the Special Populations columnist for the NAGC publication: Teaching for High Potential and serves on the Gifted Child Today advisory board.
Dr. Davis served a two year term as chair of the NAGC’s Diversity & Equity Committee and is an at-large member of the NAGC Board of Directors. Dr. Davis is the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) organization.
Loren Ackerman has been the teacher of gifted and talented learners for 36 years in Hackettstown. During those years she designed and taught programs in 2 elementary and 1 middle school. Currently, she is dedicated to teaching and developing various gifted programs for K-4 at both the Hatchery Hill School and Willow Grove School. She earned a Masters’ degree in Educational Technology and has a teaching background in Elementary, Special and Early Childhood Education, as well as teaching experience abroad in Tehran, Iran. She has been a curriculum advisor and writer for two educational publishers and presented parent workshops, in addition to being a guest speaker for college classes. Loren has developed a program of inclusiveness in Hackettstown, providing specialized activities for gifted readers in K, 1, 2, robotic and problem solving programs for gifted learners in 3rdand 4thand celebrating the creative thinkers by designing a program called Let’s Explore which focuses on their form of giftedness. All students utilize 21st century skills such as choice, critical thinking and technology. In addition to these programs for identified gifted learners, Loren launched a K-2 Creative Thinking Cycle emphasizing STEAM and problem solving based on children’s literature. All the K-2 children in Hackettstown experience these weekly STEAM classes during a specific cycle time. Loren co-founded the Warren County Consortium for Student Enrichment in 1994, as well as being chairperson for many years. This consortium was established to foster creative talent and diverse interests for all students in Warren County through programming, professional development and support. The goal of the consortium is: “to provide a variety of programs that develop potentials in students according to interests and talents with the emphasis on encouraging learners to solve problems or develop new ideas through convergent and divergent thinking, and to build awareness and understanding of the characteristics and needs of gifted learners and individuals with high potential and how these needs can be met.” Currently, the Warren County Consortium has 21 school memberships and offers 17 different programs during the school year for children in grades 2 through 8, in addition to an annual family day. Loren’s professional memberships include NJAGC, HEA and NJEA. She has been the recipient of the NJ Governor’s Teacher of the Year for Hackettstown, received a number of educational grants to enhance gifted education in Hackettstown, and was selected for the Educators Award for Warren County Human Relations Committee.
Mrs. Karen Machuca has over 20 years of experience working in early childhood, elementary, and middle school settings in both private and public institutions. Mrs. Machuca earned a BS in Early Childhood Education, BS in Elementary Education, and MS in Education with integrating technology in the classroom. She completed the Rutgers Online Gifted and Talented certification program and is currently enrolled in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Micro-credentials program: See Me! She has spent the past 15 years in the Orange School District, starting first as a teacher, then moving on to Master Teacher for Language Arts, before becoming a Principal nine years ago.
For the last six years, as the Principal for Scholars Academy in the Orange School District, she directly supervises the daily operations and education of the Gifted and Talented program for students in grades 1-5 for Math, Science, and STEM in addition to the district’s Early Childhood Preschool program. With her experience in urban gifted education, Mrs. Machuca was on the Administrators’ Panel for the Rutgers Gifted Conference where she was able to share the gifted and talented program elements at Scholars Academy. She is a member of the NAGC and an active NJAGC board member and involved with various committees of NJAGC. She is also a member of the Essex County Steering Committee for Gifted and Talented Education. She is a committee member of the Education and Learning Advisory Council at Morris County Vocational School of Technology to collaborate with other community stakeholders to support and assist high school students who aspire to be in the education field. Mrs. Machuca is involved with supporting new administrators through NJPSA as a mentor in the Leader to Leader state mentoring program. Mrs. Machuca is extremely grateful for the creative and dynamic gifted and talented staff that she works with as their motivation, professionalism, and innovative thinking and ideas provide the solid foundation of the gifted and talented program.
Mrs. Machuca’s goal is to have a gifted and talented program that can be used as a model for other districts to reference with structure, programming, and curriculum and to be a collaborative resource for fellow administrators regarding gifted education.. She implemented the district’s Annual Gifted and Talented Expo where students display, share, and explain with pride their learning experiences in the Gifted and Talented program with school and community members. She is extremely thankful to the Orange Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh, II for their continued support and encouragement with providing a solid, progressive program for students in gifted education. Mrs. Machuca can be reached on Twitter: @Principal_KM and @SAcademy268 to see the program in action!
For the last six years, as the Principal for Scholars Academy in the Orange School District, she directly supervises the daily operations and education of the Gifted and Talented program for students in grades 1-5 for Math, Science, and STEM in addition to the district’s Early Childhood Preschool program. With her experience in urban gifted education, Mrs. Machuca was on the Administrators’ Panel for the Rutgers Gifted Conference where she was able to share the gifted and talented program elements at Scholars Academy. She is a member of the NAGC and an active NJAGC board member and involved with various committees of NJAGC. She is also a member of the Essex County Steering Committee for Gifted and Talented Education. She is a committee member of the Education and Learning Advisory Council at Morris County Vocational School of Technology to collaborate with other community stakeholders to support and assist high school students who aspire to be in the education field. Mrs. Machuca is involved with supporting new administrators through NJPSA as a mentor in the Leader to Leader state mentoring program. Mrs. Machuca is extremely grateful for the creative and dynamic gifted and talented staff that she works with as their motivation, professionalism, and innovative thinking and ideas provide the solid foundation of the gifted and talented program.
Mrs. Machuca’s goal is to have a gifted and talented program that can be used as a model for other districts to reference with structure, programming, and curriculum and to be a collaborative resource for fellow administrators regarding gifted education.. She implemented the district’s Annual Gifted and Talented Expo where students display, share, and explain with pride their learning experiences in the Gifted and Talented program with school and community members. She is extremely thankful to the Orange Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh, II for their continued support and encouragement with providing a solid, progressive program for students in gifted education. Mrs. Machuca can be reached on Twitter: @Principal_KM and @SAcademy268 to see the program in action!
Elizabeth Olechowski, a Jersey girl through and through, grew up in Clifton, NJ and graduated from Clifton High School in 1993. Liz attended Fairleigh Dickinson University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management in 2001. After working for 15 years at Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. in the Human Resources and Finance departments at the Nutley location, she and her family moved in 2007 to Randolph, NJ, for the educational opportunities available to her children. During that time, Liz decided to stay home with her children after her third daughter was born and directed her passion for education and volunteerism toward the students throughout the Randolph Township School district. Not only has Randolph Schools benefited from Liz’s efforts - she also served at Resurrection Parish as an assistant catechist in the Faith Formation program from 2014-2018 and as a parent volunteer at Vacation Bible School in 2012-2015. Liz’s approach to service of others is clearly reflected in a quote from John Wooden, “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choices you make, make you.”
Christopher Serrao is a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Readington Middle School in Hunterdon County. He is one of the historic co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He was a three-time regional winner besting school champions from ten counties in western Pennsylvania and eastern New Jersey. Along with the other co-champions, Christopher is the Runner Up in the TIME for Kids Magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year. Additionally, during this past summer, Christopher and his team won the International Team Spelling Olympiad in Princeton, N.J. To help kindle a passion for reading in children, Christopher assists his sister in teaching spelling patterns and words at a youth center in Plainfield, N.J. He has organized four spelling bees for the center’s children. In 2018 and 2019, Christopher and his team of inventors placed first at the Smithsonian Museum’s SparkLab Invent It Challenge. Their invention, FIG, a portable vertical garden equipped with sensors, is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. For their Catastrophe Care Kit invention, Christopher and his team placed third at the 2018 STEAM Tank challenge organized by the New Jersey School Boards Association and U.S. Army at Atlantic City. Christopher has always been passionate about the environment. As a founder of the school’s Global Goals Green Team, he acts as a student ambassador focused on making his school more sustainable. Additionally, Christopher was a state finalist in the You Be The Chemist Challenge in Florham Park last year. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to classical music. Additionally, he plays the piano and acoustic guitar. He also loves to travel and try new cuisines.
Isabella is a 7th grader at Hillside Avenue School in Cranford, New Jersey. She has been part of the Gifted and Talented program, Pathways 2 Excellence since third grade. Isabella attests her passion for writing by being an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She believes that writing is the most powerful way to get an important idea across to someone, and she is moved when the meaning of her writing is able to inspire her readers. Songwriting, art and theater are Isabella’s other passions. She has used her piano skills to compose original lyrics to music without any formal training. In her spare time, Isabella enjoys drawing using different mediums such as colored pencils and watercolor. She has participated in Cranford and Rahway local theater productions of Alice in Wonderland and Aladdin over the years, to name a few. When she doesn’t have her nose in a book, Isabella competes in track and field as a member of the Westfield Flyers Track Team. Her 4x100 Relay team qualified for the Regional Championship of the National Junior Track and Field Olympics in 2019. A typical 12-year old, Isabella enjoys spending time with friends, dancing and especially goofing around with her younger sister, Sophia. When asked what her future plans are, other than being a typical teen, Isabella hopes to become a political and fictional author, to connect with people and to spread unique ideas worth sharing. Whatever path life has in store for her she hopes to impact and inspire others by showing them how to come together when it seems almost impossible.