Directors

AAEGT Directors 2023-2025

"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much" - Hellen Keller

Jae Jung

President

Editor, Australasian Journal of Gifted Education


Jae Yup Jared Jung, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Education and the Director of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) at The University of New South Wales, Australia.

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    His research program, which incorporates various topics relating to gifted adolescents (with a particular focus on their education and career-related decisions) has been published or presented on more than 100 occasions in the form of journal articles, book chapters, editorials, conference presentations or books in international outlets including Gifted Child Quarterly, British Journal of Educational Psychology, Research in Higher Education, Instructional Science, Journal of Career Assessment, Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, the AAEGT conference, and the WCGTC World Conference. His research has been recognized with awards from the American Educational Research Association (including the 2023 Path Breaker Award), the U.S. Mensa Education and Research Foundation (including Awards for Excellence in Research in 2015, 2022 and 2023), and the Society for Vocational Psychology, and research grants from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the New South Wales Department of Education, Catholic Education South Australia and Sydney Catholic Schools. He is the current editor of the Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, a member of the Executive Committee of the Asia-Pacific Federation on Giftedness, and the president of the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT).


Lynda Lovett

Vice President


Lynda has been involved in gifted education in various capacities since 1993.

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    Lynda has been a teacher of full-time ability groupings and has been employed as an Education Officer working on gifted policy and developing and delivering professional learning. 


    Advocating for the academic and socio-emotional needs of gifted children, Lynda’s other passion is mentoring preservice and early career teachers in how to meet the needs of gifted students and gifted students with disability in their schools and classrooms. 


    Lynda is a presenter at many state, national and international conferences, and delivers professional learning to teachers and parents. She is currently a committee member for GTCASA (Gifted &Talented Children’s Association, South Australia).

Rhiannon Lowrey

Secretary


Rhiannon Lowrey is a Design and Innovation Leader in STEM with a strong foundation in mathematics education.

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    Rhiannon currently excels as a High School Math Teacher, where she creates dynamic and engaging learning environments that inspire students to explore and excel in mathematics. In addition to her teaching role, Rhiannon serves as a Tutor at the University of Melbourne, mentoring the next generation of teachers who guide learners in fostering a deeper understanding of education principles highlighting inclusive education includes gifted students.  As the co-author of a book on Twice-Exceptionality (2e), she advocates for and supports gifted individuals with learning differences, addressing their unique challenges and strengths. Rhiannon’s expertise encompasses STEM education, design thinking, inclusive education, curriculum development, and educational publishing, positioning her as a dedicated leader committed to advancing and advocating for innovative and inclusive education.


    Rhiannon joined the AAEGT because she believes that every voice is important. She understands that many individuals feel they cannot make a difference, and she is passionate about advocating for them to help change the world. Her mission is to ensure that all educational needs are not just accepted but embraced, fostering an inclusive environment where every learner's unique requirements are valued and supported. Through her involvement with AAEGT, Rhiannon aims to champion diverse educational needs and drive systemic change, creating opportunities for all students to thrive.

 Sarah Bond

 Treasurer


Sarah Bond, Ed.D., is the Head of   Academic Talent Development programs at The Southport School (Senior School).

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    At The Southport School (TSS), Sarah's students engage in programs such as Future Problem Solving, Tournament of Minds, daVinci Decathlon, ICAS, Model United Nations, Write a Book in a Day, Ethics Olympiad, the Formula One STEM Challenge, and the Subs in Schools program. Sarah has recently completed the TSS Teacher Research Fellowship program, writing about Acceleration in Action at TSS. Sarah is the QLD Director for Tournament of Minds, and she holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida. Sarah was the Program Manager for Gifted and Talented Education for the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, where she spearheaded the first widespread program to identify and serve gifted children in Abu Dhabi’s government schools. Prior to that, she was a Professional Development Specialist for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. She has also worked as a Gifted Specialist and a teacher in Florida, Texas, and California.


    Qualifications: Ed.D., M.A., B.A. 

Eileen Slater

As the parent of three neurodiverse children, Dr Eileen Slater's initial interest in gifted education arose out of trying to navigate the education system for her eldest child who was identified as profoundly gifted in kindergarten.

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     Eileen has worked as a science teacher from K through Tertiary, gifted education teacher and programme coordinator, education consultant for the WA Department of Education, and in school leadership including as head of science. Finding aspects of the current model of education frustrating from an inclusion perspective, she turned her focus to education research, completing a PhD in 2016 which validated a free, time- and cost-effective, teacher-deliverable process to identify gifted children in Year 1. Eileen's research has subsequently focused on inclusive education and education measurement across many educationally vulnerable groups, including gifted and twice-exceptional students, in both formal and informal educational settings. She currently runs Allegiance Educational Assessments where she has the privilege of supporting children, adolescents and their teachers through in-depth assessment/s that diagnose learning needs, as well as supporting teachers and school leaders to optimise their data collection and analysis to measure what matters in their schools.

Melanie Hinze

Melanie works in child psychology and communications. She is currently completing her Honours in Psychology, researching giftedness and wellbeing.

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    Melanie is a child behaviour and play therapist. She also works as a medical journalist, regularly contributing articles to national medical publications. In the past Melanie has held communications roles in the pharmaceutical industry, medical education, government and not-for-profit organisations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. She is also a past Gifted Children’s Coordinator with Mensa Queensland, where she was responsible for supporting gifted young people and their families. Melanie has degrees in Science, Journalism and Psychology. She is also a parent of gifted children.


    Qualifications: BSc/BA (Science Communications); GradDipPsych