Speakers & Sessions

Keynote: The Neurodiversity Revolution: Tapping the Human Diversity of Mind to Accelerate Discovery and Innovation

Stevenson Professor of Astrophysics, Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Management

Director, Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-intensive Astrophysics

Director, Frist Center for Autism & Innovation

Vanderbilt University

Bio: Stassun holds the Stevenson chair in Astrophysics, and holds secondary appointments in Computer Science and in Management, at Vanderbilt University, where he has received an NSF CAREER award, a Cottrell Scholar award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, an HHMI Professor award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Ford Foundation Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences. Stassun is a member of the leadership team for NASA’s Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) and Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) space telescope missions, served as a co-investigator for NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, chairs the executive committee of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, serves on the National Academy of Sciences Space Studies Board and Divisional Committee for Engineering & Physical Sciences, and recently served on the National Academy of Sciences Decadal Steering Committee for Astronomy & Astrophysics. An elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Astronomical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, and an elected Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, his research on stars and exoplanets has appeared in more than 600 peer-reviewed journal articles, with an emphasis on understanding the fundamental physical properties of stars and extrasolar planets. From 2004 to 2016, he served as founding director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program, which has become one of the nation’s top producers of PhDs to underrepresented groups in the physical sciences. Having trained more than fifty PhD students and postdoctoral scholars from diverse backgrounds, Stassun is a leader and advocate and exemplar for training the next generation of American talent in STEM fields. He has served on NSF’s Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Nicholson Medal for Outreach, has been named Mentor of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. Since 2017, Stassun serves as founding director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering, focused on advancing science and engineering through the engagement and workforce development of autistic individuals and those with other forms of neurodiversity, and has awarded more PhDs to autistic scientists and engineers than any other program. From 2023 to 2026, Stassun served on the National Science Board, in 2024 was named a MacArthur Fellow, and in 2025 received the National Medal of Science.

Session #1: The Creativity Prescription

Session #2: Lit from Within: The Secrets of Internal Motivation

Bio: Using a combination of neuropsychology, pedagogy, experience, humor, technology and sheer fun, Lisa Van Gemert shares best practices in education with audiences around the world. She is an expert consult to television shows including Lifetime’s "Child Genius," and a writer of award-winning lesson plans, as well as numerous published articles on social psychology and pedagogy and four books, including the Legacy Award-winning Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing Never Good Enough. A former teacher, school administrator, and Youth & Education Ambassador for Mensa, she shares resources for educators and parents on her websites GiftedGuru.com & VocabularyLuau.com. She holds an undergraduate degree in English and an M.Ed.T. from the University of Texas at Arlington. When she’s not trying to teach random kids she meets in the grocery store, she is a volunteer genealogist for the Daughters of the American Revolution and will happily search old newspapers for your family. Lisa and her husband Steve are the parents of a lot of sons and live in Arlington, Texas.

Session: Riding Out the Storm: Managing Emotional Intensity in Students

Bio: Matthew “Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD is a high-energy, creative clinical psychologist and professional speaker who utilizes an eclectic approach to meet the specific needs of his neurodivergent clients. He is proud to serve the Gifted community as a consultant, a professor, an author, and a researcher. He has spoken nearly a thousand times all over the world about supporting neurodivergent clients, organizational wellness, and mental health. Dr. Zakreski is a member of Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG), the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC), and Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE). In 2026, Dr. Zakreski was inducted into the New Jersey Gifted Hall of Fame. Dr. Zakreski graduated from Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (IGCP) in 2016. He is the co-founder of The Neurodiversity Collective, LLC, co-host of the podcast “Nerding out on Neurodiversity,” and the author of the Neurodiversity Playbook: How Neurodivergent People Can Crack the Code of Living in a Neurotypical World.

Session: The Neurodiversity-Affirming Stance: Integrating Mentalization and Problem Solving for 2e Learners

Bio: Coming soon!

Keynote Speaker: Keivan G. Stassun, PhD

Description: There is a growing understanding of the power of cognitively diverse teams to drive innovation, including scientific discovery. Neurodiversity is an emerging paradigm in which neurological differences—such as autism—and the associated diversity in ways of thinking can bring unique strengths to organizations and teams, including in basic research. This presentation gives real-world examples from astrophysics research of ways in which teams comprising diverse types and modes of thinking are driving groundbreaking discoveries pertaining to the search for habitable worlds and life in the universe. We also describe a national model for neuro-inclusion in engineering in partnership with a growing network of leading universities across the country. 

Speaker: Jeanette Sawyer Cohen, PhD

Description: Every parent and educator shares the same ultimate goal: to raise socially responsible, resilient young adults who are open to learning. We all want to raise "good mentalizers" who can reflect on their own experiences and the experiences of others. Yet, as schools and families become increasingly skilled at implementing structural and sensory accommodations, we often hit a wall with intense, twice-exceptional (2e) students. When dysregulation strikes, their soaring intellect is eclipsed by heightened affect, and their capacity to mentalize vanishes.

In this session, Dr. Jeanette Sawyer Cohen introduces the Neurodiversity-Affirming Stance. Participants will explore "Cognitive Camouflage"—the unconscious assumption that a 2e student’s high IQ means they can actively mentalize under stress. When a student's prefrontal cortex goes offline, adults must resist the urge to problem-solve and instead "Picture a Baby." Drawing on Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman’s foundational Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) and Carla Sharp’s subsequent work on adolescents, attendees will learn how to rebuild a student's openness to learning by returning to infant mental health basics: joint attention, serve-and-return, and co-regulation—all grounded in a not-knowing stance.

Finally, Dr. Sawyer Cohen will bridge these MBT principles with Dr. Ross Greene’s Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), demonstrating that while a baseline of regulation is required to get to the table, the Plan B meeting itself is a profound exercise that actively builds and robustly strengthens the mentalizing capacity of both adult and child.

Speaker: Lisa Van Gemert

Description: Hands down the most popular workshop Lisa presents, this is a treasure of practical strategies any teacher can use to infuse creativity into the classroom. Lisa shares twelve tools and techniques any teacher can easily use that will improve student performance and enhance the classroom experience for teachers and students alike.

Speaker: Lisa Van Gemert

Description: What sparks motivation in gifted kids? How can we help them develop the resilience to face challenges without losing their drive? In this engaging and practical session, Lisa Van Gemert, author, educator, and gifted education expert, will guide parents through the unique motivational factors that fuel gifted students.

You’ll discover how to nurture your child’s natural curiosity, build their internal resilience, and create an environment that supports growth without relying on external rewards. Lisa will also share the common pitfalls that unintentionally demotivate gifted kids—and how to avoid them.

Leave with actionable strategies to help your child stay “lit from within” and a renewed sense of confidence in guiding them toward their full potential. Whether your child is a perfectionist, a procrastinator, or just hard to motivate, this session is for you.

Speaker: Matt Zakreski, PsyD

Description: Today’s students, especially gifted and twice-exceptional individuals, are marked by their intensity, particularly their emotional intensity.  These emotional outbursts can be very disruptive and dysregulating to the students, as well as their peers, parents, teachers, and community supports.  This session will focus on the psychology and neuroscience behind emotional intensity and give concrete, accessible techniques that will allow for the development of self-regulation skills.