The National Association for Gifted Children has honored Tamra Stambaugh with its Early Leader Award, given to a person who has made significant contributions in leadership and service to the field of gifted education and who is in the first 10 years of his or her career.
Stambaugh is the executive director of Vanderbilt University’s Programs for Talented Youth and a research assistant professor of special education. She joined the faculty of Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development in 2008 after completing her doctorate at the College of William and Mary, where she also was affiliated with William and Mary’s Center for Gifted Education.
“[rquote]For someone still early in her career, Tamra is exceptionally involved and effective in advancing her profession and the learning of gifted students,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. “She is highly deserving of this recognition.”[/rquote]
During Stambaugh’s tenure as director, Vanderbilt’s PTY has grown 400 percent—this at a time when several programs have struggled to meet enrollment targets.
Stambaugh has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in gifted-education identification, curriculum and assessment. For the Peabody Department of Special Education, she devised an academic program that leads to an endorsement in gifted education for second- to eighth-grade teachers. Although this new program targets educators in Tennessee, it will ultimately be offered nationwide.
Stambaugh has written, co-written or edited five books, including Serving Gifted Students in Rural Settings (Prufrock Press, 2015), which was named a Legacy Book Award Winner by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented.
Stambaugh also has won five NAGC Curriculum Awards, two of those with Emily Mofield, a Tennessee gifted educator. In 2012, the Tennessee Association for Gifted Children presented Stambaugh with its Jo Patterson Distinguished Service Award.
Contact: Jane Sevier
jane.sevier@vanderbilt.edu