For Immediate Release
The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC®) conducted an election to fill four Executive Committee positions set to expire at the conclusion of the upcoming World Conference in Braga. Four candidates ran in the election. The following candidates received the most votes and will serve for a four-year term starting in August 2025: Mojca Jurisevic, Susana Graciela Pérez-Barrera, and Alexandra Vuyk. Jyoti Sharma will serve a two year term that also starts in August 2025. The other members continuing on the Executive Committee are Anies al Hroub (President-Elect), Margaret Sutherland, and Eleonoor van Gerven.
The WCGTC Executive Committee consists of seven members: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three members at large. Additionally, the Executive Administrator serves as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
Mojca Juriševič, PhD, is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana. She has over 30 years of experience in teacher education. Her research focusses on learning motivation, professional development of teachers and studies on giftedness and gifted education. She has published numerous Slovenian and international publications, including the chapter on gifted education in the 2011 White Paper on Education in the Republic of Slovenia. At the international level, she is a member of the European Talent Support Network Council and a member of the Executive Committee of the World Council for Gifted Children.
Susana Graciela Pérez-Barrera, PhD, MD, specialization w/postdoctoral studies in Education, focusing Giftedness, Coordinator of the Education Doctoral Program & Master Program in Gifted Education at the School of Educational Sciences of Universidad de la Empresa, Montevideo, Uruguay. Editor-in-chief of two academic journals, supervisor of Master thesis & Doctoral dissertations, former Fulbright Visiting Scholar at UConn, consultant to Unesco, Mawhiba Foundation, and Uruguayan & Brazilian Ministries of Education and Education state & local departments. Uruguay’s delegate to the WCGTC & ECHA correspondent. Senior researcher coordinating the Phoenix International Research Group and the Joseph Renzulli Research Center for Identification & Service of High Ability/Giftedness.
Dr. Jyoti Sharma is an influential expert in gifted education. As a project lead of India’s first national flagship project on giftedness (2014–2019), she developed the Developmental Identification and Mentoring Program, impacting 80,000+ children and 850+ teachers. She established Gifted Resource Lab and launched University Outreach Program for Gifted Students, offering mentoring to gifted students across the nation. These initiatives played a pivotal role in advocating for and formalizing gifted education within India’s current National Education Policy 2020 for the first time. A global advocate, her expertise in creativity and inclusive excellence continues to redefine gifted education, bridging privilege and potential worldwide.
Alexandra Vuyk, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Paraguay, and Co-Founder and Director of Aikumby Center for Giftedness and Creativity, the first specialized center in the country. She led national initiatives that introduced gifted education into research, public policy, and legislative proposals. Her research connects talent development, creativity, and psychosocial variables in underrepresented contexts, contributing to international debates on openness to experience rather than overexcitabilities. She has received national and international awards, including the 2021 WCGTC Emerging Scholar Award, and serves as Co-Editor in Chief of Gifted and Talented International.
About the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children
The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Inc. (WCGTC®) is a worldwide non-profit organization that provides advocacy and support for gifted children. The WCGTC® is a diverse organization networking the globe with an active membership of educators, scholars, researchers, parents, and others interested in the development and education of gifted and talented children of all ages. To learn more about the WCGTC® or to become a member, visit https://world-gifted.org/.
Contact: Dr. Tyler Clark, thomas.clark@wku.edu or 1-270-745-6323