KEYNOTE: DR. CLAIRE HUGHES

 Professor of Special, Gifted, and Twice-Exceptional Education at Cleveland State University.

She previously served as Professor of Elementary and Special Education at the College of Coastal Georgia and as Faculty Director of Special Education Programmes at Canterbury Christ Church University in the United Kingdom. She is a two-time Fulbright Scholar to Greece.

Dr. Hughes is the recipient of the NAGC Gifted & Award and currently serves as President of The Association for the Gifted (CEC-TAG division of the Council for Exceptional Children). She previously chaired both the Research & Evaluation Network and the Special Populations Network of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).

Her co-edited book, Twice-Exceptional Education: Connecting Gifted and Special Education, is a featured title of the Council for Exceptional Children. Her research focuses on twice-exceptional learners—particularly gifted students with autism—generational shifts in education, artificial intelligence in learning design, and international perspectives on gifted education.