MasterMind sessions are where big ideas meet real classroom impact. Each day of giftED26, you’ll hear from expert educators and thought leaders in high-energy sessions designed to challenge your thinking, spark reflection, and connect timely education topics to your work with gifted learners. Included with full conference registration, these daily sessions explore how deeper connection—with students, colleagues, and yourself—can create the conditions for meaningful change.
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Highly creative individuals share a powerful trait: They are deeply engaged in their work because they are driven by intrinsic motivation, a genuine love of learning, exploring, and creating. This inner drive fuels many of the qualities we associate with creativity, including intellectual courage, originality, resilience, and the confidence to challenge conventional thinking.
But how does intrinsic motivation develop? This MasterMind session will explore the foundations of this essential driver of creativity, tracing its roots to a child’s early experiences of trust, autonomy, competence, and meaningful engagement. Because these conditions can be difficult to cultivate in a traditional classroom setting, gifted education is uniquely positioned to nurture intrinsic motivation through personalized, differentiated, and strengths-based learning experiences. Leave with a deeper understanding of how educators can create environments that inspire students to not only achieve, but also develop the curiosity, persistence, and passion that drive lifelong creativity.
About the Speaker: Dr. Denis Dumas is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia. Denis’s research focuses on human learning and creativity in educational contexts ranging from preschool through medical school. In particular, Denis seeks to identify human creative potential that may be underestimated or undersupported. Denis has published about 100 peer-reviewed articles, and his work has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the National Academy of Education. He has won early career research awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity, and has given keynote addresses in the U.S., Europe, and China.
From supporting twice-exceptional learners and designing meaningful challenges to navigating competing priorities, you pour tremendous energy into meeting the unique needs of your students. More than ever, you are being asked to do more while ensuring every student is seen, challenged, and supported.
G/T teacher Jere Chang brings a time filled with storytelling, humor, and honest reflections from the front lines of gifted education. As a current gifted teacher, Jere understands the challenges, and the joys, of advocating for students whose potential is often overlooked. If you’ve wondered whether your efforts are making a difference or simply needed a reminder of why this work matters, this MasterMind session is for you. You will leave feeling encouraged, energized, and reconnected to the purpose and joy at the heart of gifted education.
About the Speaker: Jere Chang is an award-winning educator, keynote speaker, author, and digital content creator with more than 4 million followers across social media. Jere is known for blending humor, heart, and honesty into unforgettable presentations on school leadership, school culture, student engagement, inclusion, and educator well-being.
Through relatable storytelling and real classroom experiences, Jere invites audiences into the everyday realities of teaching, parenting, and navigating life with authenticity. Whether sharing hilarious classroom moments, discussing the power of creative thinking, or tackling difficult conversations around education and belonging, her message resonates because it feels real. Audiences leave her sessions feeling inspired, energized, valued, and deeply connected to the work they do.
Jere has been invited twice to the White House alongside national digital creators and advocates and has spoken internationally to standing-room-only audiences. She was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna by the University of Georgia and is the author of the upcoming book Becoming the Teacher I Needed (Wiley, 2026).
In addition to her work in education, Jere has partnered with leading brands and organizations including LEGO Education, Microsoft, Amazon, and The Coca-Cola Company to create impactful campaigns supporting educators, creativity, and student learning.
In a profession increasingly defined by mandates, initiatives, accountability measures, and endless demands, it can be easy to lose sight of the deeper purpose that brought us into education in the first place. This MasterMind session invites you to move beyond simply checking boxes and surviving the school year and instead reconnect with the impact you have on the lives of young people every day. Eugene Banks challenges you to embrace your influence, lead with intentionality, and remember that the most transformative moments in education often happen beyond the lesson plan. You will leave inspired to work with purpose, cultivate hope, and create learning experiences that empower students and transform communities.
About the Speaker: Eugene Banks is an educational leader, speaker, author, and advocate for creating learning environments where both students and educators can thrive. With more than a decade of experience in education, he has dedicated his career to improving student outcomes, developing teacher practice, and cultivating school cultures rooted in excellence, joy, and high expectations.
Currently serving as Assistant Principal at Savoy Elementary School in Washington, D.C., Eugene works alongside educators and families to create transformative learning experiences that empower students to reach their full potential. His leadership journey has spanned classroom teaching, instructional coaching, and school leadership, providing him with a unique perspective on what it takes to drive meaningful and sustainable change in schools.
A proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and Relay Graduate School of Education, Eugene is also the author of Young Black Boy and Young Black Girl, affirmation-centered children’s books that inspire confidence, identity, and possibility in young readers. Beyond education, Eugene is the co-founder of Competitive By Nature, a community health nonprofit focused on wellness, resilience, and mentorship. His work is driven by a deep commitment to faith, family, service, and empowering the next generation of leaders.
Whether speaking to educators, school leaders, or community organizations, Eugene’s message is simple: when we intentionally invest in people, we unlock limitless possibilities for growth, achievement, and transformation.
MasterMind sessions are just one way to make your time in Houston even more meaningful. Explore the full giftED26 schedule, choose the add-ons that fit your goals, and register to build a conference experience that supports your classroom, campus, or district.
