UA Education to Host Gifted Education Expert for Curtis Lecture

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Joy Lawson Davis, director of the Center for Gifted Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will be the Curtis Distinguished Lecturer for the 22nd James P. Curtis Lecture — in conjunction with The University of Alabama’s “Through the Doors” activities — at 6 p.m., March 12 in the Woodis-McDonald Auditorium in Graves Hall.

Davis has more than 30 years of experience in gifted education as a teacher, administrator, writer, researcher & consultant to schools nationwide. She grew up in Newark, N.J. and later in King & Queen County, Va. In both of these diverse environments, she learned first-hand the struggles of black citizens during the tumultuous period of racial riots and school desegregation during the civil rights era.

A first-generation college graduate, Davis is deeply empathetic to the needs of culturally diverse students who seek out challenging academic environments to help them reach their potential.

Among her many positions in public education, Davis was the first black woman to hold the position of state director of gifted services, K-12 in the Commonwealth of Virginia (1993-98). Today, she is an assistant professor of education in curriculum & instruction and director of the Center for Gifted Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

As a practitioner, scholar and writer, she has focused her work in advocating for increased attention to the needs of culturally diverse gifted students. In 2011, Davis published her first book, the award winning “Bright, Talented & Black: A guide for families of African American gifted learners.”

Davis earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from The College of William & Mary in Virginia and is now serving a three-year term as an at-large member of the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children. Before serving on the board of directors, she served two terms as chair of the National Association for Gifted Children’s Diversity & Equity Committee.

Davis is also a Special Populations columnist for Teaching for High Potential, an NAGC publication. She has also published book chapters and other articles. Most recently, Davis’ chapter on “The Importance of Family Engagement” appeared in a book edited by Johnsen & Coleman titled “Implementing RtI with Gifted Students.”

Davis also serves as a member of the advisory board of Gifted Child Today, a practitioner oriented, peer-reviewed journal with the largest subscription base of any gifted journal nationwide. A sought-out expert in the area of cultural diversity and gifted education, Davis has also provided training to educators across the nation, and in South Africa and Trinidad/Tobago, focusing on the needs of culturally diverse gifted children.

The James P. Curtis Distinguished Lecture Series was created by the board of directors of the Capstone Education Society to bring a renowned educator or public figure to the campus each year to lecture about contemporary education issues. It was named in honor of Dr. James P. Curtis, a faculty member in the College of Education for 23 years.

During his service to the University as professor of administration and educational leadership and assistant dean of the Bureau of Educational Services and Research, and through his guidance, Curtis influenced the lives and careers of countless students who have become prominent educators throughout Alabama, the United States and the world.

The lecture is part of “Through the Doors,” a year-long series of activities and events commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the desegregation of UA in 1963 and honoring the courage and dedication of the two African-American students who enrolled in the University on June 11, 1963, as well as the University’s ongoing commitment to change over the past 50 years and its commitment to continued progress in the future.  For more information, visit www.throughthedoors.ua.edu/