NAGC Welcomes Lacy Compton as Director of Content & Learning

NAGC is excited to welcome Lacy Compton, MA, to the team as Director of Content & Learning. We asked Lacy to share her background and experience in the field of gifted education.

Within the last four weeks as Director of Content & Learning, I’ve already connected (and reconnected) with many members in the field of gifted education—a community that has greatly impacted my life, career, and passion for adult learning. 

Growing up in Waco, TX, I began reading at age 3 and never stopped—consuming books faster than my parents could provide them. A well-trained first-grade teacher noticed my advanced reading skills when others had not and discussed with my parents, who knew nothing of gifted education,  how they could  advocate for my needs. The gifted and talented program I joined soon after shaped my academic life in innumerable ways and I’ll forever be thankful for the educators in that program who knew how to teach kids like me.

After graduating from Baylor University in 2004 with a degree in journalism, I took a risk and answered a classified ad for an editorial position at an educational publisher (yes, back when seeking out a job in the newspaper was still the norm)—a job for which I wasn’t fully qualified. This email led to a 12-year career with Prufrock Press, where I had the invaluable opportunity to work with and learn from many of the great experts in the field of gifted education. I edited hundreds of books, built valuable relationships, grew a depth of content knowledge, attended events like the NAGC Annual Conference, and honed a relentless eye for formatting references. 

In 2017, I joined the amazing team at the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. As TAGT’s Professional Learning & Partnerships Director, I had the opportunity to cultivate innovative professional learning opportunities for educators of gifted and talented students. Watching members learn from one another, feeling valued, and remembering why they work in this field transformed my experience in gifted education. My experience at TAGT reinforced my belief that a well-run association with a passionate membership can have a lasting, positive impact on student advocacy and education.  

This past fall, my husband and I moved our family from Austin to Central Illinois to accommodate my husband’s new job, a move that gave me the opportunity to join the NAGC team. After nearly 20 years of supporting gifted education, the NAGC community is near and dear to me, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to develop exciting and innovative professional learning products and programs for NAGC members.

Professional learning is a lot like the chance I took that sparked my career in gifted education. Our members select a learning opportunity based on a need – maybe they see it on social media or an ad in a journal or website, they then enter into an experience that they hope transforms their lives and that of their students.

Creating powerful professional learning experiences also involves taking risks—digging deep into the needs of our members, implementing new ways of presenting content, diversifying perspectives, and taking a chance on emerging voices, and moving outside our comfort zones.

It's with these principles in mind that I happily move forward into my work with NAGC. I look forward to collaborating with our members and my teammates to continue to influence the lives of gifted students—and their educators—across the country.