IEA Staff & Board
Elizabeth D. Jones, President
Ms. Jones has been an educator, researcher and administrator of educational programs for over 20 years. She holds a Masters Degree in special education from the University of Southern California and has completed doctoral work in the field of educational policy and learning theory. Ms. Stork served as the Associate Director of The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and the Director of the Western Region for ten years prior to assuming her current position.
James W. Davis, Co-Founder, Secretary to the Board
Mr. Davis has over 30 years of experience in education. He serves as a speaker and consultant to organizations on a variety of educational issues. He is the founder and President of The Davis Group, Ltd., an international educational consulting firm.
Amanda is a recent transplant from the East Coast with a background in academic talent development, non-profit management, marketing, and sales. Prior to joining IEA she served as Director of Academic Programs at the Institute for Humane Studies, where she worked with talented undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty in the social sciences and humanities. Amanda graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and has a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia University.
Lori Anne Edwards, Program Coordinator
Ms. Edwards has taught everything from yoga and massage therapy to kindergarten enrichment and elementary English and has developed curriculum for both youth and adult education. She has spent the last several years teaching, acting, and playing and writing music. Ms. Edwards graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Los Angeles with a BA in Theatre Arts and Dance.
Daniel Spencer, Program Coordinator
After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in History and a minor in Education, Mr. Spencer worked in a group home for severely disabled teens, teaching community and independent living skills. He created and implemented a picture exchange communications system that allows non-verbal individuals to effectively communicate their needs.
Zadra Rose Ibañez, Assistant to the President
After earning her B.A. in Anthropology from Colorado State University, Ms. Ibañez performed in the theatre, recorded and toured with a band and worked in the research department of a bank. She assumed the role of Office Manager for two prestigious pension firms in the Los Angeles area before joining IEA.
Gayle Wayne, CFRE, Director of Development
Ms. Wayne has been a supervising development professional with non-profit agencies in Southern California for over ten years. After her undergraduate work in sociology at Cal State Long Beach, she went on to attend UCLA and Clemson University to further her fundraising education and earn her CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) designation.
Johanna Omark, Outreach Coordinator
Ms. Omark holds a B.S. with Honors in Psychology from Brown University and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan. She is a Registered Dietitian who worked for many years as a clinician and administrator before joining IEA. She brings experience in both grant writing and project management, as well as an East Coast presence, enabling IEA’s expansion in programs, support and recognition.
Bonnie Raskin, Program Coordinator
Ms. Raskin joins IEA after twenty-five years as a television executive and producer. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in English Literature and Journalism and did graduate work at Boston University’s School of Speech and Public Communication. She has been published throughout the country and has experience in the Admissions Programs at Campbell Hall and Marlborough Schools.
Sam P. Bell, Retired President, Los Angeles Business Advisors
Roger Benjamin, President, Council for Aid to Education (CAE)
James W. Davis, Co-Founder, Institute for Educational Advancement
Donna B. Ford, Esquire
Seth Freeman, Writer/Producer/Director
Peggy Funkhouser, Interim President, Los Angeles Educational Partnership
Herbert L. Lucas, Partner, Cataumet Partners
Robert J. Massa, Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations, Dickinson College
David S. Shukan, Intellectual Property Attorney
Alison Sowden, Vice President for Financial Affairs, The Huntington Library
Elizabeth D. Jones, President, Institute for Educational Advancement
Charles V. Wise, Principal, Galileo Planning Group, Inc.
Reed Coleman - Board Member Emeritus; Chairman and CEO, Madison-Kipp Corporation
John F. Cooke - President and CEO, Western Territories Group, LLC
William G. Durden - President, Dickinson College
Patricia Gatto-Walden
Dr. Gatto-Walden is a licensed clinical psychologist with a holistic orientation who has worked with gifted individuals of all ages for over 25 years. She is a nationally featured speaker at gifted conferences and educational workshops.
Elizabeth Meckstroth
Ms. Meckstroth earned a Masters in Education and a Masters in Social Work. She has worked in the field of gifted education since 1979, serving families and their social / emotional and educational issues. She has published numerous articles and is a co-author of Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom and Guiding the Gifted Child. Her work focuses primarily on self-development and the highly gifted.
Michael M. Piechowski
Dr. Piechowski has a Ph.D. in molecular biology as well as counseling psychology. He served as a faculty member at four universities before retiring in 1999. He has studied and written extensively on the developmental potential of the gifted as well as on spiritual giftedness. Dr. Piechowski is the author of Mellow Out, They Say. If I Only Could: Intensities and Sensitivities of the Young and Bright.
Stephanie Tolan
Ms. Tolan is author of the Newbery Honor Award-winning novel Surviving the Applewhites. She is a well-known lecturer and advocate for highly gifted young people. She has also written Listen!, Flight of the Raven, Welcome to the Ark, and Ordinary Miracles. She is also a co-author of Guiding the Gifted Child.
