Annual Report - 2025 by BelinBlank

STAFF & BOARD

Belin-Blank Center Staff

Saba Ali

Faculty Affiliate

Susan Assouline

Director Emerita

Paige Carlson

Administrative Services Coordinator

Alejandra Castillo

Graduate Assistant

Aditya Chahande

IT Assistant

Kerry Cheverton

UI Center for Advancement

Nicholas Colangelo

Director Emeritus

Ashlee Donithan

Coordinator, Student Programs

Aliyanna Dorn

Graduate Assistant

Brian Douglas

Associate Director, Finance & Operations

Patience Duepa-Kannah

Administrative Services Coordinator

Megan Foley-Nicpon

Director & Professor

Molly Guerra

Graduate Assistant

Cadence Gulbranson

Undergraduate Assistant

Isaac Hooley

Licensed Psychologist

Joshua Jacobs

Administrator, Technology & Project

Management

Johnny Jarnagin

Undergraduate Assistant

Mike Keller-Wilson

Administrator, Student Programs

Emily Ladendorf

Administrator, Technology and Marketing

Michael Lambeth

Administrator, Academy Programs

Randy Lange

Associate Director, Clinical Assistant Professor for Professional Development

Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik

Administrator, Research & Acceleration

Claire McCall

Graduate Assistant

Duhita Mahatmya

Faculty Affiliate

Mae Parker

UI Center for Advancement

Pia Patel

Graduate Assistant

Bridget Pauley

Secretary III

Alexander Persons

Graduate Assistant

Zeus Pichardo

Postdoctoral Scholar

Raechel Popek

Graduate Assistant

Katie Schabilion

Supervisor of Psychological Services

Jill Schenck

PR Assistant

Jolene Teske

Associate Director, Clinical Assistant Professor for Professional Development

Madison Trog Graduate Assistant

Advisory Board

CHAIR

Thomas Belin

BOARD MEMBERS

Susan Assouline

Pat Ballou

Laurie Belin

Bennett Brown

Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan

Julius C. Carter

Nicholas Colangelo

Bob Downer

Dick Ferguson

Ann Hoffman

James E. Hoffman

Alyssa Levitz

Heidi Molbak

Maurine Neiman

Jeffrey Perry

Shoshana Perry

William Perry

Barbara Ross Belin

Theodore (Bob) Scarborough

Don Swartz

Paul Thompson

Bret Ulery

Alex Vacca

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

Daniel Clay

Megan Foley-Nicpon

Sarah Hansen

Kevin Kregel

Lynette Marshall

Molly McConnell

Tanya Uden-Holman

Shaun Vecera

Barbara Wilson

FOUNDERS (IN MEMORIAM)

David Belin

Connie Belin

Myron Blank

Jacqueline Blank

Dear Advisory Board members and friends,

It’s that time of year again when Belin-Blank Center staff and faculty come together to celebrate our many accomplishments with all of you. It’s a moment of reflection and pride in the various ways we support talent development across our strategic priority areas. I am continuously in awe of the large impact our small team has on students and their families. We’re still making a big splash.

The Student Programs team annually offers meaningful opportunities for students to develop their talents, whether by sampling an enrichment class or engaging in original research. Our programming for twice-exceptional students is expanding, allowing more students and their families to receive the support they need to navigate high school, college, and career. We continue to innovate, offering an inaugural workshop for educators seeking to add STEM research opportunities to their classrooms.

Professional Learning at the Belin-Blank Center is thriving. We currently have 31 educators enrolled in the State of Iowa TAG Endorsement program, with 10 receiving financial support from the Belin family. We proudly revived the Belin-Blank Advanced Leadership Institute (B-BALI), hosting 50 educators in our comeback year!

Psychological Services remain highly sought after by families across the country. With staff transitions and new additions, we’ve strengthened our capacity and remain committed to serving twice-exceptional students and their families. The team created 2e Tips handouts to increase public access to the research and clinical expertise we contribute to the field.

Our Outreach and Research and Acceleration priorities continue to span all strategic areas. The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) remains our most effective tool for expanding access to advanced learning across Iowa, particularly in rural schools. Scholastic saw over 3,000 more entries than last year, reinforcing its role as our strongest mechanism for talent development in the arts. Faculty and staff contributions through published research and service papers further solidify our leadership in acceleration and twice-exceptional education.

We are deeply grateful for your support and guidance as we reflect on 2024 –2025 and plan for an exciting year to come.

Vision

Where all learners explore, develop, and realize their talents.

Mission

The Belin-Blank Center creates opportunities for talent development.

Strategic Priorities

STUDENT PROGRAMS

Collaborate to form a safe space for transformative learning opportunities, unforgettable experiences, and lifelong friendships.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Provide uplifting, research-based, professional learning opportunities to those seeking to support the needs of the diverse population of gifted and talented learners.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Support clients, families, and professionals through specialized psychological services and education to increase skills and knowledge, promote success, and maximize potential.

RESEARCH & ACCELERATION

Engage in applied and collaborative research that expands and diversifies methods of talent discovery and development.

OUTREACH

All my best –Megan

Connect with and provide opportunities to our constituents, including those historically underrepresented in talent development.

STUDENT PROGRAMS

2e Academy Students

20 First Year Bucksbaum Academy Students

16 Summer Students

340 Scholarships & Financial Aid

$231,217

The Student Programs team implemented opportunities for students through a focus on talent development. Thanks to philanthropic giving from our board members, scholarships were abundantly available for students in all grades to attend programming at a lower cost. This included partial or full scholarships for 21 of the 43 students accepted into our Secondary Student Training Program. For this year’s Weekend Enrichment program serving students in grades 3–8 during the academic year, we provided full financial aid to 10 percent of attendees. In partnership with University of Iowa Admissions, the Bucksbaum Academy added 16 first-year students for the 2025-2026 academic year. Additionally, the Twice-Exceptional Academy has grown to 20 current students, and the 2e Summer Academy increased to 30 students. With the goal of helping teachers create more pathways for students to undertake original research, we worked in partnership with the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Baker Teacher Leader Center to successfully host 9 educators for the first Jumpstarting Student Research Fellowship. We are confident we will continue to increase talent development opportunities through collaborations with schools, students, and stakeholders.

“Not only have I learned so much this week, but I also have experienced unforgettable moments with newly made friends!”

NATALEE B., BSI STUDENT, COUNCIL BLUFFS

MIKE

“Thank you for funding the scholarship that has enabled me to fulfill a decade-long dream of pursuing my TAG endorsement! I have learned so much from the courses and all my experiences through the Belin-Blank Center, and am excited to bring all my learning to my district to advocate for all of the advanced learners in our system.”

IOWA EDUCATOR

It has been a busy year for Professional Learning at the Belin-Blank Center! We have restructured professional learning offerings and course loads and are in the process of finalizing course restructurings as well. It’s an exciting time to get the TAG Endorsement and learn with us at the B-BC!

Thanks to additional funding from the Belin family, we are continuing and expanding the cohort model to pursue the State of Iowa TAG Endorsement. We increased from supporting 5 in-service teachers in 2024 to supporting 10 in-service teachers this fall. This support covers approximately 65% of each student’s total costs for the endorsement. This is an incredible investment that will make a difference in the lives of students in 15 different districts in Iowa! Four of the 5 Cohort 2024 members will complete their TAG Endorsement this December; the fifth is planning to complete hers within the year.

Last year, one of our goals was to revitalize the Belin-Blank Advanced Learner Institute (B-BALI) for the summer of 2025. It was a major undertaking, and we are quite proud to share that it was a huge success! We ran it the same week as our B-BC Fellowship, so the Fellows took part, some presenting and the rest attending. Other presenters included colleagues in the B-BC Clinic, the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health (SCSMH), and several former endorsement students who are effecting change for advanced learners in their home districts. In total, we had 50 attendees from Iowa and one from Wyoming for our inaugural year! Our goal is at least 100 for B-BALI 2026.

Belin Fellowship Participants

APSI Participants

117

B-BALI Attendees

50 Current Endorsement Students 31

PAIGE CARLSON RANDY LANGE

JOLENE TESKE

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Assessments

92 Therapy Sessions 401 Consultations

7 Pro Bono Evaluations

“We are so grateful for the staff’s expertise and compassion…The assessment center has been one of the biggest blessings and gamechangers for our family’s well-being the past few years. So glad we brought three children there at various times.”

PARENT OF CLIENT

The Psychological Services team has continued to balance our efforts to provide high-quality services to children and families in the clinic with our drive to expand our engagement in collaboration and outreach. This year, we collaborated with our new neighbors in the SCSMH clinic to increase assessment opportunities for families on our waiting list. We celebrated the retirement of long-time clinic secretary, Nancy Whetstine, and transitioned clinic clerical responsibilities to Bridget Pauley. In July, we welcomed Isaac Hooley, licensed psychologist, in a half-time role, and in August, we celebrated Zeus Pichardo’s successful completion of the psychology licensing exam! We eagerly await his official transition to licensed psychologist in our clinic.

We debuted the 2e Tips handouts at conferences and professional learning events and we will continue refining and distributing them over the coming year. We offered 3 no-cost evaluations to students participating in programs related to the Javits grant and maintained our commitment to making reducedcost evaluations available through financial assistance. In the coming year, we aspire to increase dissemination of knowledge through outreach activities while managing our clinicians’ workloads and continuing to provide quality clinical services.

Through both established programs and new initiatives, the Outreach team continued to connect and support talent development in the state and beyond.

For the first time the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) was held in Ames, IA, making the commute for Nebraska participants more reasonable. The inaugural Jumpstarting Student Research Fellowship brought 9 educators onto the University of Iowa campus with the goal of increasing support for educators to incorporate scientific research into middle and high school classrooms.

We also have enjoyed hearing about the impact the Recognition Award had for last year’s five awardees, and with 102 participating schools, IOAPA continues to be a highly important provider of advanced learning opportunities, particularly for Iowa’s rural schools.

The coming year shows no signs of slowing as preparations for the 2026 Wallace Symposium kick into high gear. Our team continues to connect with families, educators, and schools through our various digital awareness and outreach efforts. A new Scholastic Art & Writing Awards gallery on the remodeled 5th floor will showcase dozens of award-winning student art and writing pieces.

In collaboration with the Psychological Services team, we are excited to see the launch of a series of 2e Tips handouts for educators. We recently reviewed 26 new applications for the Recognition Award. The 7 awardees have been notified, and we are eager to see what talent development projects this group will undertake. Our team has also begun exploring how artificial intelligence might enhance both our organizational operations and programming.

OUTREACH

IOAPA schools

102 IOAPA student participants

869 Scholastic submissions

8,358 JSHS student participants

99 Recognition Award Submissions

RESEARCH & ACCELERATION

Presentations

39 Publications

8 Integrated Acceleration Reports 95

“ I used the Integrated Acceleration System to advocate for acceleration in my district, and our administration is now on board. We accelerated the student, and he is thriving!”

IOWA TEACHER

The Research and Acceleration Priority Area had a busy year. We just finished year 2 of our 5-year Jacob K. Javits funded research grant, Discovering and Developing Twice-Exceptional Students (DD2E). We partnered with 3 school districts to deliver our Talent Identification and Career Intervention (TICE) curriculum to over 250 middle school students. We also collaborated with our College of Education colleagues to encourage teacher education students from diverse backgrounds to pursue an advanced learners specialty. A key accomplishment was our publication in Career Development Quarterly, where we examined the effectiveness of the TICE curriculum. Our findings highlighted the importance of student belonging in shaping their enjoyment of the intervention. Students valued connecting with peers and learning more about themselves and their potential career paths. Based on these results, we are modifying the TICE curriculum for year three and recruiting more school district participants. Our team presented these and additional findings at the Society for Vocational Psychology Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Conference in Seattle, Washington.

We continue to publish other empirical and service articles and present around the country and world. For example, Drs. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik and Susan Assouline collaborated with a colleague to write a position statement on acceleration for NAGC, and several Belin-Blank Center faculty and staff published a paper in Gifted Child Quarterly about acceleration among twice-exceptional students. Dr. Shoplik also collaborated with scholars from Northwestern University and Western Kentucky University on a publication for Gifted Child Today that discussed above-level testing in K-12 schools.

DUHITA MAHATMYA

SABA ALI

MEGAN FOLEY-NICPON ANN LUPKOWSKISHOPLIK

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

LeBeau, B., Assouline, S. G., Foley-Nicpon, M., Lupkowski-Shoplik, A., & Schabilion, K. (2025). Likelihood of whole grade or subject acceleration for twice-exceptional students. Gifted Child Quarterly. Published online first. https://doi. org/10.1177/00169862241302813

Watson, K., Mahatmya, D., Ali, S., Foley-Nicpon, M., & Assouline, S. (2024). Understanding factors that influence students’ sense of belonging and engagement in a career exploration program: A mixed methods study. Career Development Quarterly, p. 1 – 16. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12368

Foley-Nicpon, M., Lange, R., & Lambeth, M. (2024). The Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy at the University of Iowa. Teaching for High Potential, p. 6 – 8.

Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R. F., Worrell, F. C., Assouline, S. G., Stoeger, H., & Ziegler, A. (2025). International Research Perspectives on Talent: Part 2. Journal for the Education of the Gifted. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532251372948

Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R. F., Worrell, F. C., Assouline, S. G., Stoeger, H., & Ziegler, A. (2024). Extending Research on Psychosocial Skills and Appropriate Instruction in Developing Talents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 47(4), 335-339. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532241281566.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Ali, S., Mahatmya, D., & Foley-Nicpon, M. (2024, May). Talent and career development among students underrepresented in gifted education Wallace Research Symposium, Storrs, CT.

Assouline, S. G., Lupkowski-Shoplik, A., & Bozec, P. C. (2024, November). Investigation of a sample of twice-exceptional students considered for acceleration. National Association for Gifted Children, Seattle, WA.

Castillo, A. R., Foley-Nicpon, M., Mahatmya, D., Ali, S. R., Assouline, S., & Zou, Y. (2024, November). Equity considerations in talent development. National Association for Gifted Children Conference, Seattle, WA.

Davis, S., Teske, J. K. (2024, November) Successfully promoting a more equitable identification process in one urban district. National Association for Gifted Children Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.

Lange, R. (2024, November). Access to Critical Thinking Experiences in School: The Right Thing to do. Illinois Association for Gifted Children Conference, Naperville, Illinois.

Lange, R., & Teske, J. K. (2024, October) Come learn with us: Professional learning through the Belin-Blank Center. Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. & Lange, R. (2024, November). Planning for acceleration: Special considerations. National Association for Gifted Children, Seattle, WA.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A., Assouline, S. G., & Bozec, P. C. (2024, November). Making Acceleration Decisions: A Validity Study of Essential Factors National Association for Gifted Children, Seattle, WA.

Peterson, A. J., Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2024, October). Does your school need an acceleration coach? Ohio Association for Gifted Children, Columbus, OH.

Schabilion, K. (2025, July). Understanding twice-exceptional students: Essential tips for teachers. Belin-Blank Advanced Leadership Institute, Iowa City, IA.

Schabilion, K., & Keller-Wilson, M. (2025, July). Adapting writing instruction for varied levels of student ability. Science of Reading Summit, Cedar Rapids, IA.

Schabilion, K., & Smith, C. L. (2024, October). Essential tips for teachers of twice-exceptional students. Iowa Talented and Gifted Association Conference, Des Moines, IA.

Teske, J. K., Randleman, K., Alessio, J. (2024, November) Universal qualitative screenings in K-1 can help identify underrepresented students. National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.

Zou, Y., Watson, K., Olson, E., Mahatmya, D., Ali, S. R., Foley-Nicpon, M., Assouline, S. (2025, April). Longitudinal patterns of psychosocial strengths among high ability students: Findings from a career development program. American Educational Research Association Conference, Denver, CO.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Wang, T., Popek, R., Ali, S. R., Foley-Nicpon, M., Mahatmya, D., Watson, K., & Assouline, S. (2025, July). Investigating the role of strengths knowledge in career development for high-ability students. Society for Vocational Psychology 2025 Biennial Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sommers, T., Ali, S., Mahatmya, D., Foley-Nicpon, M., & Assouline, S. (2024, August). High achieving rural youth and science talent development: Applying social cognitive career theory. American Psychological Association, Seattle, WA.

OUTREACH PRESENTATIONS

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2025, February). Who needs subject acceleration? Webinar presented to University of Iowa undergraduate education majors. Baker Teacher Leader Center, University of Iowa.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2024, October). Academic Acceleration: An Introduction. Webinar presented to University of Iowa undergraduate education majors. Baker Teacher Leader Center, University of Iowa.

Pichardo, Z. M. (2025, June). Self-advocacy. Twice-Exceptional Summer Academy, Iowa City, IA.

Schabilion, K. & Trog, M. (2025, January). Discovering and developing talents of multi-exceptional learners: Integrating learner supports across domains. Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, IA.

Schabilion, K., & Bozec, P. (2025, February). MTSS and ALP. Des Moines Public Schools Advanced Learning Program, Des Moines, IA.

Schabilion, K. (2025, March). Understanding twice-exceptional students: Essential tips for teachers. Baker Teacher Leader Center, virtual.

Schabilion, K. (2025, June). Essential tips for parenting your twiceexceptional child. Twice-Exceptional Summer Academy, Iowa City, IA.

WEBINARS

Foley-Nicpon, M. (2025, June). Career interventions with academically advanced students. Webinar presented to the Society for Vocational Psychology, American Psychological Association.

Hesbol, K., Robinson, A., Foley-Nicpon, M., Pereira, N., Lawson Davis, J., & Hafenstein, N. (2024, May). Spread the word: Javits’ project directors present applications and advocacy across other disciplines Webinar presented for the National Association for Gifted Children University Special Interest Group.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2025, January). Subject acceleration: Gifted Education Boot Camp. Webinar presented to the Minnesota Department of Education for gifted education teachers throughout Minnesota.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2025, January). Does your school need an acceleration coach? Webinar presented to the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented.

Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (2024, November). What is academic acceleration and who might benefit? Webinar presented to the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented.

WORKSHOPS

Teske, J. K. (2025, July) Collaboration Benefits Everyone. Belin-Blank Advanced Learner Institute, Iowa City, IA.

GRANTS

Rasheed Ali, S. R [PI], & Foley-Nicpon, M. [Co-PI]. (2023 – 2025). Expanding child/adolescent mental health training and supervision for community providers and trainees. Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training – Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (BHWET-CAY) Program / Health Resources and Services (HRSA). ($302,647).

Foley-Nicpon, M. [Contact PI], Rasheed Ali, S. R. [PI], Mahatmya, D. [PI], & Assouline, S. G. [PI]. (2023 – 2027). Innovations in discovering and developing talented twice-exceptional students (DD2E). U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act ($2,269,132).

Rasheed Ali, S. R. [PI], Foley-Nicpon, M. [Co-PI], Martinez, D. [Co-PD], Bermingham, C. [Co-PD]. (2021 – 2024). Building a mental health workforce to serve rural Iowa youth. Behavioral Health Workforce Education (BHWET) Program / Health Resources and Services (HRSA) Program ($1,991,433).

David and Connie Belin and their close family friends, Myron and Jackie Blank, inspired each other with an enduring spirit of service and philanthropy. That spirit, shared by other close family friends, Martin and Melva Bucksbaum, and Joanne and Milton Brown, spread throughout Iowa, the nation, and the world. The dedication to service and philanthropy from these core Des Moines families, now passed down to their children and grandchildren, acts as a beacon of inspiration for all of us at the Belin-Blank Center, which exists because of their expansive vision.