The Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development is delighted to announce the season 3 premiere of Crucial Conversations about Cognitive Diversity! Formerly known as Critical Conversations about Cognitive Diversity, this monthly webcast features in-depth conversations with the top minds in gifted and twice-exceptional education.

Our new host Maria M. Kennedy first joined the Bridges Academy staff as the director of the Phoenix Program. After successfully growing the program each year, she has taken on the position of director of the Bridges Educational Group. A speaker, author, and advocate, Maria has been featured on “Bright and Quirky,” as a panelist and educational expert. Several schools have used her webcast, ‘Strengths, Challenges, and my journey as my son’s advocate,” for teacher training. An educator for almost 30 years, Maria received her B.Ed. and M.Ed. in education from Manchester University (U.K). She earned Advanced Teacher Status from the Manchester Department of Education for her ability to develop curriculum and her skills within the classroom. She traveled internationally, teaching students and training teachers how to tap into the strengths of their gifted and challenged students. As a result of her work she has received several awards: “Teacher of the Year,” in North Carolina, “Golden Apple, Elementary Teacher of the Year,” in the Cayman Islands, and “New American Hero, an award for teaching and leadership excellence,” in Louisiana. Maria believes that to be an effective educator you must continue to learn and grow as a person. With this in mind, she constantly reads and works closely with leading educators in the field of 2e education.

The second episode of season 3 will feature Carl Sabatino. He is the Head of Bridges Academy, a school for twice-exceptional students located in Studio City California, as well as the Founder and CEO of Bridges Education Group, which includes Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, Bridges 2e Media, Bridges Academy Seattle, Bridges Academy Online, and Bridges Graduate School for Cognitive Diversity in Education.

Mr. Sabatino joined Bridges over fifteen years ago and has been instrumental in the growth of its strength based, talent focused approach to the education of its diverse student population. As a result of his leadership, staff acquisition and staff development, the school has more than doubled its capacity and added additional services for its members. He describes his Bridges experience as follows

“Students come to Bridges defined by their challenges and labels. They leave defined by their abilities and accomplishments.”

— Carl Sabatino, Head of School

Mr. Sabatino has also been Head of the Upper School and Director of College Guidance at Lawrence Woodmere Academy in Woodmere, N.Y. He has served in a number of teacher and administrative roles in Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles, that included work with adjudicated students, students at risk, adult learners, and Vietnamese refugee ESL students. Mr. Sabatino has worked in executive school administration and financial management for over twenty-seven years, managing budgets ranging from 1M to 10M dollars. He has served on boards/committees at San Francisco Community College and private schools in NY and California. Additionally he has served on numerous accreditation teams for the New York State Association of Private Schools.

Click here for complete details and registration.