40th Anniversary

MCGATE 40th Anniversary Virtual Celebration

Building Bridges, Branching Out 

The Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education (MCGATE) is celebrating 40 years as Maryland’s Voice for Gifted Children. Register now for MCGATE’s 40th Anniversary Celebration:  Back to the Future: Lessons from MCGATE’s 40 Years to Guide Gifted Education Advocacy Today.

This celebration is free for members and $25 for nonmembers (includes a free one-year MCGATE membership).

Secure your spot for our 40th Anniversary virtual event! Join MCGATE Saturday October 3, 2020 1:00-2:30 PM EST via Zoom. Join us as we honor the past and shape the future!

dr. jonathan plucker

Keynote Presentation "Why Creativity, Why Now?" by National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) President Dr. Jonathan Plucker,  Julian S. Stanley Distinguished  Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. 

dr. jeanne paynter

Featured Speaker: Dr. Jeanne Paynter, MCGATE President                       Back to the Future: Lessons from MCGATE’s 40 Years to Guide Advocacy Today

The Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education (MCGATE) was founded in 1980 with the same mission it has today: To ensure that the needs of all children having gifts and talents are met. Then, as now, advocacy for gifted children was at a crossroads of challenge and opportunity. Working with a “Start Small, Start Now, Think Big, Never Quit” philosophy, MCGATE, a state affiliate of NAGC, has influenced and initiated many benefits we see today, such as the annual state conference, COMAR regulations for programming and certification, accountability, and funding. Come and learn how YOU, the power of one (or a few), can positively impact gifted education this year, and perhaps for the next forty.

presidents hall of fame

These former MCGATE presidents were inducted into the Presidents Hall of Fame in October 2020:

Linda Barnett

Marcia Clark

Dr. Jan Hanson

Joan Roche

Rick Tyler, Jr.

Laura Carriere

Dr. Keri Guilbault

Yvonne Golczewski


legacy award

Congratulations to our Legacy Award recipients who were recognized at our anniversary celebration in October 2020:

Heather Crenshaw, Caroline County

Joan Cable, Harford County

Margene Versace, Harford County

Theresa Jackson, Prince George's County

Charlene Doyle, Prince George's County

Joan Rosenberg, Prince George's County

Dr. Andrew Moore, Anne Arundel County

Karen Syrylo, Baltimore County

Cassandra H. Marshall, Baltimore City

Edward T. Marshall, Baltimore City

Jolynn Chadwisk, Baltimore County

Julie Miller-Breetz, Baltimore County

Katherine Rigler, Montgomery County

Senator Barabara Mikulski

Dr. Nancy Grasmick



The Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education (MCGATE) was founded in 1980 with the same mission it has today: To ensure that the needs of all children having gifts and talents are met. Then, as now, advocacy for gifted children was at a crossroads of challenge and opportunity. Come and learn how YOU, the power of one (or a few), can positively impact gifted education this year, and perhaps for the next forty.