Celebrating Excellence: Announcing the 2026 AAGT Annual Award Winners

Each year, the Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented honors individuals who embody our mission and core values—integrity, equitable practices, innovation, servant leadership, and strategic vision.

Our 2026 Annual Award winners represent the very best of gifted education in Arizona. They are the teachers, leaders, and advocates who ensure gifted learners are not just challenged academically, but truly seen, heard, and served.

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🌟 Gifted Education Teacher of the Year

Heidi McKeever
Cholla Middle School, Washington Elementary School District

With 22 years in education, Heidi McKeever has built a classroom where curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking flourish. As the English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher in the self-contained FLEX gifted program at Cholla Middle School, she brings literature and history to life through meaningful, real-world connections that resonate deeply with gifted learners.

Serving a Title I school community, Heidi is a strong advocate for equitable access to gifted education. She believes giftedness is more than a test score and works intentionally to identify and welcome high-ability students—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—into advanced learning opportunities.

Her classroom is both rigorous and compassionate. Students feel safe, valued, and empowered to be their authentic selves. Former students frequently return to thank her for preparing them for high school and beyond—not only academically, but with confidence and resilience. Through her integrity, innovation, and servant leadership, Heidi exemplifies what it means to champion gifted learners every single day.

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🌟 Leadership Award

Kira Thomas
Educational Services – MTSS Specialist, Alhambra Elementary School District

Kira Thomas has transformed gifted education in Alhambra into a program that is inclusive, sustainable, and strategically designed for long-term growth.

Grounded in integrity and evidence-based decision-making, Kira has addressed underidentification among Title I and English Learner populations through universal screening, teacher training, and intentional parent outreach. Her work ensures giftedness is recognized across demographics—not just where it’s easiest to find.

Despite limited funding and staffing, Kira reimagined the district’s model from a once-a-week pull-out program to embedded daily gifted services. By developing teacher endorsement pathways, creating testing protocols, and building collaborative systems, she has laid a strong foundation for continued growth.

Her leadership has changed the trajectory of gifted education in her community and expanded opportunity for students who might otherwise have been overlooked.

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🌟 Friend of the Gifted

Dr. Dondi Luce
Principal, Twin Peaks K–8 School, Marana Unified School District

Dr. Dondi Luce has spent more than three decades advocating for high-quality, equitable education. As Principal of Twin Peaks K–8, she was a foundational champion of the self-contained gifted model in Marana Unified School District.

Under her leadership, the program expanded accelerated coursework, strengthened instructional practices, and protected collaborative planning time for teachers to ensure program fidelity and sustainability. She championed high-impact professional development and intentionally aligned gifted services across schools to support long-term success.

At both the local and state levels, Dr. Luce has expanded access, strengthened instructional quality, and empowered families through education and advocacy. Her belief that gifted students are gifted 24 hours a day drives her unwavering commitment to ensuring they are consistently challenged and meaningfully supported.

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🌟 Lifetime Achievement Award

Karen L. Brown, M.Ed.

Karen Brown’s 40-year career in public education is a legacy of advocacy, mentorship, and national leadership. At the heart of her work has been a simple but powerful commitment: gifted learners, educators, and families must be seen, heard, and served.

From classroom teacher to district-level director of gifted services, Karen built programs that ensured appropriate challenge was a daily reality for gifted students. She provided mentorship and professional support to educators, equipping them with tools and strategies that strengthened gifted instruction across Arizona.

Her impact extends nationally. As a former leader within the National Association for Gifted Children, an award-winning author, and a faculty member in Arizona State University’s Gifted Education Master’s Program, she has shaped the field far beyond state lines.

Perhaps her greatest legacy, however, is the leaders she has mentored—professionals across Arizona and beyond who now carry forward her vision, expertise, and heart for gifted learners.

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A Collective Impact

These four remarkable leaders represent different roles in education, yet share the same core belief: gifted students deserve opportunity, rigor, belonging, and advocacy.

Arizona’s gifted community is stronger because of their dedication.

Please join us in congratulating our 2026 AAGT Annual Award winners. Their work is shaping the future of gifted education across our state—and for generations to come.