Monica Simonds received her M.Ed., from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, currently the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. After teaching for almost ten years in Louisiana, she moved to Texas where she spent ten years as a high school debate coach and is now in her 12th year as the Director of Advanced Learning Programs and Services in Richardson ISD. Mrs. Simonds has served as a TAGT leader and was a recipient of the 2017 NAGC Gifted Coordinator Award as well as the 2019 TAGT Administrator of the Gifted.