Susan Assouline (BA ‘75, EDS ‘84, Ph.D. ‘88) stepped down as director of the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development Aug. 1 after successfully leading the internationally renowned center since December 2012.

An alumna of the University of Iowa College of Education, Assouline also stepped down from her role as only the second faculty member to hold the Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank Endowed Chair in Gifted Education, succeeding center founder Nicholas Colangelo.

Assouline, a school psychology professor, will continue to teach and conduct research as a College of Education distinguished faculty member until fully retiring in June of 2023. She formally announcement her decision to step down from the role of director in fall of 2021 to provide time for a national search and smooth transition to a new director.

“I am grateful to Professor Assouline for her distinguished tenure as director of the Belin-Blank Center and the positive impact she has made on the field of gifted education and talent development,” says College of Education Dean Daniel Clay. “Thanks to Susan’s vision, leadership, and cutting-edge research, I am confident that the center will continue to flourish under Professor Foley Nicpon’s new leadership, extending the legacy and impact of the center.”

Assouline’s collaborative efforts have strengthened the Belin-Blank Center’s reputation as a global leader in the following critical areas: cognitive development of gifted students, mathematically talented students, academic acceleration, and twice-exceptionality (students who are both gifted and have a disability.) She and her colleagues have published widely in these areas. Assouline is a member of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association, the National Association for Gifted Children, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association. 

“Having served in a leadership role for the Belin-Blank Center has been the honor of a lifetime.  I am grateful for the opportunities to have collaborated with the faculty, staff, and board members, as well as to have served educators, students and families through our advocacy, research, teaching, and service,” Assouline says. “Everyone is incredibly dedicated to the work and committed to the center, and I am thrilled to see Dr. Foley Nicpon continue to lead and collaborate with our colleagues to ensure a strong future for the center and its impact on thousands of lives.”

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