Torrance Center Summer Institute

Karrah Bowman is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of Georgia. Her research employs implementation science frameworks to foster an inclusive educational environment for autistic students. Karrah also enjoys the creativity involved in teaching, and she values a collaborative learning environment in which she serves as a facilitator of her students’ learning.

Dr. Liang Chen is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on language, culture and literacy development in diverse contexts. He has published articles on topics that range from visual speech perception (lipreading) in individuals with hearing impairment in China, language development in Chinese-English bilinguals, and narrative performances in adolescents with specific language impairment. Dr. Chen is very interested in how socio-economic status contributes to individual differences in child language development, and the linguistic and cognitive consequences of bilingualism.

Amanda L. Giordano, Ph.D., LPC is an associate professor at the University of Georgia who specializes in addictions counseling. She is the sole author of a clinical reference book titled A Clinical Guide to Treating Behavioral Addictions and co-author of a textbook titled Addiction Counseling: A Practical Approach. Dr. Giordano works to advance the counseling field with rigorous research and has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. In 2024 she was awarded the Garry R. Waltz Trailblazer Award from the American Counseling Association in recognition of her work with behavioral addictions. Dr. Giordano collaborates with domestic and international organizations to provide trainings to increase awareness related to addictions counseling and has been an invited keynote speaker.

Talbot S. Hook is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia. He specializes in advanced education and currently teaches courses for the department’s Gifted and Creative Education program. Dr. Hook’s primary research focus is on the research-to-practice gap in education, specifically about how differences in beliefs about giftedness can lead to incongruence between researchers’ and practitioners’ conclusions about gifted students and their educational needs.

Emmaleigh Klein, M.S., CF-LSP is a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia in the Learning, Leadership, and Organization Development Department. Her research interests include creativity, team functioning, leadership development, coaching, and Lego® Serious Play®. Her former employers include The Walt Disney Company, Chick-fil-A, and Azusa Pacific University.

Desiree Sharpe is the Program Coordinator for the UGA Torrance Center. Dr. Sharpe received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Georgia, specializing in behavioral neuroendocrinology and cognitive neuroscience. She currently leads scoring workshops for Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and other professional learning courses centered on teaching for creativity.