Amy Shelton Selected to Lead the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore

Amy Shelton, a cognitive psychology expert who has been a member of the Johns Hopkins University faculty since 2002, has been named the next executive director of the university’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY). Dr. Shelton has been director of research at the center since 2013 and served as interim director at CTY from January 2019 through July 2020.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, founded in 1979 by a Johns Hopkins psychology professor, is a world leader in gifted education. The center identifies top pre-college learners in grades K through 12 and provides challenging summer residential programs, distance education, international programs, and family academic programs.

“This is a challenging time for CTY, but it is also a time of great opportunity,” Professor Shelton said. “The education landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years and continues to evolve. CTY has a significant role to play as an innovator in the field and in supporting the young people who will become tomorrow’s leaders. I am thrilled to serve as CTY’s next executive director and advance its mission at this critical time.”

Dr. Shelton is also a professor and associate dean for research in the university’s School of Education. She served on the faculty in the department of psychological and brain sciences from 2002 to 2013 before assuming the joint position with Center for Talented Youth and the School of Education. She also holds joint appointments in the School of Medicine and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Professor Shelton serves on the editorial board for the journal Spatial Cognition and Computation and previously served as an editor for the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Dr. Shelton holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.