Kathy Lyda, the founder and Head of School at E.A. Young Academy, established the institution in 2011 with an initial cohort of six gifted and talented 6th graders. This grassroots initiative was driven by the collective efforts of advocates, teachers, and parents dedicated to nurturing the unique potential of gifted students.

Ms. Lyda's unwavering commitment to the education of gifted, talented, and high-ability scholars is deeply rooted in her personal journey as a parent of gifted daughters. Drawing from this passion, she actively engages in presenting and training sessions for educators, administrators, and parents, focusing on the distinctive needs and programmatic considerations of the gifted and talented population. Her ongoing research projects explore themes such as equity in gifted education, prosocial skill training, and non-zero-sum game play's impact on moral reasoning skills.

In addition to her role as Head of School, Ms. Lyda firmly believes in the importance of administrators being actively involved in the classroom as faculty. She embraces the opportunity to teach AP or Dual Credit Psychology and leads Upper School Experiential Learning Labs.

Before her tenure at E.A. Young Academy, Ms. Lyda served as the President of Camenae Group, Inc., a role in which she oversaw the development, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of the continuing education program and strategic plan. The Camenae Group, Inc., founded by Ms. Lyda in 1998, was a comprehensive health promotion partner dedicated to enhancing the quality and efficiency of continuing education initiatives. Her contributions included the creation and implementation of multiple award-winning health education curricula and models adopted by local independent school districts and voluntary agencies.

Prior to founding the Camenae Group, Inc., Ms. Lyda managed the Health Promotion Department at Americaid Community Care, a privatized Medicaid provider serving over 23,000 members. Her diverse professional background includes roles such as Education Manager for cancer survivors at MD Anderson Cancer Network, Cancer Education Specialist and Continuing Medical Education Coordinator with Harris Methodist Health Plan, Program Director for the American Heart Association, and Substance Abuse Counselor at Schick Shadel Hospital in Fort Worth.

Ms. Lyda's exceptional contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Parent of the Gifted Award for the Piney Woods/Prairie Area, the American Cancer Society Caring Spirit Award, the American Cancer Society Exemplary Service Award, Americaid Community Care – Outstanding Associate Award, the MD Anderson Cancer Network President’s Award, The Meadows Foundation Best New Project Award, and the University of North Texas Outstanding Achievement in Health Promotion Award.

Education:
Master of Science: Health Promotion
University of North Texas 1996

Bachelor of Science: Psychology
Texas Christian University 1990