Knowing she wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl, Dr. Danielle Kovach began her teaching career in 1997 and taught general and special education in various settings. She is currently a third-grade special education teacher and adjunct professor of special education at Centenary University in New Jersey. Danielle was the 2022 President of The Council for Exceptional Children and now serves as the Immediate Past President. She is the 2011 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, the 2012 NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence recipient, and the 2014 CEC Teacher of the Year. Throughout her 25 years in education, Danielle has earned over $100,000.00 in grants and awards. These have afforded her students and school new technologies, a life skills kitchen, a sensory room, social-emotional learning areas, and STEM integration, among other opportunities.

As a special educator, Dr. Kovach believes in the importance of praising the process, challenging the impossible, and celebrating every victory. Her personal and professional experiences inspired her to advocate for children with exceptionalities and support the education professionals who serve them.

While Danielle is proud of her accomplishments in the teaching profession, her most significant achievement lies in establishing her family alongside her husband, Mike. They reside in New Jersey with their three boys.