Daneé Pinckney, who teaches 11th and 12th grade English at Twinsburg High School, has been named the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year by the State Board of Education.
Previously, Pinckney earned recognition as a Master Teacher Finalist by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and accolades such as the 2023 Twinsburg City Schools Teacher of the Year and a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow.
Those accolades follow Pinckney’s continuous learning and challenging herself to grow personally and professionally, most notably in the creation of a senior-level course on African-American literature, which addressed a need for representation sought by both students and community members. The course received grant funding through her efforts.
She also works to encourage students’ engagement in community service and activism projects instilling in them a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement. Her students most recently collaborated with students in Ghana and led a schoolwide project building global community and empathy.
“Daneé Pinckney represents the best of what every educator should aspire to be; dedicated and passionate with a perfect balance of high expectations for all students coupled with the will to provide whatever support those students need to be successful,” said Paul Craft, state superintendent of public instruction. “I couldn’t be more excited, on behalf of the State Board of Education, to congratulate her on this incredible achievement.”
Pinckney started her teaching career in Columbus after graduating from Ohio State with a degree in middle childhood education. Later, she received her Ohio English K-12 Certification and went on to earn a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology from Ashland University.
Earlier this year, Pinckney received the State Board District 10 Teacher of the Year recognition– one of 11 teachers statewide to receive the district-level honor. From the field of 11, Pinckney was one of four teachers named as a finalist for Ohio Teacher of the Year. As the Ohio Teacher of the Year, Pinckney will serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession and public education and represent Ohio in the 2025 National Teacher of the Year selection sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
