Danielle Sawyers is an educator, gifted advocate, creative, and author. Danielle has spent her career championing curious minds, creative thinkers, and students who see the world a little differently. As a Gifted and Talented Coordinator in rural Ohio, she works with students, educators, and families to better understand giftedness, creativity, and the many ways intelligence can show up in a child.

She also leads STEAM learning and makerspace experiences and is the co-founder and facilitator of STEAMology, a regional initiative creating hands-on, creative, and real-world learning opportunities for students, teachers, and communities.

With degrees in art and education, a master’s degree in Creativity, and a gifted education endorsement, Danielle has built her work at the intersection of creativity, education, and innovation. She is particularly passionate about helping educators recognize potential that doesn’t always fit neatly into a checklist—and creating learning environments where students have room to wonder, question, experiment, create, and think for themselves.

Danielle is an author, speaker, and lifelong learner whose work explores gifted education, creativity, STEAM, student engagement, and what happens when we give young people permission to think differently. She is also the host of Smart Is Just the Start, a podcast exploring giftedness and creativity with educators, experts, and other voices in the field.

When she’s not working with students or educators, Danielle can usually be found with her family, in the garden, writing something, starting a new project, or confidently saying, “I have an idea,” which is how most of her projects begin.