Ms. Deborah K. Simonds

Ms. Simonds is a retired teacher from Georgia. She was a High School Special Education teacher for 27 years at Berkmar High School in Gwinnett.

Ms. Simonds served as the Department Chairperson for Special Education at Berkmar HS for 17 years. Prior to teaching in Georgia, Ms. Simonds taught in her home town of Wichita Falls, Texas for three years and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for three years.

Ms. Simonds received her Bachelors of Elementary Education and a Master’s of Education from Midwestern State University. She continued her education at Georgia State University and received a Master’s of Special Education.

During her career, Ms. Simonds served as State President for the Georgia Association of Educators. She was appointed by Governors Joe Frank Harris and Zell Miller to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Ms. Simonds was also appointed by the National Education Association to serve on The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE is a coalition of more than 30 national associations. Accountability and improvement in teacher preparation are central to NCATE’s mission.