Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa is the 2014 Florida Teacher of the Year and Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. Affectionately called “Miss Dorito” by teachers and students, Dorina was recognized by First Lady and Educator Dr. Jill Biden for excellence in teaching and advocating for English Learners. With her unique teaching style, Miss Dorito has spent the past 25 years empowering ALL students of diverse backgrounds at the K-16 and adult learner level. An expert in building solid relationships that result in successful learning experiences for students and teachers, Ms. Sackman-Ebuwa strongly believes that “Lens of Life” teaching, connecting content to community, and Transformative Emotional Intelligence (TEI) make up the true learning experience.
As a Certified Transformational Intelligence Specialist, Dorina takes her classroom and coaching experiences, collaborative educator workshops, and doctoral research (she’s almost finished!) around the globe inspiring, motivating, empowering, and celebrating teachers, leaders, students, and communities. From innovative, personalized professional development filled with successful and differentiated strategies to authentic “real talk” about what teaching and leading looks like for 2022-2023, Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa encourages all educators to B.E.L.I.E.V.E.! – Be the Educators who Lead to Inspire and Empower Via Empathy!®
Dorina truly “practices what she teaches” and believes in the importance of living a balanced life of hard work, passion, and play along with setting boundaries for self-reflection and self-care. Therefore, when not wearing the many hats of an educator, consultant, and motivational speaker, Miss Dorito dons a Stetson and works on her “Franch”, tending to her beloved rescue and special needs cows, goats, chickens, ponies, Sicilian mini donkeys, and barn cat named “Cool Ranch”. She hopes one day to turn The Franch into a center of transformative emotional intelligence, a non-profit save space where educators can come to build their teams through trust, TEI, and some good old fashioned bucolic bliss. That is, if you B.E.L.I.E.V.E.!