Sharon M. Draper
Sharon Mills Draper is an African-American who has won several different awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, for her books Forged by Fire (1998) and Copper Sun (2007). She was born August 21, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio; daughter of Victor Mills (hotel manager) and Catherine Mills (newspaper administrator). Dr. Sharon M. Draper was an English teacher in the Cincinnati, Ohio, public school system for thirty years. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year by President Bill Clinton, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Awards, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She was selected as Ohio's Outstanding HIgh School Language Arts Educator, Ohio Teacher of the Year, and was chosen as a NCNW Excellence in Teaching Award winner. She is a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner, and was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum. Sharon M. Draper has been dedicated with these titles and awards, plus many more.