Karen Winston, representing public school teachers, is a third grade gifted and talented teacher at Chambers Elementary School in East Cleveland. Winston is in her tenth year of teaching.

Winston has served as a cooperative teacher for education students from various local universities as well as a mentor teacher to first year educators. She is a member of the East Cleveland Education Association Executive Board and Fundraising Committees, Chambers Continuous Improvement Plan Committee, and the Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC.) She has published action research on student leadership skills through Cleveland State University and completed video segments on effective vocabulary and comprehension instruction through Teachscape. She is a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar.

Winston holds a bachelor's degree from John Carroll University in Elementary Education and a master's degree from Cleveland State University in Curriculum and Instruction. She has also earned her Gifted Intervention Specialist certification.