Sarah Knepper, MEd, has over 20 years of experience working with children and adults with disabilities. She is passionate about helping students who struggle in traditional classroom settings. Sarah holds an MEd in Special Education from San Jose State University and an Educational Specialist Credential. Originally from the Midwest, she began her career working in residential facilities and as a Rehabilitation Counselor.

Dr. Byrne received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in the Human Development and Psychology division of the Department of Education. While at UCLA her program of research focused on early child development and early childhood care and education settings, with an emphasis on the effects of early life exposure to toxic stress/trauma and its impact on the development of the parent-child attachment relationship as well as how the development of secure teacher-child attachment relationships help to buffer the negative effects of early life adversity. Specifically, her dissertation examined the development of the teacher-child attachment relationship in the context of a therapeutic childcare program for maltreated infants and toddlers as well as how teacher practices and the classroom environment promote secure teacher-child attachment relationships.