Thom Knab was an elementary art educator at Dodge Elementary in East Amherst, New York, from 1990 until his retirement in 2024. He earned degrees in art education from Buffalo State University, and in 2023 he served as an instructor at the elementary level for the Tennessee Arts Academy. A past president of the National Art Educators Association (NAEA), he received their Eastern Region Art Educator Award in 2024 and both the National and Eastern Region Elementary Art Educator Honors in 2018. He has been a keynote speaker for many state, regional, and international conferences. Knab has been published several times in SchoolArts Magazine, the NYSATA News, and the NAEA News, and has exhibited artwork in four solo shows as a collage and assemblage artist. He is a 2020 inductee to the National Teachers Hall of Fame, 2023 NAEA Distinguished Fellow inductee, and was named the 2025 NAEA Art Educator of the Year.