Dr. Yuvraj Verma was named the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) Outstanding Graduate Award Winner at their 2025 Annual Conference, which was held in Tucson, Arizona this year. Verma is a three-time alumnus of William Howard Taft University located in Denver, earning an EdS and EdD by 2022, and a MBA. He is currently a 6th Grade Math Teacher at Bessemer City Middle School in Alabama, an Adjunct Professor of Graduate Education at Taft, and an Education Fellow with Black Alabamians for Education. Verma began his teaching career in New York from 2017-21 where he taught 5th Grade, Kindergarten, and Special Education. He earned a BA in Sociology from Iona University and a MAT in Elementary and Special Education from the Relay Graduate School of Education. His excellence has been recognized through numerous awards and accolades, including a top-five placement as a 2024 National LifeChanger Teacher of the Year Finalist, the Birmingham City Council’s Torchbearer Award in 2023, a Winner of the Extra Yard for Teachers Initiative hosted by the NCAA Southeastern Conference and the College Football Playoff Foundation in 2022, and the Back to School Build Your Classroom Award for Excellence from the Brooklyn Education Center in 2017. Verma relocated to Alabama in 2022 and continues to make a significant impact through STEM extracurricular competitions and innovative classroom experiences like field trips and pet therapy. His teaching is consistently praised for enthusiasm, strong classroom management, and student engagement. Beyond instruction, he is committed to community service, and he is also a published writer in multiple educational journals. Verma remains dedicated to transforming lives through education.
William Howard Taft University President Dr. Amy Kahn and School of Education Dean Dr. Barry Resnick nominated Verma for the DEAC Outstanding Graduate Award. DEAC is a national educational accreditation agency, which is recognized by both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the United States Department of Education. William Howard Taft University was founded in 1984 and is accredited by DEAC.
