David B. Cohen is a National Board Certified English Teacher with over twenty years of teaching experience, currently on the staff of Palo Alto High School in California. He helped launch and for several years co-directed a teacher leadership network called Accomplished California Teachers (ACT). That experience led to opportunities to learn about and work with teachers from all over California. Having worked with a variety of other networks and organizations, and having built relationships with individuals and groups throughout California, Cohen spent the 2014-15 school year traveling around the state to gather material for Capturing the Spark. Before, during, and after writing the book, Cohen was an education blogger for EdWeek Teacher, and he is also a contributing blogger at The Standard, a group blog by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).