Kate Zimmer

Dr. Kate Zimmer is BranchED’s Director of the BIRCH Professional Learning Center. In this role, Dr. Zimmer collaborates with the BIRCH professional learning and development team to create goals and design trainings for in-person and virtual programs, resources, and learning communities. In addition, Dr. Zimmer leads BranchED's mixed reality simulation lab. This lab provides individuals with a powerful and interactive learning experience that allows the participant to purposefully practice skills that prepare them for real world situations. Before joining BranchED, Dr. Zimmer was the Director of the AVATAR Lab and an Associate Professor of Special Education at Kennesaw State University. During her directorship, she helped serve over 7,000 students, 937 in-service teachers, and collaborated with over 19 academic disciplines. Her scholarship centers on teacher preparation and quality, with an emphasis on innovation and educational inequities. To date, this work has yielded over fifty national and international presentations, numerous articles, and external funding. Dr. Zimmer earned her bachelor of arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Saint Leo University and a master’s in education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida. She holds a Ph.D. in Special Education with a focus on literacy and Autism Spectrum Disorders from the University of Florida.