Danny O'Quinn has spent his career in education – both in Elizabethton City Schools and at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Elizabethton. He began teaching in 2000 in Carter County Schools, then spent the next ten years in ECS as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal of both Elizabethton High School and T. A. Dugger Jr. High School. He currently serves as Vice President of TCAT Elizabethton and has been in this role since 2011.

He holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University, a Teacher Certification in History 6-12 from Milligan College, and a Bachelor of Science in History from East Tennessee State University.

He has four children who are currently enrolled in ECS including three in high school and one in junior high. All four are active in extracurricular activities including soccer, softball, band and jazz band. His wife teaches in the system and serves on the EHS Band Boosters Board.

O’Quinn was elected in 2018 and will up for reelection in 2022.