Maya Mehanna, Education Director, and Stefanie Smith, Executive Director, did not just work together to form Alexsander Academy; they have had a working relationship that has lasted over eight years. As lead therapist, Maya was intricately involved in the programming for Stefanie’s son Ben and his home ABA program. Maya and Stefanie often discussed the difficulties they had experienced, both as a teacher and as a parent. For Stefanie, it was finding a program that fit her son’s needs and for Maya, it was her struggles to put the needs of her students as the first priority. They regularly joked about starting their own program, but as Ben approached middle school age, they started looking seriously at the possibility of putting their program into action.

Maya brings her years of experience teaching a wide array of students, including students with and without disabilities, in the public school system. She also has an expansive background in working one-on-one in leading home ABA programs, along with skills in planning curriculum on a local and countrywide level. Stefanie offers her twenty years of business experience as an accountant and business owner, as well as her time as a parent, to Alexsander Academy. They knew they were a good team, having already worked together for years with Ben. Now they could take their passion and dedication and make a difference in the lives of kids that really needed them. Maya and Stefanie decided it was time to make it happen. After almost two years of planning; the doors opened to Alexsander Academy in September of 2008.  Alexsander Academy was feautured in the Roswell Beacon.  To read it, go to http://www.beaconcastmedia.com/news/Come-to-the-Academy-567 .

In Memory of Alexsander Smith:
Alexsander Academy is named in honor of Stefanie’s nephew, Alexsander Riley Smith, who died at the age of twenty-three during Christmas time in 2003. He had ADHD and was in special education classes while growing up. He was very close to Stefanie’s son and had a strong affinity for children with special needs.