Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
ABOUT US
Who We Are!
Our Mission!
Our Mission!
Don Newcomb Charity for Academic Success Inc. is a nonprofit (501c3 tax exempt) that strives to support families with special needs, specifically students on the Autism Spectrum. Ways we help is by providing funding for transportation, K-12 education support, and scholarships for higher education or vocational schools. Don Newcomb Charity also supports educators in the field of special education, either by funding extra programs, training sessions, travel for sessions, and scholarships for future educators wanting to pursue their degree in special education at a higher education institution.
Our Mission!
Our Mission!
Our Mission!
Our mission is to advocate and support families with children with special needs. Our main focus is educating families and providing support to current and future educators working in the special education field.
meet Our Team
Laura Newcomb / President & Founder
Laura Newcomb founded the Don Newcomb Charity for Academic Success in 2020. She has been the owner of Exceptional Academic Services for the past 5 years and has provided quality special education services to multiple schools all over the Maricopa Valley. Laura saw the need for an Autism school in the area to provide "Quality" services to students on the spectrum. Laura has been a Special Education Director for the past eight years and in that time, she realized there was a need for an excellent Autistic program to address the needs of students on the spectrum with specifically designed programs. Laura wanted to be sure to offer Autistic programming at an affordable rate to ensure school districts and parents could afford it by keeping the cost lower for everyone.
Laura was motivated by families willing to move from other states to locate to a "good" program designed to meet their individual student's needs, thus realizing the need many families are seeking to attain excellent programming for their students. Laura has always had one passion and that is to provide excellent programming for students with special needs. By starting the Autism Academy, Laura is able to combine her passion for special education with the educational needs of the community to ensure a successful school.
Kalona Newcomb / Vice President
Kalona received her Bachelor Degree in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences and her Master's in Business Administration. She has over 7 years of experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. She has been a part of the Don Newcomb Charity since the initial planning stages, and she continues her work daily within the charity to help advocate for families with children on the Autism Spectrum.
Jenny Durant / Executive Director
Jenny has worked in private schools, and educational contracting/ consulting for 15 years. She has helped with the initial planning stages of multiple private schools across Arizona State.
Doug Mitchell/ Board Member
Doug was stationed in North Carolina’s beautiful Outer Bank’s while serving in the United States Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue and Law and Enforcement Unit. The Coast Guard is where Doug found his appreciation for education and has been a part of the education world in a variety of ways ever since. He has worked in real estate appraisal, business management, and information technology within private firms as well as federal and state agencies. He has spent many years training and mentoring others within these fields as well. Doug has obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and my Master of Education from Northern Arizona University. He became a full-time educator in 2010 and taught technology and business classes in the public-school setting. In Doug’s spare time, he has served on a variety of nonprofit boards as a board member and treasurer. He enjoys meeting new people, supporting the community, and learning from others. Over the past two decades he has coached baseball, softball, and track to middle school students in the East Valley of Metro Phoenix area.