Staff & Board of Directors
The teaching team at Collective Learning Academy guides students to take ownership of their own learning process and challenges them based on individual needs. Our staff consists of certified teachers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees with additional certifications in Autism Spectrum Disorders and training in social skills curriculums (such as Social Thinking by Michelle Garcia Winner) and the Orton Gillingham approach. Staff are also well trained in various communication devices such as the AAC and Letter Board and on the various neuro-technologies offered at The Collective Learning Academy.
Our Staff Members
Rosemary Aybar - Head of School and Cofounder
Rosemary earned a master’s degree in general education from Framingham State University (1999) and a master’s degree in special education from Touro College (2005). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology and is a certified autism specialist.
Rosemary has extensive experience working with children in a wide range of settings including hospitals, private schools, public schools, and private practice. She has mastered creative strategies for instructing a variety of different types of students. A few examples of her continuing education and certification include Baker’s Social Skills Training, Kowalsy’s Asperger’s Training, Newman’s Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), LindaMood Bell’s Orton Gillingham, and Handwriting and Keyboarding Without Tears. She is also certified in the Interactive Metronome (IM), Fast ForWord, The Listening Program, and Yoga for Children with special needs.
Prior to joining Collective Learning Academy, Rosemary provided effective instruction and behavioral support at the Autism Center of Metropolitan New York and taught at The Piedmont School of Atlanta.
Aarabia Banos - Teacher
Aarabia earned her undergraduate degree from Herbert H. Lehman College in New York City where she majored in Sociology and minored in Early Childhood Education. She then earned her master’s degree in education from Mercer University (2021). She is Orton Gillingham certified and has experience working with a wide range of children. In New York City she worked in various high schools as an Oral Transliterator for deaf and hard of hearing students and is fluent in American Sign Language. She more recently worked as an all-inclusive classroom teacher for Atlanta Public Schools.
Erin Eben - Teacher
Erin graduated from Emory University in 2020 with a double major in Human Health and Theater Studies. She taught elementary and middle schools in rural Japan for 2 years and has worked with several educational and childcare organizations in Georgia. She has also created and managed artistic and social programming for Out of Hand Theatre's Equitable Dinners and Erin's Hope for Friends. Erin is trained using the AAC device and loves working with the students and staff at CLA. In her spare time, she writes, listens to music, and watches old TV shows.
Amilcar Featherstone -
Assistant Teacher and Cofounder
Amilcar has taught elementary and high school students in California and Atlanta for 23 years with specific expertise in working with students with behavior and emotional difficulties. He is a Fast ForWord provider, certified in Orton Gillingham, and has an understanding of implementing sensory diets. He is committed to making history and science come to life for his students on a daily basis.
Arriel Franklin -
Communication Partner
Arriel graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Always having an interest in youth, she left her previous Outreach Specialist position and became a permanent substitute within the Grand Rapids Public Schools during the pandemic. During that time she was able to work with a wide range of students (autistic students, elementary students, middle school students) in a variety of school settings. Read more.
She is trained in using a Letter Board to assist one of her students in communicating. Her hobbies include the arts—specifically music and dance, fashion, traveling, reading, cooking and spending time with loved ones.
LeMarcus Frazier Jr - Teacher
LeMarcus graduated from Lurleen B. Wallace College in 2015 with a degree in accounting. In 2018, he earned his degree in early childhood education and development from the University of West Georgia.
LeMarcus has extensive experience working with children in a wide range of settings including private schools and public schools, and inclusion and sensory environments. He is a certified Orton Gillingham instructor, Fast ForWord provider, and an Interactive Metronome (IM) certified provider.
Raven Holmes - Transitions Program Coordinator
Raven graduated from the University of West Georgia with her undergraduate degree and teaching certificate in special education with specific focus in secondary English education and a minor in business administration. In 2021, she earned her master’s degree in secondary special education and transition. Read more.
Raven has experience working with children in wide range of settings and focuses her efforts as a teacher in helping our students evaluate and proceed with college admissions, test prep, secondary education core classes, overcoming learning impairments, developing and practicing social skills, goal-planning, and personal responsibility skills. Raven is a certified IM (Interactive Metronome) provider, a certified Orton Gillingham instructor, and a Fast ForWord provider.
In her spare time, Raven enjoys reading new literary novels, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Lindsay Belnick - Part-Time Executive Assistant, Art Teacher, and Substitute Teacher
Lindsay Belnick graduated with her bachelor’s degree in fashion marketing and management from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She has experience as a mentor in a wide range of settings and programs which have allowed her to interact with children and adults both inside and outside of the classroom. A few examples of her continuing education training include Dialectical Behavior Therapy Training, Social Emotional Engagement Training, Transition to Adulthood Training, and Social Thinking Training. Read more. She is Fast Forward provider, an Interactive Metronome (IM) certified provider, and a certified instructor for the Listening Program. She is also working on her Pilates certification. She motivates and guides students to reach their full potential as both athletes and individuals.
Prior to joining Collective Learning Academy, Lindsay provided instruction and behavioral support at The Faison Center in Richmond, Virginia. She also shadowed and assisted pediatric occupational therapists in day to day activities as well as served as a head coach and an assistant coach for the SOAR basketball and tennis programs.
Jordan Reed -
Communication Partner
Jordan earned her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in 2023 in speech communications with a minor in communication sciences and disorders. She has extensive education in American Sign Language, working towards an interpreting certification. Jordan has worked with children in a wide range of settings including private schools and public schools, and inclusion and sensory environments. She is trained in CPR and in using the AAC device. Prior to joining CLA, Jordan worked at The Ellis School.
Board Members
Maurie Drambel
Maurie Drambel graduated with a BA degree in English from The University of Georgia. She started her career in marketing as a technical writer for a global construction company and also worked as an executive assistant to the COO for a national corporate travel company. Recently, she was taking care of her beloved son, John, who had cerebral palsy and required round-the-clock care. She and her husband founded Let's Cure CP, a nonprofit dedicated to funding medical research for individuals with cerebral palsy.
She is married to Ed Drambel and they have 3 children, Will (recent Auburn graduate), Katie (rising Junior at Georgia Tech) and John (eternally 18 years old).
Laura Deisley - CEO
Laura Deisley is Managing Consultant at Walker Deisley Strategic Consulting, an innovation thought partner and catalyst for schools and districts nationwide. She is also founder of Lab Atlanta, a non-profit startup in its second iteration designing equitable opportunities for youth to gain social innovation design skills and the agency and voice to bring about change.
Ms. Deisley brings to CLA many years of experience in small and large corporate environments, micro school development, and public and private school strategy and innovation. Read more. In addition to serving on CLA’s Board of Directors and as its CEO, she serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Hope Atlanta (a hunger and housing nonprofit serving metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia) and as founding partner in the consultancy Atlanta K12 Design Challenge. Ms. Deisley previously served on the Alumni Council and on the Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council at Wake Forest University. She is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of Northside United Methodist Church where she and her family have been active for nearly 40 years.
Walt Deriso - Board Chair and Founding Member
Walt Deriso is senior vice president and the director of strategic growth and family office solutions for Synovus. He has 25 years of experience in serving the banking and wealth management needs of family offices.
Before returning to The Family Office in late 2022, Walt was a founding shareholder at Atlantic Capital Bank where he served first as senior vice president of Private Financial Services, and finally as the head of Family Office Banking. Walt began his career at The Family Office of Synovus where he served as the director of relationship management. Read more.
Walt currently serves as president of The Westminster Schools Catbackers and as the chair of the board of directors of The Collective Learning Academy. He is a past president of Buckhead Baseball and continues to serve as Buddy Baseball commissioner. Walt recently served on the transition team for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickins and was a long-time member of the board of trustees of the Marcus Autism Center.
Walt received his Bachelor of the Arts at Vanderbilt University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. Walt and his wife, Anna, have two sons, Walt and Henry and live in Atlanta, GA.
Jimbo Haneklau
Jimbo Haneklau is a new Board Member with a focus on Fundraising for CLA. His current professional experience is with Imagine Communications as the Account Director of the Sports & Live Events vertical in North America. In this role, he oversees the pursuit and strategic direction of broadcast technology solutions for professional and collegiate sports organizations. Before joining Imagine, Jimbo spent 2 years at Atlantix Global, where he supported major cloud providers in effectively managing and maximizing value of their data center assets. Prior to Atlantix, Jimbo began his career at PwC, where he specialized in Risk Management and Revenue Recognition consulting for Fortune 500 entities across the Industrial, Security and Healthcare spaces. Read more.
In his free time, Jimbo is an active community coach at both Northside Youth Organization and Frankie Allen Park, and has taken a leadership role in helping to organize the Buddy Baseball league for Buckhead Baseball and their competing parks. Additionally, Jimbo is a Board Representative for his alma mater, Marist School, which he attended prior to achieving a Bachelors Degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama.
Preston McDonald - Treasurer
As Senior Vice President with Synovus, Preston serves as a Relationship Manager for middle market businesses throughout the southeast, assisting with banking & financing needs across a variety of industries. In this role, Preston serves as a trusted advisor to owners and executive leadership teams.
Preston received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and is a graduate of the CADE Leadership Development Program. Read more.
Preston has been involved in numerous non-profit Boards and volunteering endeavors including serving on the Collective Learning Academy, University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Young Alumni Board, volunteering for the First Tee of Metro Atlanta, and serving as a youth soccer coach for Top Hat and Tom Cat Soccer Clubs.
Preston and his wife Mary Lorraine reside in Buckhead with their three children: Bell (7), Mac (6), and Harrison (5).