Nancy G. Blair
CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO
Nancy Blair started her career as an intensive care nurse. After completing graduate training in Nurse Anesthesia at the University of Pittsburgh, she became licensed as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Nancy believes her training in medicine has prepared her to have a deeper understanding of the recent scientific studies where functional MRI's have shown the importance and the critical need for explicit and systematic scientific-based instruction for children with learning disabilities.
Nancy has worked in conjunction with West Chester University's 3E Institute and Educator 500 program. The Educator 500 identifies, rewards and supports entrepreneurial educators and teams who are proactively developing and implementing innovative programs that meet the unique needs of students by incorporating collaborative solutions, business partnerships, and parent and community involvement.
Nancy served as a volunteer and officer in several educational organizations committed to helping children with learning disabilities. As a volunteer, she collaborated with area professionals and parents to bring top experts to the Philadelphia region.
She holds her Level I and Level II Wilson certification and is honored to be a Wilson Level I Trainer. She has been trained in Lindamood-Bell, the RAVE-O Vocabulary and Fluency Program at Tufts University and in the Neuhaus Metacognition program to increase vocabulary and reading comprehension. She holds a private academic reading specialist license from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Nancy grew her tutoring practice quickly based on the success of students with whom she was working. Her tutoring practice included students in public, parochial and independent schools.
In June 2006, Nancy's dream of helping many more students was realized when she collaborated with other passionate educators in the Philadelphia area to start AIM Academy, in conjunction with The Lab School of Washington. AIM began in September 2006 with 24 students and has grown to 400 students. Nancy served as Director of Admissions at AIM during its first 7 years as well as Associate Director. She currently serves as Co-CEO of AIM and has worked closely to expand AIM Institute's teacher training across the country with AIM Pathways.
Nancy formerly sat on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Branch of International Dyslexia Association (IDA), where she has served as Co-Chair for the 2009 PBIDA conference and Chair of the 2010 conference where AIM hosted Dr. Louisa Moats as the keynote speaker to a sold-out crowd. She has been on the Program Committee for the 2011 and 2012 conference. She was invited to join the National IDA Professional Development Committee and the IDA Standards Initiative. She has presented at the national International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Conference in Atlanta (2018), spoken to a variety of organizations including "Building the WHY in your start-up business" and "A Night of Meaning." Women to Watch, The Truth Behind the Leader radio show interviewed Nancy and Pat Roberts in the Spring of 2018. She has also been selected to serve on the IDA Program Review and Accreditation team.