Ayana Malone

I began my career as a special education teacher, focusing on students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Over the years, I’ve gained extensive experience in evaluating and designing educational programs that truly meet learners' diverse needs. With academic training in both teaching and sociology, I’ve learned to blend psychology with practical, research‑based strategies to strengthen organizational success in every role I take on—whether I’m teaching, training, or mentoring.

I earned my doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University and hold degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and American University. In addition, I’m licensed in both special education and middle school education.

Today, I make my home in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where I continue my work with a deep commitment to transformative learning for adults and children alike.

As Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Onyx Therapy Group, I bring over 20 years of transformative leadership in urban education, special education, and culturally responsive mental health services across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania. My career has been defined by a commitment to bridging practitioner experience with strategic vision—I believe in "doing the work" rather than offering purely theoretical guidance. With an Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from Morgan State University and experience as Executive Director of Special Education at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools and Director of Talent and Equity at KIPP Baltimore, I lead Onyx's education division of 15-20 specialized consultants and clinicians who collectively bring over 200 years of combined classroom and leadership experience.

My approach centers equity, trauma-informed care, and authentic relationship-building, whether I'm developing comprehensive proposals for federal contracting opportunities, creating school-based mental health service models, designing professional development curricula, or teaching sociology courses as adjunct faculty at Southern New Hampshire University. I am driven by the conviction that sustainable systems change requires both deep practitioner wisdom and strategic positioning, and I have dedicated my career to expanding access to high-quality, culturally responsive services while building organizational capacity and developing the next generation of educational and mental health leaders.

Doctor of Education - Urban Educational Leadership Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 05/2023

Master of Arts - Sociology/International Training and Education American University, Washington, DC 01/1999

Bachelor of Science - Sociology and Anthropology Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 01/1996