Company: Advocacy and Consulting for Education, Inc.
Company Description: Advocacy and Consulting for Education is a small advocacy firm that assists families with children needing special education and gifted education services. Our primary goal is to help children receive and access an appropriate education that is individualized to give them meaningful benefit. The firm is led by Melissa Bilash one of only 100 advocates to complete federal training by COPAA
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Management Team of the Year – 10 or Less Employees

Nomination Title: The Women of ACFE

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated management team since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words):

In a Philadelphia suburb where businesses are predominantly owned and operated by men, is a pocket of seven powerful women working to advocate for gifted and special needs children. The matriarch: Melissa Bilash, a 39-year-old entrepreneur who has spent the past several years teaching and empowering her staff of women to follow three creeds: work hard; never take “no” for an answer; and do good in the belief that we cannot expect positive outcomes if we are not willing to share the good we can do with others. At Advocacy & Consulting for Education, we successfully help families obtain the right special and gifted educational services for students across six states, and the demand for our assistance has grown steadily. Since July 2011, our caseload has increased over 150% and our staff has doubled, from four to eight employees—all women.

When we are not helping individual families understand the rights associated with special needs and gifted children to make meaningful benefit out of school, we are submitting testimony for Congressional hearings, meeting with Congressional staffers, providing public forums on hot topic issues, and attending and speaking at local and national conferences. We feel that our job is not just to help children get the support they need, but to advocate for them whenever possible, which includes supporting revisions to federal policy.

Part of our approach comes from our second motto: Never take “no” for an answer. We not only practice this by advocating vigorously for our clients, but we teach this to our clients as well. We tell people we have the worst business model in the world: our goal is to empower and educate parents so that they no longer need our services, but instead have the confidence and knowledge to be successful in meetings on their own. We support parents developing self-assurance to ask questions, share opinions, and request services and supports. Melissa tells us, “Make the district sell it to you,” and we share this advice with parents. By changing parents’ mindsets from intimidation that the district must know what they’re talking about, to informed team members, our goal is to alter the power dynamic in the room. No one knows a child like their parent, and this team helps parents speak for their children.

ACFE has a deep commitment to pro bono work, encouraged by Melissa. Every advocate takes a pro bono client; often these can be the most rewarding cases we work. This practice keeps us grounded, and helps us continue to focus on why we do this job.

We also work hard to continually support each other, despite long hours and stressful cases. If one person has to stay late to finish work, everyone else will pitch in. We voluntarily sit together all day, every day, bouncing ideas off each other, reading each others’ drafts and exchanging tasks, asking questions, or just eating lunch. We are bonded by a mutual appreciation of the work we do and the desire to make a difference.

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated management team (up to 100 words):

Melissa Bilash lives in Havertown, Pennsylvania with her husband, Kevin and her two young children, Sebastian and Harper. In 2008, Melissa completed a Federal Training through the Office of Special Education Programs and has since started her business, Advocacy and Consulting for Education. Melissa is extremely passionate about education and gives back to her community by meeting with Congressional staff, giving presentations to various audiences, guest teaching to local universities and mentoring students who have an interest in advocating for the educational rights of children with special and gifted needs.

The CEO (or other principal manager) of this company is a woman, and at least 40% of the management team is comprised of women.