Melissa Alexander

Missy is the Director of Education, and has been with The Parents’ Place of Maryland since 2002. She is the mother of an adult daughter with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, who was educated in the St. Mary’s County Public Schools for her entire academic career. In her work at PPMD, she has provided 1:1 assistance to families and professionals, facilitated trainings and study groups with a focus on effective advocacy and collaboration to improve the lives of children with disabilities and special health care needs and their families and caregivers. She has been a guest lecturer at Towson University, Johns Hopkins University, and The College of Southern Maryland on the parent’s perspective on raising a child with ASD. Missy is a former board member of The Learning Disabilities Associations of Maryland and of Southern Maryland. She is an active member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), serving on its Board of Directors where she was the first Advocate to serve as Board Chair. She is the Conference Committee Co-Chair of COPAA, helping to plan the program for their annual conference. Missy serves on the St. Mary’s County Local Management Board as a community member, as well as on the St. Mary’s County Local Care Team as the Parent Advocate. Missy’s approach in working with families is to provide them with the information and support that they need to help them make informed decisions and be the most effective advocate they can be for their child.