Co-Founder & Executive Director

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Melissa Kramer is Founder of Growing Together Behavioral Center (GTBC) and has served as Executive Director since the establishment in 2018.  Melissa is passionate about education, is a life long advocate for inclusion and acceptance of all children and has a love of the non-profit world.  

Her journey into the world of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) began with her own son, where she witnessed the transformative power of ABA. Recognizing the need in her local community for an ABA-based school catering to children with diverse abilities, Melissa was driven to establish Growing Together.

Parents to four amazing children adopted from China and South Korea, she and her husband Matt live in St. Johns, FL.  Their youngest, Aiden, is the inspiration for the school and was a student from August, 2018 - May, 2023 when he entered hospice care for other medical complications.  Aiden's passed away in July 2023; his legacy continues to be the driving force behind Growing Together, and it remains the Kramer family's heartfelt dream to expand GTBC in his memory.

Melissa has 25+ years experience in finance, accounting and auditing, with over 15 years spent in the non-profit sector.  Melissa attended Florida State University and received undergrad degrees in Finance and Accounting.  After graduation she passed her CPA exam and practiced accounting as an internal auditor at CSX. She later received a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship.  

To find out more about Melissa's work at Growing Together, click here.