Our Faculty and Staff

Dana Johnson is an Occupational Therapist and the founder of Invictus Academy Tampa Bay. She has a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and a PhD in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Development. Dana supports the non-speaking community through education, advocacy, research and training. Dana has been working with the non-speaking community for almost 18 years, but had a paradigm shift 7 years ago which changed her perspective and the way she practices.

“Presuming competence and providing reliable communication opens up a whole new world for families and their children. Communication is a right for all and it is now my mission to ensure that all non-speakers are respected, have autonomy, and a way to communicate reliably.”

Dr. Johnson owns her own practice in Trinity, Florida. Please visit her website for more information.

spellers.com/tampa

Brianna is a middle school teacher at Invictus Academy. She began working at Invictus as a teacher assistant in the kinder-first classroom, transitioning up as an elementary teacher, and now to middle school. She has attained multiple certifications in relation to child care and furthered her education at Florida Gulf Coast University. Her passion for working with children stems from her own brother’s autism diagnosis; growing up and observing the obstacles he faced throughout his life, and his unrelenting perseverance through it all, fueled her desire to assist others throughout their journey. 

Andrew Sheppard holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT and brings more than 25 years of experience as a process engineer in chemical and metallurgical manufacturing, including nearly 10 years at Climax Molybdenum and more than 8 years at MilliporeSigma.  He left industry to join Invictus Academy and teach the higher-level mathematics needed by the senior class, a decision that also gave him the opportunity to teach his favorite senior, his son.  Andrew now teaches Chemistry, Biology, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, and Math for Data and Financial Literacy.  He enjoys bringing his engineering experience and real-world problem-solving into the classroom while helping students see the connections between mathematics, science, and the world around them.