Meet Lee Ann Jones – The Helm ABA
Lee Ann Jones has a heart for helping people, and it steered her to a career and a business where she can do exactly that. At The Helm ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), she provides behavioral therapy and support for North Texas children with autism. Family support and school connection are also part of the business model.
The Helm ABA started in 2015. Lee Ann and her business partner, Sara Feldman (also a new EO Dallas member), now have five offices throughout the Metroplex. “My partner has a PhD so she’s more clinical and I’m more operational. She is also the driver / goal-setter,” explained Lee Ann on how the partnership works. The Helm partners with school districts to provide teacher training and individual support for kids.
Originally from Kentucky, Lee Ann had a younger brother with autism. Support services were not available to him. Growing up, Lee Ann says, “I knew I wanted to help people. I was planning to be a speech pathologist but didn’t get into that program. So I pivoted to special education.” Sometimes life’s non-starters point you in the right direction.
Lee Ann graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, moved to the Dallas area in 2010, and started working with a local ABA company. She met Sara there. During this time, Lee Ann completed her Master’s in Education from Arizona State University.
As co-workers, Lee Ann and Sara shared many conversations about what they liked and didn’t like at their employers’ practice. They realized they weren’t letting parents play enough of a role. “We met every week and talked about what we could do differently,” said Lee Ann. “Eventually I quit my job and Sara followed soon after. We dove right in. We started our own company, and it grew really quickly.”
The goal of ABA is to increase a child’s ability to communicate and decrease their challenging behaviors. At The Helm, Lee Ann and Sara are focusing on filling their offices in Allen, Dallas, Irving, Lewisville, and Denton. “We’ve also chosen to spend money on marketing, which we’ve never done before,” said Lee Ann.
“Our industry is going through a transition of smaller companies like ours being bought by large private equity groups. We are approached often. Larger companies are causing our waitlist to not be as long, but it’s part of the overall trend, and we still continue to grow.”
Lee Ann tries to help everyone in her daily life, from her clients’ parents to the children she serves to her own staff. “I really love working with people,” she said. “I’m very introverted, but I enjoy getting to know people on a deeper level. I’ve developed so many good friendships and relationships through the business, which is great because I moved here not knowing anyone. My ‘why’ is the people and being able to change lives for parents and staff. Many of our staff are young adults, just learning how to navigate life. I help guide them as much as I can.”
As a busy single mom with a two boys, a 5-year-old and 1-year-old, Lee Ann lives in McKinney. Despite her packed schedule, she’s managed to carve out time to start Pilates, and she loves hiking and traveling in general.
Lee Ann joined EO in November 2021. As one of our newest members, she’s excited about being in a Forum, going on the chapter retreat in April to Mexico, and learning alongside other entrepreneurs. She did the Jump Start January offering through EO Global. She looks forward to learning from other leaders and other companies. “I’m excited to get started,” she concluded.
