Gina Englund: Winner – Women Leader in Dyslexia Education & Support | International Women Awards 2026
The 8th International Women Awards 2026 by Great Companies celebrates women leaders who are creating meaningful change through education, entrepreneurship, innovation, and service to their communities.
Among this year's distinguished winners is Gina Englund, Founder and Head of School of Bright Academy, honored as Winner – Women Leader in Dyslexia Education & Support.
Based in Mobile, Alabama, USA, Gina built Bright Academy after recognizing a significant need: children with dyslexia often require specialized approaches to learning that traditional education systems may not provide.
What began in 2013 with a small group of students has grown into a specialized school with a team of 14 employees, serving students with dyslexia while also helping experienced educators become dyslexia therapists.
Company Overview
Founder & Head of School: Gina Englund, M.Ed., CALT, QI
Business: Bright Academy
Location: Mobile, Alabama, USA
Founded: 2013
Category: Dyslexia Education & Support
Industry: Education / Dyslexia Education
Website: www.brightdyslexics.com
Changing the Way Children With Dyslexia Learn
Bright Academy was created around a simple but important question:
Instead of asking “what's wrong?”—what if we asked “how do they learn?”
The school is designed specifically for gifted students with dyslexia and focuses on recognizing their strengths while adapting education to the way they learn.
Bright Academy describes its approach as one that does not try to "fix" children. Instead, it changes the way instruction is delivered to match different learning needs.
This philosophy is reflected throughout the school:
Evidence-based literacy instruction
Multisensory learning
Small class sizes
Individualized instruction
Certified dyslexia therapists
Hands-on learning
Academic and emotional support
The emphasis is on helping students become confident, capable, and independent learners.
A School Built Specifically for Dyslexic Learners
Bright Academy describes itself as the only full-day school program on the Alabama Gulf Coast dedicated exclusively to students with dyslexia.
That specialization influences every part of its educational model.
Students receive individualized, therapeutic instruction from certified dyslexia therapists every day.
Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all classroom structure, teachers assess both the strengths and challenges of each student and determine an appropriate starting point for instruction.
Small class sizes allow teachers to provide individual attention and ensure that students remain engaged in the learning process.
Evidence-Based and Multisensory Education
At the heart of Bright Academy's curriculum is Structured Literacy, with explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction in reading and spelling.
The school's approach is based on the principle that students need foundational language skills taught clearly and sequentially rather than being expected to infer patterns on their own.
Bright Academy also uses multisensory learning, engaging visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways.
This approach extends beyond reading.
Science and history can become hands-on experiences involving projects, experimentation, building, discussion, and exploration rather than relying exclusively on textbooks.
The result is an educational environment designed to recognize different ways of processing and learning.
Individualized Instruction Every Day
One of Bright Academy's defining principles is personalization.
Each student receives an individualized learning plan based on their particular strengths, challenges, and goals.
The school provides:
Individualized Instruction Plans
Certified Dyslexia Therapists
Daily Language Therapy
Parent Partnership
Small Class Sizes
Hands-On Math Instruction
Students receive approximately one hour of language therapy each day, progressing through structured sequences designed around reading readiness and language skills.
The school also uses an Orton-Gillingham approach, incorporating listening, speaking, reading, and writing into multisensory instruction.
Supporting the Whole Child
Bright Academy's model goes beyond academic instruction.
Its mission describes a comprehensive approach integrating academic, emotional, social, and parent support.
This matters because students who have struggled in traditional learning environments can experience frustration and loss of confidence.
Bright Academy places emphasis on helping students develop:
Confidence
Self-advocacy
Resilience
Independence
Academic skills
Positive attitudes toward learning
The school describes its environment as one where every child is valued and supported.
From One Student to a Growing Educational Community
Gina's entrepreneurial journey began with just one student.
Leaving her teaching position to establish a specialized educational program was financially difficult and was not immediately understood by everyone around her.
Yet Gina believed the need existed.
Over time, the school grew from that single student into an organization with 14 employees, while expanding its mission to include the education of teachers who want to become dyslexia therapists.
This transformation illustrates the power of starting small while remaining committed to a
clearly identified need.
Building the Next Generation of Dyslexia Specialists
Bright Academy's impact extends beyond the students enrolled at the school.
Gina has also created opportunities to develop professionals who can support dyslexic learners.
The school employs certified dyslexia therapists and structured literacy specialists, while its broader model includes helping experienced teachers become dyslexia therapists.
This creates a multiplier effect.
Supporting one child can make a difference to that child and family. Developing more qualified educators can extend specialized support to many more children.
Early Identification and Dyslexia Support
Bright Academy also provides dyslexia screening and full testing for individuals ranging from young children to adults.
The school explains that screening can be an early step in identifying individuals who may be at risk for dyslexia or related reading difficulties.
Full testing provides a more comprehensive evaluation of reading, spelling, writing, language processing, and related skills and can help guide individualized educational planning.
The focus is therefore not only on teaching students who have already struggled, but also on helping families understand learning differences and identify appropriate next steps.
The Power of Confidence
The impact of Bright Academy is reflected strongly in the experiences shared by families.
Parents describe children becoming more confident, enthusiastic about school, and willing to engage with reading and learning.
One parent described seeing her child's confidence, joy, and eagerness to learn flourish after joining Bright Academy. Another shared that a child who previously disliked reading began carrying multi-page books around.
These stories highlight an important part of Gina's educational philosophy:
academic progress and confidence can develop together.
A Leadership Philosophy Built Around Need
Gina's entrepreneurial journey began because she saw a problem within education and believed she could help address it.
Rather than waiting for the education system to change, she took the first step herself.
Her story demonstrates a leadership approach built around:
Identifying an unmet need
Taking action despite uncertainty
Building gradually
Staying focused on purpose
Developing a capable team
Creating opportunities for others
Bright Academy's growth shows how a deeply personal professional conviction can develop into a larger educational institution.
Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
Gina's advice to women entrepreneurs is closely connected to her own experience.
She encourages women to recognize a genuine need, develop the passion to address it, and then take the first small step.
Her message is simple:
If you see a need, and have the passion to meet that need, take the first little step.
The first step may not reveal the entire path.
But, as Gina explains, the next step often becomes visible only after the first one has been taken.
The Future of Bright Academy
Bright Academy continues to build its specialized educational environment for students with dyslexia.
Its ongoing focus includes:
Specialized dyslexia education
Structured literacy
Individualized learning
Dyslexia therapy
Teacher development
Dyslexia screening and testing
Parent support
Whole-child development
The school's larger vision is to create exceptional educational opportunities for children with language-based learning disabilities while helping each student understand and develop their unique strengths.
Why Gina Englund Deserves This Recognition
Gina Englund's recognition as Women Leader in Dyslexia Education & Support reflects a journey that began with identifying a gap in education and taking action to address it.
From one student in 2013 to a growing school community with specialized educators and therapists, Gina has built Bright Academy around a clear belief:
different minds can learn differently—and education should recognize that difference.
Her work combines specialized education, structured literacy, therapeutic support, teacher development, family partnership, and a strong focus on student confidence.
Through Bright Academy, Gina is helping create an educational environment where students are encouraged not simply to keep up, but to discover their strengths and become independent learners.
Official Recognition
Gina Englund, Founder and Head of School of Bright Academy, has been honored as the Winner – Women Leader in Dyslexia Education & Support at the 8th International Women Awards 2026 by Great Companies.
The recognition celebrates her contribution to specialized dyslexia education, individualized learning, student support, and the development of educational professionals serving children with dyslexia.
Her journey demonstrates the power of turning a clearly identified need into purposeful action:
one student, one classroom, one educator, and one step at a time.
About the International Women Awards
The International Women Awards by Great Companies celebrates inspiring women entrepreneurs, founders, executives, professionals, and leaders from around the world.
The awards recognize women who demonstrate leadership, innovation, resilience, business excellence, and meaningful contribution to their industries and communities.
Gina Englund's story reflects the spirit of the awards through her commitment to specialized education, her support for students with dyslexia, and her efforts to help more educators understand how different minds learn.