By Srishti Sawant

When you walk down the halls of Innovation Academy (IA), it’s easy to focus on our specific pathways, group projects, and future career plans. But just six blocks away, one of our closest community supporters has quite literally been watching IA grow from the ground up.

Beverly Ann Lenox III, the owner and instructional designer of Lenox Education and Consulting, LLC, didn’t set out with a typical business plan when she first launched her company. Instead, she started Lenox Ed while still a student herself, driven by a deep commitment to support her family. What began as a way to make ends meet quickly revealed a genuine passion for guiding other students.

After helping a peer navigate his application process to Harvard, Ms. Lenox realized how much she enjoyed teaching and editing. During our interview, she shared that she feels

“writing for companies is nowhere near as fun as teaching kids how to write.”

Her approach resonates with students; starting with just eight students in her first semester, her caseload grew rapidly to 55, then 120, transforming her side project into a full-scale education and consulting agency known for its strength in ELA, tutoring, and college counseling.

A Natural Partnership with IA

For Ms. Lenox, supporting IA felt like a natural fit from the start. She sees a direct link between IA’s mission to expose students to specialized tracks early on and her own goal of helping young people discover their direction.

“Innovation Academy is exactly what its name says. It’s very innovative,” Ms. Lenox explained. “You guys have the opportunity to be in different tracks, and I feel like that kind of drive and passion matches exactly the kind of student that Lenox Ed loves to invest in.”

That connection isn’t just theoretical. Ms. Lenox hosts five Fulton County interns every semester, and her current office manager is actually a graduate from one of IA’s very first graduating classes who is now handling IT, web design, and operations for the firm while attending college.

Advice for IA Students

When asked what mindset high schoolers need if they want to build a business or pursue leadership roles, Ms. Lenox emphasized the importance of being adaptable and self-driven. In entrepreneurship, you often have to wear many hats at once, which requires constantly teaching yourself new skills to keep up with changing industries.

She also shared a core principle passed down from her mother that continues to guide her approach to work and community: “Never end a relationship in a way that would not allow it to be picked up in the future. You always want to make people feel welcome, to make people feel like they’re part of a community.”

As IA continues to prepare students to lead across technology, science, and industry, partners like Ms. Lenox remind us of the power of mentorship right in our backyard. Whether through tutoring, application guidance, or internship opportunities, Lenox Ed remains dedicated to helping IA students reach their goals.