New Story Strengthens its Expertise and Welcomes New Leadership to its Ohio Team

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New Story, one of the largest special education companies in the U.S. and with schools and clinics throughout Ohio, announced that Mario Basora, M.Ed. and Alicia Cachat, M.Ed., BCBA, COBA have joined the organization bringing decades of leadership and results-driven outcomes to children, young adults and families in need of education, alternative education and mental health services. Basora joins New Story as its Senior Vice President of Operations for Ohio, responsible for oversight of the organization's five Ohio-based New Story Schools and three Applied Behavioral Services (ABS) clinics. Cachat is focused on ABS day-to-day operations and for ensuring families receive high-quality and compassionate care.

Mario and Alicia are joining New Story and our Ohio team at a time of exciting growth and service expansion," said Jon Bicknell, Chief Executive Officer, New Story. "Last fall, ABS joined the New Story family of companies adding important clinical capabilities specific to full treatment intervention for children with autism and related disabilities. This month we opened the doors of a new, New Story School campus located in Independence that's been purpose-built for the needs of our students. The leadership and experiences Mario and Alicia are bringing to us and to our families will not only energize our schools and clinics, but also support continued improvement in the delivery of our services and programs.

New Story Schools in Ohio and ABS boast impressive impact in Ohio including:

• Monitoring at the New Story School Columbus location from 2013-2019 showed that the academic program students in grades K-8 averaged more than one year's grade level equivalency growth each year,
• More than 4/5 of families surveyed in 2021 believed that New Story Schools were the ideal placement for autism services,
• More than 97 percent agree that New Story Schools provide an inviting place for their students to learn, and
• ABS has provided over 20 years of intensive intervention, with over 30 years of collective experience with children with special needs.

Basora is an educational advocate and leader with experience across a variety of positions, including teacher and principal. Pror to joining New Story, Mario spent the last decade serving as Superintendent for Huber Heights City and Yellow Spring School Districts.

"I'm thrilled to join New Story and lead our teams of directors, coordinators, teachers, behavior support specialists, and staff" said Basora. "They work every day in our schools and clinics to support students and families and are critical to our collective success. I'm looking forward to working alongside them and in partnership with our families and district partners to continue bringing high-quality education and support programs to Ohio's families."

Cachat is a long-time ABS leader, joining the organization more than 15 years ago as a clinician and eventually becoming Executive Director of its West Chester clinic. Her transition to this new role means she can now share those insights to all ABS families.

"I've seen first-hand how working hand-in-hand with families, who put so much trust in our services and our model, can greatly improve outcomes for their children diagnosed with autism spectrum and other disorders," said Cachat. "With oversight of all three sites, we can continuously improve ways of working and sharpen our focus and programs for the betterment of all the families we serve."

About New Story
New Story is a leading provider of special and alternative education and mental health services for children and young adults with serious and complex challenges. The New Story family of schools and clinics serve families across Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. For more information, visit www.newstory.com.

For more information about Applied Behavioral Services, visit www.appliedbehavioralservices.com.

SOURCE New Story