Title: 1) Owner, Founder and Instructor; 2) Founder and Director
Company: 1) Stephanie’s Academy of Dance Inc.; 2) Special Stars Inc. NFP
Location: Oswego, Illinois, United States
Stephanie Clay, owner, founder and instructor at Stephanie’s Academy of Dance Inc., and founder and director of Special Stars Inc. NFP, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements, and leadership in dance education and nonprofits.
Ms. Clay has been passionately involved in the field of dance since discovering her love for dancing at the age of 4. She began training professionally when she was just 13 years old, building toward a professional life of more than 35 years as a dancer and dance teacher, with an increasing focus on helping others discover the joy of this art. She has directed numerous youth groups and overseen choreography for many local and national events.
In 2003, Ms. Clay founded her own studio, Stephanie’s Academy of Dance Inc., where she has served as an instructor since. Located in Montgomery, Illinois, Stephanie’s Academy of Dance houses over 6,000 square feet, including two lobbies, two dressing rooms, a break room and three separate dance studios, each of which is equipped with a professional floating floor to reduce the risk of injury. Ms. Clary specializes in tap dance, having achieved international acclaim as a tap dancer. Along with teaching 22 classes of her own each week, she oversees a staff of six professional instructors covering a wide range of other styles of dance, including ballet, hip-hop, jazz and musical theater.
Soon after opening Stephanie’s Academy of Dance, Ms. Clay recognized the need for specialized programs to support children with special needs. Working to implement these tools over the years, she finally established her own nonprofit, Special Stars Inc. NFP, in 2018. Taking on the role of director of that organization, Ms. Clay has crafted programs with unique classes designed for students who have learning differences from their peers. She collaborates with a board-certified autism behaviorist and with therapists who are experts in behavior analysis, development therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language development. Under Ms. Clay’s guiding hand, Special Stars Inc. has grown to the point that it now supports nearly 100 families spread across multiple counties. She offers programs targeting students as young as infants all the way through adulthood.
In addition to her academy and nonprofit, Ms. Clay has also contributed as a guest instructor at Northern Illinois University. She prides herself on taking a thoughtful approach to education, focusing her energy on making a meaningful difference in the lives of her students rather than wasting time on problems she has no control over. Ms. Clay’s memorable teaching style is reflected in the dedication of her students, many of whom have grown up and sent their own children to be taught in the same way. She prioritizes being cheerful and supportive of those in her studio, emphasizing their strengths and successes while aiding them in moving past their shortcomings or mistakes.
Ms. Clay’s devotion to helping others is also on display in her home life, where she is a loving wife and mother to two children. Those two children include her niece Alexis, now 34, whom Ms. Clay raised as a legal guardian from when Alexis was 5 years old, and her adopted son Ty Jones, now 21, who has special needs and helped inform her approach to teaching students and supporting families facing similar challenges.
Looking to the future, Ms. Clay intends to keep growing both Stephanie’s Academy of Dance and Special Stars. She is currently engaged in additional volunteer work training a therapy dog and bringing it into elementary schools to help young kids, a process that she is eager to continue. Ms. Clay plans to seek additional funding for her nonprofit through grants and other means, with the intent of ensuring that Special Stars can become free for all students.
Contact Ms. Clay: