John Doran

Born and raised in Buffalo N.Y., John first gained his Bachelor’s degree in Art and pursued a career as an illustrator and portrait artist. He began his career in education in 1989 as an Art teacher in public school and with The League for the Handicapped, a private early intervention pre-school, simultaneously. Having greatly enjoyed working with children with special needs John gained his Masters degree in Special Education and continued working as a special education teacher at the pre-school for several years. There he had the privilege of working with children and parents of children from infant to seven years of age. These were some of John’s most informative years in Special Education as he worked with children whose disabilities ranged from mild speech delays to medically fragile conditions. It was during this time that John also worked extensively in the education of students with autism. John continued his teaching career in California, working as the lead teacher at The Ofman Center, a private day school in Los Angeles where he gained experience educating Junior High and High School students with emotional disabilities. Community and family involvement was critical in this environment as the gang and drug culture was a major negative influence in his student’s lives.

While in New York and California, John also performed as a standup comedian. For a number of years he took a hiatus from teaching and enjoyed a successful standup comedy and writing career in Los Angeles. Having met his future wife Luciana Argento during this time, John decided to return to the career in education he loved so much. When he and Luciana moved to Phoenix in 2006, he immediately accepted a position with The ACES. As a Junior High School teacher, Coordinator of Educational Programming, Principal of the Tempe Campus from 2008 to 2017, and now the Principal of the Gilbert Campus, John could not be more proud to be part of The ACES mission of helping students achieve their educational, behavioral and life goals.