At The Canopy School, children are not forced to learn—they are invited to learn.

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

Hanna Marks is an educational innovator, writer, and mother whose work is rooted in one essential belief: children don’t need to be standardized—they need to be seen. A former teacher with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership, Hanna spent years working inside schools that prioritized test scores over truth. She saw firsthand how young people—and their teachers—were burning out inside a system that ignored the realities of brain development, trauma, identity, and emotional safety.

Guided by the work of Jean Piaget, Abraham Maslow, Howard Gardner, and Dr. Daniel Amen, Hanna created a revolutionary model for education that integrates emotional healing, brain-based learning, and spiritual wholeness. At The Canopy School, children are not pushed to perform, but invited to unfold—through seasonal rhythms, multilingual learning, creative expression, and deep identity work.

A self-described “escapee of early acceleration,” Hanna began college at 15 but didn’t understand her own learning process until much later. She brings that lived experience—and her deep love for both science and soul—into every part of this model.

Today, Hanna is building the first Canopy School with one goal: to raise a generation of whole, self-aware, emotionally intelligent young people—and to remind the world what education was always meant to be.

Board Member, The Canopy School

Charles J. Maikish is a distinguished executive whose career spans over five decades across public infrastructure, real estate, law, and crisis leadership. He served as the Director of the World Trade Center Department for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, overseeing the management, operations, leasing, and redevelopment of the World Trade Center complex. Notably, he led the reconstruction efforts following the 1993 bombing, demonstrating resilience and strategic vision.

After departing the Port Authority in 1996, Maikish took on the role of Vice President for Facilities Management at Columbia University, where he managed a $650 million capital program, including the construction and renovation of key university facilities.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Maikish was appointed Executive Director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, coordinating all public and private construction efforts in Lower Manhattan under the direction of the New York Governor and the NYC Mayor.

His private sector experience includes serving as Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate for BlackRock, and later as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Citibank Realty Services, overseeing global real estate operations.

Maikish holds a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School and a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s Seminary and College. He furthered his executive education by completing the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Currently, he serves as the President and CEO of Toxin Protection Enterprise and is a member of the National Academy of Construction.