​Head of School
Email: headofschool@ayatampa.com
 
Dr. Samah Bkhaitan is a deeply passionate educator with a focus on providing outstanding student education and robust leadership. She is an expert in curriculum design, accreditation processes, student/faculty advisory, counseling, classroom instruction, improvement planning and procedural design. She has worked within multiple academic capacities, all the while achieving various educational degrees, the last of which is an Ed.D. with a specialization in Educational Leadership. Over the past few years, she moved into roles of progressive leadership where she worked as a teacher, counselor, vice-principal and head of school at Arizona Cultural Academy. In addition, Dr. Samah has been profoundly engaged in the school accreditation process with Cognia, previously called AdvancED, as a chair of the accreditation committee. Her recent recognition was for “Extraordinary Achievement Drive for Excellence and Leadership," awarded by her school. Dr. Samah is very committed to her work with high expectations, starting with her. She believes in team work and admires educators and education as the core of society. 

​Middle School Department Lead Ext. 269
Email: mslead@ayatampa.com
 
Dallal Kahook joined AYA’s administration team as the Middle School Division Lead. Dallal is a Florida born education professional that has recently relocated from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She has a background in biology, business management and educational leadership. She has over 15 years of experience working in private American curriculum schools in various roles including Director of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, Division Principal and Vice Principal. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, an MBA and is currently pursuing her doctorate degree in Education Leadership at Nova Southeastern University.
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Her teaching experience includes teaching middle and high school students in science and business subjects. As a certified Professional Development Trainer, she believes in developing and empowering all school community members to fulfill shared goals and targets. She is a passionate educator with a child-centric approach to instruction. In line with our school’s vision, she is committed to academic excellence to nurture our youth to be successful 21st-century global citizens. She is very excited to be part of our dynamic team to fulfill the needs of our students to be global-minded purpose-driven Muslim leaders.

Primary Department Lead Ext. 119 
Email: primarylead@ayatampa.com

Manal Ramadan has professionally grown as an educator and a future school administrator in the field of education which all began from her experience as a student at one of the first Islamic schools in the country. The experiences and bonds that were created were a dream she wanted for her own children, and at the American Youth Academy these dreams came to fruition.

Manal reflects the first-generation American Muslim in the USA where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She is certified to teach in the state of Florida from K - 6th grade. She is currently enrolled at the American College of Education as a graduate student and will obtain her M.Ed in Educational Leadership by the end of the current academic year.

Manal has dedicated 15 years teaching in the classroom and is honored to continue on this journey as the Primary Department Lead at AYA. Her philosophy in education is a holistic approach to learning. Students need to feel safe, nurtured and have advocates who support them. Once the foundation of trust is paved, students are well-equipped to meet their academic and social goals. Her beliefs steer her into providing academic excellence and social justice for all. She is proud to be part of a team that believes in equipping young Muslims with the resources they need to become a pivotal contributor to our society.