W Academy is Now JD Academy of Salon + Spa

It’s official.  W Academy has changed our name to JD Academy of Salon + Spa.

The W Academy backstory:

A lot of folks are familiar with The W Academy of Salon + Spa cosmetology & esthetician school in Danville, but the academy’s original founder, Wassim Kaddura, started the school back in 2010 at our original location in Concord, California.  At that time, we were called The W Institute – the “W” simply taken from Wassim’s name and the following he had built in the industry as a stylist who’s worked all over the world.

Wassim is an amazing stylist.  When people like Wassim do great work, great things happen.  We were quickly ready for a new space and started the process of bringing our current East Bay location to life.  The W Academy brand was born from the sweat and dedication that “W” put into creating a school dedicated to turning aspiring salon + spa artists into professionals.

As with all great entrepreneurs & innovators, the gears are constantly turning — new ideas simmering below the surface just waiting their turn to be nurtured and brought to life.  Wassim’s entrepreneurial spirit is no exception and having achieved what he set out to do with W Academy, we’re both saddened and excited to announce “W’s” intention to turn his focus to a new endeavor.

Our brand change to JD Academy

As much as we have invested in the “W” brand as a school, we felt giving Wassim the opportunity to continue to build his personal brand under the “W” name was both the fair and right thing to do. He’s more than earned it and we wish him all the success in the world.

Moving forward, the “W” has been replaced with “JD” – stemming from Janet Dawn, the academy’s new owner.  The letters j and d in the logo are lower case and signify humility. Janet is quick to share that her academy is not a representation of her work alone. It is the collaborative work of her dedicated, passionate, and expert-trained team that completes the school. When you and our outstanding student body and grateful guest service clientele to our JD team, you have an energy that is uplifting, creative, and motivating.

Janet began her time with W Academy in 2015 as a volunteer, bringing with her decades of experience in property management and the financial sector. She contributed immediately, helping the academy build and implement financial aid processes, student services, and facility management that would better assist students.

In 2016, Janet became Director of the school.  She remains fully committed to maintaining the boutique atmosphere we’ve become known for and has increased the size of her quality team to accommodate the increasing student body — bringing in a highly-curated selection of sought-after educators. These are the folks you want to learn from.

The great philosopher Ephesus is famous for, “The only thing that is constant is change.”  That’s fitting given the lofty goals we have for JD Academy, our students, our team and for aspiring artists everywhere.  However, in the scheme of the brand change from W Academy to JD Academy, it’s business as usual.  Our “business” just happens to be unusually amazing.