Jon is the Education Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He is a fourteen-year veteran of public schools. He taught both fifth and sixth grades, receiving Weber District’s E+ Team Award. He proudly homeschools his children with his wife.

Jon received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Governors University. He spent time in the Marine Corps and separated as a sergeant in 2006.

During his time in public schools, Jon increasingly understood the importance of parental empowerment in education. This increased understanding led him to join Libertas to provide educational freedom for families. Jon enjoys spending time with his wife and five children traveling, skiing, and playing games.

Kenneth Danford is the Co-founder and executive director of North Star. Ken has been working intensively with teenagers and their families since 1991. Previously a middle school social studies teacher, first in Prince George’s County, MD, then in Amherst, MA, Kenneth left the Amherst school system to found North Star. He brought with him extensive education and training, including a B.A. from Amherst College in Psychology and an M.A.T. in Social Studies from Brown University. You can find out more about the founding and history of North Star, and Ken’s reflections on the future of the movement in his TEDx talk and his book Learning is Natural, School is Optional, available at his website, kennethdanford.com.

Michael Strong is founder of The Socratic Experience, a virtual school for children ages 8 to 18. He is one of the most experienced designers of innovative school programs in the United States. His projects include a public school program in which minority female students gained four years’ worth of critical thinking gains in four months (on the Watson-Glaser). He later went into Montessori secondary school program design at The Judson Montessori School (San Antonio), The Emerson School, and Hacienda School. He created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed AP exams, making it the most academically advanced school in the country at the time. Another of Michael’s projects, Moreno Valley High School, a Paideia charter high school, was ranked the 36th-best U.S. public high school by Newsweek. More recently he co-founded KoSchool in Austin, Texas, which combined his high-performance approach to AP coursework and SAT score gains with a focus on entrepreneurial and creative projects. KoSchool, in turn, became the original model for The Academy of Thought and Industry, the high school model for the largest Montessori network in the United States. Students from Michael’s schools have been admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Smith, Bard, Bennington, McGill, UT-Austin, University of Colorado, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Parsons School of Design, Quest, St. John’s and many dozens of other post-secondary institutions. He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.

Mandy Drogin is a prominent education reform leader in Texas and the Campaign Director for Next Generation Texas at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. With over a decade of experience shaping education policy, grassroots organizing, legislative campaigns, and election strategy, Mandy is a driving force for expanding school choice and parental empowerment.

Before her current role, she spent nearly eight years at the American Federation for Children, serving as State Director for three of those years. There, she coordinated campaigns to elect pro-choice lawmakers and advance education funding initiatives in Texas.

Mandy is a dynamic communicator and coalition builder. She has testified at the Texas Capitol, led marketing strategies to inform families about parent-directed education funds, and orchestrated cross-sector coalitions for passing school choice legislation in 2021.

Beyond policy, Mandy hosts Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, a media initiative featuring in-depth conversations with Texas parents navigating public school challenges—highlighting stories from concerns over curriculum to achievements in homeschooling.

She also frequently appears in media panels, sharing her perspectives on education reform and voucher debates across platforms like Crisis in the Classroom, CBS Austin, and the Independent Women’s Forum.

Mandy holds a Master’s in Urban Planning & Real Estate Development and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her eclectic background includes event production, political fundraising, and strategic communications—experience that adds depth to her policy expertise.

Known for her passionate advocacy for low-income and underserved families, Mandy emphasizes transparency, quality, and the right of parents to choose the best educational path for their children.

She is based in Austin, TX, where she continues to influence the educational landscape through policy leadership and public engagement.

Colleen Hroncich is a policy analyst with the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. Each week, she profiles interesting educational options, programs, and policies in her Friday Feature blog series. Colleen’s commentaries have been published in a variety of publications, including The Hill, U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Examiner, the Daily Signal, and The Federalist. She has also testified before Congressional and state legislative committees and appeared on several radio and television shows.

Dr. Erin Flynn founded the Hedge School Cooperative in Austin, Texas in
January of 2021. Having served as teacher, department head, and principal
for 10 years at a Texas public charter school and previously taught at
university in Ireland for 6 years, Doc Flynn decided to forge a new path in
education for herself and her students.
Doc Flynn was born in Cornwall, England to an USN father and an Irish
mother. From there, she moved around quite a bit as is the path of a military
kid. She has lived in 4 different countries and 4 different US states, and her
travels have given her the gift to see life from different perspectives. And, She
strives to embrace differing perspectives for each of her students.

Serving 7th through 12th graders, Hedge School Coop firmly believes that
students need to be the driving force behind their education and adults need
to serve as guides, mentors, cheerleaders, and models. The Hedge School
Coop focuses on Respect, Empowerment, and Connection in order to provide

that experience for every learner.

George has been in education for over 20 years. He holds a master’s degree
in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM, and a master’s in
Religious Studies from Boston University with a concentration in the Sociology
of Religion. George taught at Lewis Community College in Vancouver, WA
and Boston University’s MET college, before he moved to public education in
2009 where he taught at a variety of Public Schools. Dissatisfied with the
structure and function of traditional education he started Bay State Learning
Center in 2013. BSLC is based on the Liberated Learners model pioneered by
Ken Danford of NorthStar Self-Directed Learning for Teens. His interests
include literature, philosophy, and world religions, and when not in the
classroom, he enjoys hiking, birding, and meditation.

Erin Davis Valdez is the Executive Director of the Incubator of the Center for
Education and Public Service at the University of Austin. She has been
passionate about the transformational power of education all her life, having
been given the gift of being homeschooled. She taught for over a decade in
Austin-area schools and served as an assistant principal at a charter school in
Lewisville. These experiences have given her the opportunity to see first-hand
how students can thrive when they have excellent options.
Valdez joined the Charles Koch Foundation in 2015 where she helped to grow
a portfolio focused on helping innovative K12 programs grow through higher
education and other partnerships. At the Texas Public Policy Foundation, she
conducted research on outcomes-based funding at the secondary and
postsecondary levels, civics education, and workforce programs in Texas. She
has testified before the Texas and U.S. legislatures and shepherded
legislation expanding educational choices for K12 and postsecondary
students.
Valdez earned an M.A. in Classics from the University of California, Santa
Barbara and a B.A. in Classical Studies from Hillsdale College. She studied in
Athens, Greece her junior year and worked as an excavator at the Agora
archaeological site for three seasons.
Valdez has lived in the Austin area (on and off) since 1990, which counts as
“native” these days. She enjoys cooking, reading, volunteering, and spending
time with her husband Jeremy, her family, friends, and cocker spaniel,
Scoops.

Greetings everyone! This is my 4th year in the Microschool movement. I
started as a mother of three who wanted better for her kids, so my husband
and I decided to homeschool our children. Then it turned into becoming the
founder of DiscoverUAcademy. Thanks to VELA I am able to serve more
students of all abilities, in my bigger space we can have up to 15 students. I
am very passionate about the students finding their individual path and giving
the tools to set them on that path. I am an entrepreneur at heart and
managed my family along with a personal chef business prior to starting a
Microschool. This has affected my students in a positive way, because now I
am teaching the framework of starting a business (along with some kitchen
skills) to all who attend my program. I encourage them to join local farmers
markets and even hold “mock” markets for those who may not have the
chance to participate in a real market ~yet. My students love coming to class,
and that is the greatest joy I could ever ask for.

Denise Lever is an education entrepreneur, microschool founder, and mentor
dedicated to empowering personalized education pathways. With nearly two
decades of experience as a homeschooling parent, Denise founded Baker
Creek Academy, a thriving network of rural microschools in Eagar, Arizona,
serving K-12 learners through innovative, self-directed education. Leveraging
her unique background as a former wildland firefighter, Denise brings
courage, resilience, and strategic leadership into her role as founder of
TrailblazED, where she mentors education leaders to build thriving
microschool communities. Her passion lies in helping each learner uncover
their unique potential and equipping educators to pioneer bold, transformative
educational opportunities.

Tiffany is the passionate Founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and empowering home education families across the country. As the host of The Ultimate Homeschool Community Podcast, she creates a welcoming space for parents to find encouragement, practical insights, and meaningful conversations that elevate the homeschool experience.

Based in Tennessee, Tiffany’s influence continues to grow nationally through her vibrant social media presence and a range of collaborative projects with other leaders in the homeschool space. Her authentic voice and deep understanding of the needs and challenges facing homeschooling families have made her a trusted guide and advocate within the community.

In addition to her thought leadership, Tiffany has developed a unique homeschool curriculum designed to serve families with flexibility, creativity, and purpose. She is excited to share it as a vendor and looks forward to connecting with parents and educators through both the stage and the exhibit space. With her energetic presence and commitment to empowering families, Tiffany brings both inspiration and practical value wherever she speaks.

Elan Page is a homeschool mom of two and the founder of Homeschool Our
Way, whose mission is to help families of color access the freedom and
fulfillment that homeschool offers.

Through a weekly podcast, the Homeschool Launch Blueprint online course,
and other useful resources, Homeschool Our Way helps families start their
homeschool journey with confidence and clarity.

Elan and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their two daughters.

Leslie Hiner, Esq. is an advocate of educational freedom, a crusader fighting for the unencumbered opportunity of parents to decide how and where their children will be educated. She believes in the power of individuals to change the world, and believes personal liberty will be enhanced when our method of funding K–12 education is changed to empower parents and students before institutions.

As vice president of legal affairs at EdChoice, the nation’s leading educational choice organization, Leslie leads the EdChoice Legal Policy and Education Center (LPEC) for this nonpartisan, charitable nonprofit and engages with other national organizations to support school choice. She is a proven leader, advancing educational freedom and choice for all as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society.

Hiner is an attorney with extensive state legislative and executive branch experience. In Indiana, she was the first woman chief of staff to the speaker of the house, counsel to the senate president pro tempore, and general counsel/elections deputy to the Secretary of State. She is also a former small business owner, and former litigator in private practice.

A founding board member of one of Indiana’s first charter schools, Leslie served as chairman of the board for the first several years, guiding the school’s growth from about 150 to over 1000 students. She was also directly involved in developing Indiana’s original charter school law, one of the best in the nation, and Indiana’s voucher law, the largest in the country to date.

Leslie is a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network, serves on the Schools That Can National Advisory Council, and is a Policy Advisor for The Heartland Institute. Leslie is a long-time member of the Federalist Society and a Lugar Series Excellence in Public Service alumna.

Hiner travels the country speaking on educational issues and testifying at public hearings. Recent engagements include the American Enterprise Institute With all deliberate speed: Brown v. Board of Education II 60 years later; Center for Urban Renewal and Education National Policy Summit, “Changing Policy to Change Lives”; National Conference of State Legislatures Summit debate, School Vouchers and Education Savings Accounts: Are They Constitutional; Network of Enlightened Women National Conference, Three Things You Need To Know About Education Policy; International Conference on School Choice and Reform, The Constitutionality of Educational Choice; 100 Black Men of Greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Project Soar’s Mobilizing the Village; Louisville Federalist Society Lawyers’ Chapter, Is School Choice Good Public Policy; American Conservative Union CPAC 2017.

She’s been cited in several publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, Forbes, US News & World Report, The Hill, Real Clear Policy, Federalist Society DocketWatch, National Review, The Federalist, Zman Magazine, Watchdog, and has appeared on EWTN News Nightly, Wall Street Journal Video Opinion Journal podcasts, David Webb Show on Sirius/XM, ChoiceMediaTV, The Heartland Institute podcasts and school choice events, The Morning Blaze, Issues in Education and many state level broadcasts.

A native of Ohio, she earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law, her Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Wooster, and attended Rostad Teachers College as an exchange student in Sweden where she was a student teacher in grades 2 and 3. She and her husband reside in Indianapolis, and have two grown children.

Sarah is a passionate advocate for innovative educational models. With over two decades of leadership experience, she deeply embraced the Waldorf education system during her time in California, receiving extensive training to enhance her pedagogical skills.

Sarah’s leadership was instrumental in establishing the Sanderling Waldorf School Parent Council, and she further developed her expertise as the Admissions Director at Charlottesville Waldorf School. Her skillset includes conflict resolution and fundraising.

Sarah served as the Special Projects Coordinator and Podcast Manager for Front Row Dads, where she managed online events and communications.

A champion of medical freedom since a personal family experience in 2014, she passionately advocates for parents’ rights in healthcare decisions.

Sarah’s personal interests include organic living, regenerative agriculture, and competitive running. She believes strongly in the principle “what the mind believes, the body achieves,” a motto she embodies daily as a mother to her two daughters and a partner to her husband Shane, a dedicated USMC veteran.

Together, they are excited to bring a new vision for education to their community.

Dr. Erin Flynn founded the Hedge School Cooperative in Austin, Texas in
January of 2021. Having served as teacher, department head, and principal
for 10 years at a Texas public charter school and previously taught at
university in Ireland for 6 years, Doc Flynn decided to forge a new path in
education for herself and her students.
Doc Flynn was born in Cornwall, England to an USN father and an Irish
mother. From there, she moved around quite a bit as is the path of a military
kid. She has lived in 4 different countries and 4 different US states, and her
travels have given her the gift to see life from different perspectives. And, She
strives to embrace differing perspectives for each of her students.

Serving 7th through 12th graders, Hedge School Coop firmly believes that
students need to be the driving force behind their education and adults need
to serve as guides, mentors, cheerleaders, and models. The Hedge School
Coop focuses on Respect, Empowerment, and Connection in order to provide

that experience for every learner.

Greetings everyone! This is my 4th year in the Microschool movement. I
started as a mother of three who wanted better for her kids, so my husband
and I decided to homeschool our children. Then it turned into becoming the
founder of DiscoverUAcademy. Thanks to VELA I am able to serve more
students of all abilities, in my bigger space we can have up to 15 students. I
am very passionate about the students finding their individual path and giving
the tools to set them on that path. I am an entrepreneur at heart and
managed my family along with a personal chef business prior to starting a
Microschool. This has affected my students in a positive way, because now I
am teaching the framework of starting a business (along with some kitchen
skills) to all who attend my program. I encourage them to join local farmers
markets and even hold “mock” markets for those who may not have the
chance to participate in a real market ~yet. My students love coming to class,
and that is the greatest joy I could ever ask for.

JoAnn Nolte: As a life-long learner, JoAnn has pursued a wide range of knowledge and experience across several fields.  JoAnn studied Organizational Management and Youth Psychology while attending Colorado Christian University, she began her journey in the realm of learning as she and her four children journeyed together through 12 years of homeschooling.

Along the way, JoAnn has learned real-life lessons on how young minds truly think and learn, how to celebrate and capitalize on those varied learning styles, and strengthen individual talents and interests.  She celebrates opportunities to see those around her heroically traverse challenges to discover how they can change their corner of the world.  She truly believes that everyday life is a huge, open classroom with endless possibilities.

While on this learning journey JoAnn started Learning Fun 101: LEGO Robotics, an educational company in the Central Texas Area that reaches over 2000 children every year with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.   Learning Fun 101 success was the beginning of her life as an entrepreneur and a key component in the creation of E.S.T.E.A.M Academy.