Tiffany Blassingame is the Founder and Head of School at The Ferguson School in Decatur, GA.  Throughout her work as an educator for over 20 years, she has developed curriculum and programming, provided instructional coaching and professional development for school principals and their teachers, served as a school administrator and education activist, and taught primary grades. When her son was younger, Tiffany began searching for the right learning environment for him. She found schools that were either strong in character principles, strong in academics, or strong in identity development. However, she couldn’t find a school that offered all three areas and offered them well. Years later, she decided to create the space that she searched for when her son was younger--an intellectually, emotionally, and physically safe space for children.  

Tiffany holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Education Administration. She also holds endorsements in both reading and gifted education. Tiffany supports diversity, inclusion, and equity in education. She has presented at local, national, and world conferences on various topics for equitable identification and support for talented learners.  She is a co-founder of Black Microschools ATL, an Arizona State University Prep Microschool Fellow, and she serves on the Education Advisory Board for the National Center of Civil and Human Rights. Her most recent endeavor is sharing effective instructional strategies and practices with microschool teachers through the Microschool Educator Academy. When she is not at The Ferguson School, Tiffany is spending time with her young adult son, Josh.

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. 

Doc Flynn’s Hedge School Coop strives to embrace those differing perspectives for each of their students.  The Hedge School Coop serves 8th through 12th graders.  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 Compassion, Creativity, and Critical Thinking in order to provide that experience for every learner.

Ryan Hanning PhD is a Professor of Theology and History and serves as a founding fellow and Educational Director for the San Juan Diego Institute where he continues to focus on student achievement and school choice for Latino and underserved families. He has led school improvement efforts both as an educator, administrator, and researcher, working with private, public district, public charter, and microschools in Arizona, California, Texas, New York and Florida, over the course of 20 years. He
received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, his graduate degree in education from Northern Arizona University, and post graduate degree from Maryvale Institute, Liverpool Hope University in England. He has also studied at Cambridge and the Jagiellonian in Poland. Most importantly Ryan lives on a small homestead outside of Nashville, TN with his wife and 10 well-socialized homeschool children.

Lauren is the director of foundational education at yes. every kid. foundation. Previously, Lauren worked at EdChoice as a state director and on the Legal Defense in Education team. She enjoys understanding and connecting others to the intersection of law, policy, and entrepreneurship.

Before coming into the education space, Lauren litigated for several years in the public sector in Indiana in both criminal and civil courts. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Butler University and her JD from Maurer School of Law at Indiana University.

Lisa is a master facilitator, coach, and strategist with over 25 years of experience in a wide range of sectors ranging from technology, government contracting, and retail, to educational institutions and non-profits.

Lisa has worked with organizations at every stage of development from pre-launch and entity formation to established market leaders. Along the way, she has helped hundreds of business leaders to discover new ways of thinking about themselves, others, and their environment in ways that give them the language, tools, and inspiration to turn thought, vision, and intentions into concrete action and meaningful relationships.

Lisa's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Government, with a minor in Economics from the University of Texas in Austin.

Dr. Keeanna Warren is a visionary leader dedicated to advancing educational access through
innovation. As Purdue Polytechnic High Schools (PPHS) CEO, she oversees administration,
educational programs, financial management, and strategic direction. Keeanna prioritizes
authentic community engagement and enjoys collaborating with individuals from various
backgrounds. Her passion for research and data drives informed decision-making and
continuous improvement. Outside her professional achievements, Keeanna is a wife and mother
of three children: Reid, Levi, and Aira. She loves traveling and creating core memories with her
family.