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.

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.

Jeff Proctor is a certified social science nerd working as a consultant, coach, and facilitator to help people realize their potential and enjoy lives of meaning. At Stand Together, he helps social entrepreneurs in business, education, government, and communities apply the Principles of Human Progress and Principle Based Management to transform their organizations and improve results. Jeff earned a master’s degree in Economics from George Mason University and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Communications from Harding University. Away from the office, he enjoys playing in poker tournaments, traveling whenever possible, and occasionally dabbling in stand-up comedy. 

Arman Sidhu is an Education Policy Resident at ExcelinEd and the founder of iCubed Learning, a nonprofit microschool serving students in grades 7-12 and based in Tempe, Arizona. Arman's K-12 career also includes experience as a Principal and as a Math & Computer Science Teacher in traditional public and charter schools in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership & Innovation program in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He received his MA in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Springfield and received his undergraduate degree from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Arman serves on the boards of the Chandler Public Library and City View High School, one of the oldest public charter schools in Arizona serving low-income youth in downtown Phoenix. 

Originally from the Mitten state (a.k.a. Michigan), Beth attended Grand Valley State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with an emphasis in wildlife in 1998. As a child, she remembers being curious about the world around her and asking many questions! After graduating from college, she pursued a career in environmental education, transitioning herself into a Program Director role for eight years at an environmental education nonprofit based in Fort Collins, CO. There, Beth designed curriculum and led teachers and students on more than 50 international expeditions in Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Tanzania, and the Canadian Arctic. 

In 2007, she transitioned into the traditional classroom after earning her Master of Arts in Education and elementary teaching license in Colorado. After five years of high-stakes testing, “bell to bell” instruction, trying to teach in a “one size fits all” model, and feeling the academic pressure placed on children to perform, she was ready to quit and leave teaching altogether. After careful deliberation, she sought alternative models for education and accepted a first-grade position at an independent school in Seattle that prioritized social-emotional learning. There she gained professional development and opportunities to engage in the work of leaders such as CASEL and Responsive Classroom and participated in several trainings using the Social Thinking methodology by Marcia Garcia Winner.  In 2016, she moved to Las Vegas to continue promoting anti-bias, social justice, and social-emotional learning as an elementary teacher in the public charter and independent school systems. 

In 2020, she took a leap of faith and left the classroom to start her microschooling journey in Las Vegas, Nevada. She launched a new learning model that prioritized social-emotional learning, pairing it with project-based learning as the foundation of teaching and learning for children.  

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching football, swimming in her pool, antique shopping, and spending quality time with her two dogs, a bearded dragon, a desert tortoise, and an awesome cat. In addition, she and her wife enjoy traveling and exploring the National Parks while taking advantage of all the amenities of living in Seattle!