MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

AMY UPDIKE

President/Scholar Program Director

Amy loves to laugh, make new friends, dance, sing, sew and read. More than anything, she always wanted to be a mom, so she has always been a very involved parent with her four kids. Amy has taught 7 scholar classes, been a PTO President, Chairman and Secretary of Liber Leadership Academy and mentored lots of Junior projects. But her favorite mentoring experiences are curling up on the couch reading books and feeling that spark of joy learning with her kids. She has a BS in Business from BYU, is LEMI certified to teach QUEST, Key of Liberty and Pyramid, has completed Oliver Demille's "How to Mentor" program and dived deep into classic books during 6 years of Mentoring in the Classics.

KATIE MARLEY

Administrative VP

Katie is passionate about all things creative. She loves making things, learning, reading, and finding creative solutions to problems. She felt called to homeschool her three kids from day one. Her favorite homeschooling moments involve seeing the spark of excitement in her children's eyes, while exploring passions. She has developed a love for mentoring Scholar classes. Katie has mentored Shakespeare Conquest and Sword of Freedom/Hero Project, she has served as the Junior Director of Liber Leadership Academy, and mentored several Junior projects. She has a BS in Fine Arts from Portland State University, is LEMI certified to mentor Shakespeare Conquest, Key of Liberty, and Sword of Freedom/Hero Project, as well as completed five years of Oliver DeMille's Mentoring in the Classics.

SARAH CLUFF

Education VP

Sarah has loved every moment of being a mom to her three children and wife to her husband of 25+ years. Sarah has previously been a Junior Program director, taught many Junior classes, mentored a Shakespeare Conquest scholar class, taught as an elementary teacher in public school and run her own preschool. But her biggest joy and accomplishment has been teaching and learning alongside her own children.

She served an 18 month mission in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has a BS in Early Childhood Education from BYU, has several additional Reading Instruction certifications, is LEMI certified in Shakespeare Conquest, Pyramid, Sword of Freedom/Hero Project and Family Foundations and has completed six years of Mentoring In the Classics.

KRISTEN BRADY

Secretary

Kristen loves too many things to list, but top contenders are family history, writing, being out in nature, and donuts with sprinkles. And, the hobby occupying her time today will likely scoot over for a new love tomorrow. With the plan to put her kids in public school, she nearly missed her homeschool calling. Luckily all things pandemic debuted the same year her oldest was to enter kinder—-making homeschooling her new normal. Homeschooling has brought her life unexpected vibrance and intentionality. Before deciding to stay home with her four children, Kristen graduated with a BS in Dental Hygiene from Utah College of Dental Hygiene and worked as a registered dental hygienist. She’s now excited to serve as secretary at Inspire!

BRITNY FERY

Treasurer

Britny was homeschooled from 1st grade on. She met her now husband during her high school years at a local homeschool private school. They have been together 17 years and are now parents to 3 rowdy boys who keep them laughing. Britny enjoys wrestling with her boys and DJ’ing spontaneous raves for them. She loves to create, bake, 3d print, and DIY everything! Her favorite part of homeschooling is watching her kids explore learning and seeing their excitement in discovering new things. Before staying at home full time to educate her kids, she managed a dental office for 10 years which gave her lots of experience with billing and accounts receivable. Her love of all things math and attention to detail make serving as treasurer something she really enjoys!

DOREY DUNCAN

Curriculum Consultant

Dorey has raised 5 children to adulthood, homeschooling them in varying degrees and gaining more how-to knowledge along the way. She is a wealth of knowledge. She is the world's best grandma to her 4 grandkids. She has a 2 year degree and is currently enrolled in BYU-Idaho working toward her 4 year degree in Marriage and Family Studies. She has a goal to continue her passion of mentoring parents and scholars. She was a daycare provider for over 20 years, registered with the State of Oregon and took the required classes. She is LEMI certified to mentor Family Foundations, Shakespeare, Edison and QUEST 1, 2, and 3. She has held the Junior Director Position at Liber Leadership Academy and is excited for the opportunity to serve again in this role.

AMBER JONES

Junior Program Director

Amber is a mother of 4 children and started homeschooling around 2020. Amber loves the idea of tailoring education to each child and spending time together as a family. She is fueled by the excitement of learning new things and watching her children discover the world around them. She hopes to spread a feast of knowledge for their growing minds to taste and slowly digest the beauty of God’s creations and ideas around them. Amber is an American born Chinese and grew up speaking Cantonese Chinese. Her husband grew up in France and speaks fluent French and Chinese. They love traveling the world together as a family. She has been to 16 different countries so far and is always looking forward to the next trip. Amber has a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Brigham Young University.

ANNE HEMMERT

Inspirations Program Director

Anne's passions are family, art, creating fun projects, animals, and organization. The benefits of homeschooling have risen to the top, as it has added more connections for her family.
Anne has lived in various areas of Oregon and is now settled in Deer Island, where the hills and fields provide peace, comfort, and fun. She thoroughly enjoys her new space with her husband, two children, and several animals.
After completing training to be a medical assistant, she worked as an MA for three years before transitioning to the much more fun field of veterinary medicine. She then continued in that field for ten years, becoming a Certified Veterinary Technician and Practice Manager of two veterinary hospitals. While working with animals was fun, motherhood became a stronger calling.
Anne has homeschooled her girls from the beginning, except for a two-year stint in public schools. Seeing the changes and treasured values reassured their family that homeschooling was vital for their core purpose. Throughout the ever changing flow of homeschooling, as children grow, their family has enjoyed 4H projects, trips to explore, and discovering new talents and passions.
With their experience at Inspire Family Academy, the introduction to dive deeper into personal development and education has been instrumental and life changing.
She is LEMI certified to mentor Shakespeare Conquest and enjoys mentoring children and youth of any age. Anne loves finding unique ways to get children and youth excited about learning.

LAURA WHITING

Registrar

Laura was born and raised in the Provo/Orem area of Utah. In September 2001, Laura moved to Beaverton, OR and most recently, settled in Hillsboro in May 2009 to reclaim the land her ancestors first
settled.
Laura graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University and being a homeschooled child of the ‘80’s, she swore she’d never homeschool her own children. However, once her children reached school age, the thought of homeschooling was always on the back of her mind. So,
in September 2023 she began her official homeschool journey with her two youngest children, aged 10 and 12. And she has absolutely loved every minute of it. Seeing the growth, motivation, learning, and joy
in both her and her children on a daily basis has been the greatest reward, and made it all worth it. Her adopted motto, “Don’t let school get in the way of your education”, has allowed her to open her eyes and mind to the many different possibilities and options for learning and helped her realize learning
truly can and should be lifelong.

Laura’s greatest joy is her husband and 4 children (3 boys, 1 girl). She loves to spend her time with her family camping, going to the coast, hiking, walking with friends, serving those around her, and discussing the gospel and learning from others. When she grows up, Laura would love to serve a mission with her husband to one of the church history sites, as she’s always had a love and appreciation for the early pioneers.