ADMINISTRATION
BRIAN DOW
Head of School
Brian and his family have been part of the LCA community for the past two years. Brian has held many different leadership roles in his church community, which include the jail ministry, and also the business community as office manager at a financial services firm. He has spent most of his adult life serving in the US Army which included a deployment in Afghanistan where he held the leadership role of platoon sergeant. Currently, he owns his own business as a financial advisor and serves his clients’ needs for financial planning. Brian's wife, Elizabeth, will be teaching second grade. Their three children, Asher, Brayden, and Selah will be attending as students.
JO HENDRICKSON
Assistant Head of School
Dean of Program Support
Mrs. Hendrickson has over 18 years experience schooling her 3 children in the collaborative style and is now the mother of 2 graduates. She began working at LCA in 2004. While being an invaluable part of the administrative team, Jo also serves as Co-Producer and stage manager for the annual theater productions and has previously directed three. Her other hats include Bookkeeper, teacher for Pre-Algebra and leads the Girl's Devotional class. Before joining the LCA team she served as a MOPs (Mother of Preschools) Coordinator for 6 years.
RENEE MILLER
Director of Advancement
With over 35 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools, Mrs. Miller is passionate about families having choices to educate their children in dynamic and joyful ways. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Point Loma Nazarene College. After teaching in the public school system in California and the Dept. of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS) in Germany, she founded Liberty Classical Academy, originally calling it The Garden School, in 1997, with her husband David. This was the beginning of a hybrid form of schooling for their seven children. Renee became the Head of School for LCA. David and Renee also started and operated an alternative, drop-out retrieval program for 13 years called Crossroads Academy. Renee founded Cornerstone Classical School in Basalt in 2012 and has taught ESL and GED Classes for CMC. Currently, Renee is the Executive Director for Colorado Homeschool Enrichment (CHE) and New Castle Learning Advantage (NCLA), two new ventures created to meet educational demands in our communities.
AMANDA NORTON
Dean of Logic / Rhetoric
Amanda is a physician assistant by training with a Master’s degree in Health Sciences, but fell in love with classical education through homeschooling her 5 children. She has always loved science and math but through learning about classical education has renewed her love for literature and the language arts. She has taught various Logic and Rhetoric classes at LCA for 4 years. She and her husband are members of New Hope Church in New Castle. She is a runner, coffee drinker, avid reader and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
CHRISTINA STILL
Marketing Director
Christina has been a part of the LCA community for a number of years. Her two children have enjoyed attending LCA since preschool and she began working for LCA in 2022. She graduated from Western Colorado University with a bachelors degree in business administration and a bachelors degree in accounting. She worked for many years in public accounting and as a real estate photographer. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and their dog whenever possible.
JEANETTE THOMPSON
Dean of Communications
Jeanette Thompson has a heart for service. Her background includes serving on Rifle's Planning and Zoning Board, four years as a Rifle City Council member, serving on the Liberty Classical Academy Board, and volunteering in her church's nursery. She has lived in Rifle for 30 years with her husband, Kelly, and their two children. In college, Jeanette majored in German, studied French for three years, and Spanish for two. She and her husband are both strong supporters of Classical Christian education and feel blessed to have the best of both worlds in the university model system at LCA.
TRACEY WALTER
Dean of Grammar School
Preschool Director
Mrs. Walter has been with the Liberty Classical Academy since 2008 and assumed the role of Preschool Director in the 2011. Mrs. Walter is also the Head of the Grammar School and will be teaching Kindergarten on Monday/Thursday. She received her B.A. in History from the University of Wales-Swansea, U.K. in 1998 before moving to Glenwood Springs to work with the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association and married Deric Walter. She spent 5-years working alongside major community and business leaders at the chamber before giving birth to their first child and changing her vocation to ‘mother’. She then worked from home with CLEER a few hours a week. With this new focus in life of being a mother, Mrs. Walter began seeking wisdom from teacher-friends and mentors as she and her husband considered various educational opportunities. After selecting Liberty Classical Academy and enrolling their first child, Mrs. Walter accepted many opportunities to substitute teach and increase her own love for learning until she eventually accepted an assistant position in the Preschool. Since then, Mrs. Walter has completed her ECE 101 and 103 courses and thoroughly enjoys educating Grammar students and edifying their families. Her oldest child graduated from LCA and her youngest is a senior this year at LCA.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Deric Walter - President
Chad Paulson - Vice President
Rose Starr - Secretary
Terrasa Meraz - Treasurer
Kevin Dye - Member
Jonathan Mollman - Member
Jacqui Edelmann - Member