Board of Directors Candidates for 2023

An election to fill four seats on the Board of Directors for The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers will be held May 22 through May 31 this year. Members will choose four of the following five candidates.

Aasia Ackerman is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom of three. She currently helps organize local homeschool outings and is a volunteer leader for a local chapter of an international running group. After homeschooling for six years, she hopes to be able to use her time and talent to give back to the community from which she has benefited. Aasia loves to help parents transition from public school and help them to see the process isn’t as intimidating as they might have believed. She is passionate about connecting families with activities that might be a great match for their lives, and she would also like to help others stay abreast of current affairs and laws that affect homeschoolers.

Lois Curling is currently treasurer and membership coordinator for VaHomeschoolers, and acted as registration keyleader for the 2023 VaHomeschoolers [un]Convention. She also served as treasurer on the board from 2008 through 2012, returning to the board in 2020. Her educational background is in physics and computer science. Her past work experience includes research on fault-tolerant programming, as well as network systems management, and writing software to help nuclear power plant operators avoid accidents. Currently living in Mechanicsville, Virginia, she and her husband homeschooled their child from second grade through high school.  For Lois and her family, the VaHomeschoolers website and conferences provided a lifeline and a way forward, during a time when public school was proving to be a devastating experience.  Lois credits VaHomeschoolers with showing her family that homeschooling is not only a legal option but also an adventurous educational lifestyle.

Sydney Miller Milbert is a homeschooling mom of two children ages 10 and 7 who lives in Hillsboro, VA. She currently serves on the board of NICE Circle, a Loudoun County non-profit that provides homeschooling families the opportunities for classes, clubs and service projects. In the past she supported the SEA (Secular Eclectic Academic) Homeschoolers online conferences and wrote for SEA Homeschoolers Magazine. Sydney has a great deal of experience with nonprofits and event organization and has a professional background in marketing and design. In addition, she is currently pursuing a graduate degree in gifted education, with the hope and intention to provide support for gifted learners and their families in the homeschool community. She would like to use these skills, as well as her passion for supporting and connecting homeschoolers, to help the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers further develop interest-based groups, activities and events and to bring together like-minded children and families from across the state. She looks forward to the chance to contribute to the organization as she feels it is invaluable in its equitable and inclusive support to the community.

Megan Shultz is a current board member up for election. She currently homeschools her three children and has for the last three years. As a former chef, she most recently ran a busy catering company and golf club restaurant, gathering numerous valuable skills that she has brought to the board, including: event management, purchasing and inventory management, problem solving and conflict management, and managing budgets and profitability reports. Megan chaired the [un]Convention Planning Committee, and served as speaker key leader, leading the team to a wonderful event that left guests with positive experiences, inspiration, and renewed confidence in homeschooling. She has also co-founded Wild Roots Homeschool Collaborative, a nature based, child-led homeschool collaborative that currently serves families in the Chesterfield area. Additionally, she has experience as a Tinkergarten leader and co-runs a field trip and events based homeschool group in the Richmond and Tri-cities area. Megan hopes to be elected to continue her service on the board, continuing to plan events, assist with process change, and ensure VaHomeschoolers remains an inclusive resource for all of Virginia’s homeschoolers.

Sharon Strauchs homeschooled her own children for 14 years and now helps homeschool her grandchild. She has extensive experience providing support to homeschooling families in Northern Virginia with a special focus encouraging and guiding families with children dealing with giftedness, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Autism. Sharon facilitates CAT testing in Northern Virginia, has experience with advocating for and developing Virginia’s homeschool laws, and is committed to keeping homeschooling a legal and vibrant option for generations to come. She is committed to expanding the scope and presence of VaHomeschoolers to ensure we are meeting the ever-growing needs of homeschooling families across the Commonwealth in dynamic and creative ways. Since 1992, Sharon has headed Cortona Academy and with her staff, has educated more than 3,000 homeschooled students in the past 30 years, and continues to do so to this day… She earned her B.A. from Carnegie-Mellon and M.Ed. from George Mason University.