Our 2025 Speakers
Andrew Pudewa
Founder and Director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing
Presenting around the world, Mr. Pudewa addresses issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan (Suzuki Method) and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his beautiful, heroic wife, Robin, have homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of fifteen, making their home in northeastern Oklahoma’s beautiful green country.
Johnathan Sumpter
Director, University of Dallas Counseling Service
Johnathan M. Sumpter, MBA, MA, LPC-S, psychotherapist, supervisor, entrepreneur, consultant, and public speaker, is a husband and father of four homeschooled children, the Director of the University of Dallas Counseling Center, and the Founder and CEO of The Mental Well PLLC. He was a seminarian for the Diocese of Amarillo, TX, at Holy Trinity Seminary for several years. Before clinical work, he worked in the Church for 15 years with youth and young adult ministry, campus ministry, and adult faith formation, he was a parish administrator and a certified spiritual director, along with other roles for parishes, Dioceses, and Regional ministries. Mr. Sumpter has worked in the clinical field for nearly 15 years in various settings, including inner-city clinics, a pastoral counseling center, psychiatric hospital wards, in-home healthcare for the developmentally disabled, acute care and neonatal intensive care wards, rehab, a college campus center, and private practice. Using high-quality mental health practices steeped in Catholic Christian anthropology and sound philosophical grounding, he strives to ignite others’ passion, intentionally crystalize their vision of a purposeful life, and draw out their well so that together, we can bring joy to and heal a broken world.
Jenny Bales
Speaker, Writer, and Homeschool Consultant
Jenny Bales is a Catholic Homeschooling Consultant whose mission is to help you
become a confident homeschooling mom and actually enjoy homeschooling! She has
helped make homeschooling work for over 100 families through her professional
consulting services. Jenny has homeschooled her own 4 children for the past 17 years, including graduating two of her students who were homeschooled K-12. She is here today to cheer you on and share advice for when homeschooling isn’t so fun. When Jenny is not homeschooling her two remaining students or talking about homeschooling, she is likely to be found coordinating homeschool gatherings in her North Texas community, devouring detective novels, completing jigsaw puzzles, or watching college football, usually while drinking a cup of tea.
Barbara Khirallah
Affiliate Instructor, Education and Classical Learning
Barbara Khirallah is a faculty member in the Department of Education at the University of Dallas (UD) where she has joyously served for over 30 years as an educator for tomorrow’s teachers. At UD, Barbara has taught various courses, including Child Growth and Development, Child and Young Adult Literature, Reflective Teaching, Mathematical Concepts for Teachers, Principles of Secondary Education, Integrated Curriculum, Computer Problem Solving, and Reading in the Secondary Schools – to name just a few. She has served Catholic education for more than 50 years in multiple capacities as a K-12 teacher, a University teacher educator, an educational consultant for the Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools Office, an Advisory Council member at Holy Family Catholic Academy, President of the Home and School Association and co-director of the RCIA program at Holy Family parish, and as founder and director of the Dallas Area Network of Teaching and Education (DANTE). In addition, Barbara has taught and served public schools as a K-12 teacher, creator of the ESL program at North Lake Community College, a School Board member at several UPLIFT Charter Schools, and co-director of UD-SumMit, a one-week Summer Science Program for homeless teens. Barbara and her husband Ray have five children, all of whom were educated in Catholic schools, and eight grandchildren.
