the mill
institute

Elisheva Avishai is a strategist, teacher, and non-profit leader who has worked in education for more than 25 years. Avishai has consulted to school districts across the United States and Canada, with a focus on leadership development and building innovative practices. She is the founder of the I-Think Initiative at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto, which teaches integrative thinking to students, teachers, and education leaders across Canada and the United States. She has an MBA from Rotman and a doctorate in education leadership from Harvard.

Erin Davis Valdez is the Executive Director of the Incubator of the Center for Education and Public Service at the University of Austin. She has been passionate about the transformational power of education all her life, having been given the gift of being homeschooled. She taught for over a decade in Austin-area schools and served as an assistant principal at a charter school in Lewisville. These experiences have given her the opportunity to see first-hand how students can thrive when they have excellent options.

Valdez joined the Charles Koch Foundation in 2015 where she helped to grow a portfolio focused on helping innovative K12 programs grow through higher education and other partnerships. At the Texas Public Policy Foundation, she conducted research on outcomes-based funding at the secondary and postsecondary levels, civics education, and workforce programs in Texas. She has testified before the Texas and U.S. legislatures and shepherded legislation expanding educational choices for K12 and postsecondary students.

Valdez earned an M.A. in Classics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.A. in Classical Studies from Hillsdale College. She studied in Athens, Greece her junior year and worked as an excavator at the Agora archaeological site for three seasons.

Valdez has lived in the Austin area (on and off) since 1990, which counts as “native” these days. She enjoys cooking, reading, volunteering, and spending time with her husband Jeremy, her family, friends, and cocker spaniel, Scoops.

Matthew develops educational programs fostering vibrant communities dedicated to excellence, liberty, civic friendship, and service to the common good.

An ardent advocate of the renewal of classical liberal education, he was inaugural director of the first graduate K–12 classical teacher formation program in the U.S. He has founded, developed, supervised, and fundraised for other programs serving education reform, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, K–12 professional and curriculum development services, a center, and a lab school, among other initiatives. He works with teachers and schools across the U.S. and Europe, teaching courses in literature, philosophy, history, and civics, among other areas.

Nancy Donaldson has been involved in classical Christian education since 1992, when she and her husband, Bob, helped found Regents School of Austin. Nancy served Regents as a Latin and science teacher and Interim Grammar School Principal. She also contributed significantly to the development of the curriculum as Curriculum Director and chair of the Curriculum Committee. After leaving Regents, she developed a consulting business to assist schools in implementing a classical Christian education. This led her to Grace Academy, where she served as Head of School from 2005-2008. During that time, she led the school in purchasing a permanent site and developing its main campus. After serving as a teacher and Grammar School principal for an online school, she recognized the need for an online classical Christian school, much like Regents and Grace Academy.  She thought, “How hard could it be?”  In the fall of 2014, she and her husband, Bob, along with one other couple, founded Wilson Hill Academy, an online classical Christian school serving over 1200 students in grades 4-12 from all over the world. Believing that education is generational, Wilson Hill Academy is committed to bringing the blessings of the Lord to a thousand generations (Psalm 78:1-4). Nancy currently serves as the President of Wilson Hill Academy, defining and implementing the mission of the school by leading a team of administrators, who manage all aspects of running the school.

Nancy has a BS in Zoology from Louisiana State University, and she completed the National Science Foundation Women in Science Graduate Career Development Program in Computer Science through  the University of Texas at Austin.  She enjoys swimming, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband, grown children and their spouses, five grandchildren, and Sweet Pea, her yellow lab.

Ray Girn is founder and CEO of Higher Ground Education, a national network of Montessori schools. Ray began his career as a teacher and curriculum developer, and his work emphasizes the unity of knowledge and agency in education.

David Park is the Founding General Partner at the Global Innovation Fund (GIF), an external venture fund for leading research organizations. Previously, he was Regional Partner at Kairos Ventures, where he supported the investment team and focused on pioneering investments in sectors such as Life Sciences, Biotechnology, and AI. With extensive experience in scientific innovation, David has expertise in materials science, energy, advanced communications, AI/ML, bioscience and medical technologies. He actively advises portfolio companies on strategic direction and operations and engages as a Limited Partner in multiple venture funds and early-stage startups. A proud UCLA alumnus, David is also a philanthropist supporting K-12 education and technology conservation. He founded The Innovation Foundation, is a member of the Forbes Leadership Council, advisory member at Marcellus Wiley's Project Transition, and was recognized as an honorary member of Variety Magazine’s Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs of Silicon Beach.