Board of Directors

Debra has her BA in Psychology and ASL from the University of Rochester and her Masters in Social Work from Syracuse University, but these credentials pale in comparison to the honor and privilege of being involved with Grace. It has been the adventure of a lifetime, and Debra couldn’t be more honored to be a part of it. Grace grew from a thought to a full fledged community in the blink of an eye and continues to grow and expand beyond what she ever imagined.

Debra and her husband Jason have been married for 20 years. They adopted two beautiful children out of foster care, who passed away of a rare genetic disease when they were 10 and 12, and also have been blessed with seven healthy children they’ve been homeschooling from the beginning.

Jason earned has his PhD from the University or Rochester where he and Debra met as undergraduates. He discovered his passion for teaching shortly after graduating, became a professor at D’Youville College where he shared his love of chemistry for 12 years. He since had an opportunity to switch career paths to industry, and now works for Andluca, a startup company specializing in solar technology. While life doesn’t lend him a ton of free time, when he does have it he can be found wielding a sword, earning another black belt, or playing a game from his expansive board game collection.

He’s been supportive of Grace since it was just an idea and has been involved in everything from running science labs to cleaning toilets.

Emily graduated from RIT with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in accounting and then founder her way to St. John Fisher College, where she earned her masters in education with a concentration in math. She has held a number of teaching positions ranging from teaching math at School of the Arts to subbing in the public school system to teaching English with VIPKid. She ran the MOMS club of Chili for 7 years, a 4H group for 2 years and was a member of BNI for 3 years and their treasurer for two terms. She’s also helped numerous individuals make and stay on a zero-dollar budget following the teaching of Dave Ramsey’s baby steps. When she’s not homeschooling or sleeping, you can find her on the soccer field. She’s been bookkeeping for Grace for many years and is excited to serve on the Board.

Laura has her BA in English and Secondary Education from SUNY Geneseo and her Masters in Literacy Education from St. John Fisher College. She taught Middle School and High School English in a traditional classroom setting for many years, before transitioning to tutoring and curriculum development to allow for more time with her children. She has homeschooled her 3 children since the onset of their education and has been thankful to be an active member of Grace from day one. She has helped Grace in numerous ways over the years; from teaching various writing classes to registration and data management.

As former Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (through June 2018) and now Director of the Dietetic Internship (DI) (beginning July 2018) I assist students with the pursuit of a career in dietetics. The DI provides students with supervised practice in dietetics to qualify graduates to obtain the credential of Registered Dietitian/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN). My areas of expertise include clinical nutrition and management as it applies to the field of dietetics and health care settings. Areas of interest include the nutrition care process, nutrition support, medical nutrition therapy and process improvement. I am also interested in health care management of resources (staff, insurance issues, regulation), particularly in the acute care setting.

Dawn is a registered nurse who homeschooled her three children all the way through high school and has seen them grow into healthy, well adjusted adults. She’s a wealth of knowledge on all things homeschooling as well as nursing, parenting and life. She recently welcomed her first grandbaby into the world. Dawn has been an incredible source of encouragement regarding Grace and its impact on the Rochester homeschool community.