Dr. Paul Weinhold directs the APEX Program. For the past twenty years, he has been a teacher and leader in the classical education movement. Cultivating the art of dialogue through friendship and Great Books is what originally drew him to classical education, and that initial spark has grown into a love for creating organizational health through teamwork and collaboration. He has served in numerous teaching and administrative roles, including Headmaster at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy for four years. He currently serves as Director of Continuing Education for Great Hearts Academies, where he leads the national network of teachers in their pursuit of personal and professional development. Dr. Weinhold also directs the Academy for Classical Teachers, an online intellectual enrichment program designed to deepen teachers’ pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Andreea Balan is the APEX Program Manager. Originally from Romania, Andreea moved to the U.S. in 2000 to attend Culver Academies in IN. An alumna of St. John’s College and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Andreea has over ten years of experience working as a teacher. A former youth director, Andreea was a high school English and humanities teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in both classical charter and public schools. Andreea joined Great Hearts in 2021 to collaborate on and manage the APEX Program under Rob Jackson. In addition to her service to Great Hearts, she is enrolled in the IPS, the doctoral program at the University of Dallas, with a concentration in Literature.
Alex Julian has spent the last twelve years in education working for Great Hearts schools after receiving his bachelor’s in Medieval History from Arizona State University. Over that time, he has taught 6th grade US History, 8th grade Medieval History & literature, and 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade humane letters courses covering great works in literature, philosophy, theology, and politics ranging from the classical to the modern period. He has served as a dean of students, assistant headmaster, and headmaster of both Cicero Preparatory Academy and Lincoln Preparatory Academy. He has advised on curriculum in history, literature, and philosophy for Great Hearts. He and his wife Katie are raising their four children, including an incoming second grader and kindergartener at Archway Lincoln.
Over the past fifteen years, Alison Chaney has served Great Hearts Academies in a variety of roles at Great Hearts Scottsdale Prep, first as a founding faculty member and Master Teacher. She moved into school leadership in 2013, leading the Scottsdale Prep campus as Headmaster for eight years. In her current role as a Leadership Recruiter, she guides the sourcing, tracking, and hiring of new school leaders for the network’s new and existing regions. She has supported the design and coordinated the launch of the APEX course “Hiring for Mission Fit” as well as Great Hearts Supervisor 101, a supervisory training course offered for all hiring managers across the network. A lifelong musician and educator, Alison earned a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University, after completing a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree at Baylor University. She pursued an operatic singing career for several years prior to entering the field of education and sang for 15 seasons with the Grammy award-winning Phoenix Chorale, where she now serves as Vice Chair of the Board.
Dr. Amber Dyer holds the Ph.D. in literature from the University of Dallas where she passed her dissertation defense with distinction. She is a Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, where she has served on the graduate faculty of the Sue Rose Summer Institute for Teachers. She is the Headmaster of Great Hearts Irving Upper School; prior to joining Great Hearts, Dr. Dyer served as a Senior Consultant for the Cowan Academies and taught over 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students as a professor of literature and philosophy at LeTourneau University, Dallas Baptist University, and the University of Dallas, where she also served as the Assistant Dean of Students. She is the recipient of the James Sims Prize for Literature and speaks to audiences frequently on the transformational work of classical liberal education.
Andrew Duininck is a passionate, experienced leader in the education space with work encompassing professional development, curriculum design, data analysis, and school operations. He has worked in the field of education for eleven years.
Andrew graduated from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota with a degree in Elementary Education, and from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education.
Headmaster Duininck has worked with Great Hearts for a number of years and has been impactful in the establishment of four Great Hearts schools over the last nine years. He was a founding faculty member of Archway Glendale in Arizona, Monte Vista South in San Antonio, supported the opening of Great Hearts Lakeside in Fort Worth, and opened Great Hearts Arlington in 2021. Andrew has been impactful in these roles through curriculum development and alignment to state standards, professional development with employees and faculty on these campuses, with coaching and developing teachers in best practices and effective pedagogical strategies, and in data analysis and implementation of intervention strategies to support growth in both students and faculty.
Andrew is extraordinarily passionate about providing a rigorous and holistic educational environment to all student populations. He is mission-driven and fervent about providing more families the opportunity to enroll their children in a Great Hearts Academy.
Dr. Ben Mitchell is a Teacher Resource Portal Manager at Great Hearts America working with a team of authors on history curriculum. He served as the founding Headmaster of Lincoln Prep, where he taught across the curriculum and led the community for seven years. Prior to joining Great Hearts, Ben taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in areas of political philosophy and grand strategy, as well as the University of Richmond, having finished his Ph.D. and M.A. at the University of Virginia and B.A. cum laude in Classics-History-Politics with a Minor in Renaissance Studies at Colorado College. Beyond endless learning, Ben loves traveling, cooking, reading, gardening year-round in his backyard, good conversations, skiing in Flagstaff, and enjoying awesome adventures with his wife and daughters.
Ms. Jacobson is the National Senior Director of Professional Development at Great Hearts. She served as Headmaster at North Phoenix Prep for three years. Prior to that, Ms. Jacobson served as Head of Middle School, Assistant Headmaster, and Dean of Students in the Great Hearts network for eight years. She earned her Master’s degree in Biology and a Bachelor’s degree in Developmental and Cellular Biology. Additionally, Ms. Jacobson completed her Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Business School Online in March of 2022. Ms. Jacobson is passionate about child development and volunteers as a labor doula in her free time. Ms. Jacobson has two boys, a third grader, and a kindergartener, and enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening, and cooking with her family.
Debbie brings over 40 years of teaching and administration experience in K- 12 and higher education to the Ascent group. Her love of a continuous improvement mindset has become foundational with her work with her own teams and schools and with varied institutions as a consultant and speaker. Her work as a high school teacher, principal, higher education faculty member, director, and associate dean has given her rich opportunities to support continuous improvement through initiatives such as systems improvement, leading adults through change, accreditation planning, data-informed decisions, and building cultures of improvement.
Debbie’s style of work can be characterized by the term critical friend. Her relational style of coaching resonates with people and teams where her care and concern are balanced with supportive recommendations and honest feedback. Her desire is to help move teams to where they want to be and create an environment where they can and will continue to grow, improve, and see how their challenges can become opportunities.
Her involvement in education has also been marked by involvement in state and national boards and organizations, most recently serving as an ambassador and commissioner for AAQEP, Association for the Advancement of Quality in Educator Preparation, a national accreditation body. A speaker and workshop facilitator, Debbie also co-authored with Richard Sagor the book The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence: Lessons from a Transformational Leader.
Helen Hayes founded one of the first Great Hearts schools—Chandler Prep—where she served as headmaster for nine years. After that, most of her work has been in the area of hiring, training, and coaching headmasters. As Vice President of Academies, she supported nine headmasters in their work while also overseeing college counseling, special education, and academic data for the network. She then founded the Headmaster College program, which generated several generations of headmasters for the network, and has more recently coordinated our external recruitment program for school leadership. She is currently coordinating the APEX program, which aims to provide “just-in-time” professional development for deans, assistant headmasters, and headmasters who are interested in professional development, and the instructional coaching training program for the network. Ms. Hayes has a Master’s degree in Education and an MFA in poetry, both from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Yale University.
Jason has spent the last ten years in various leadership roles helping new Great Hearts schools get off the ground. Starting as a third-grade teacher at Archway North Phoenix, he moved to Texas when that state opened to help start newest Great Heart’s schools. After helping start four schools in various leadership roles over 8+ years, he and his family have moved to Florida to lead the newest wave of Great Heart’s growth.
Julia Gillingham is the incoming Director of National Professional Development at Great Hearts America. She joined Great Hearts Academies in 2008. She began in special education supporting students 6th through 12th grade. After teaching for 5 years she moved into a campus Director of Operations role and then to Assistant Headmaster. For the last 6 years, she has served as the Headmaster for Arete Preparatory Academy in Gilbert.
Neil Gillingham is headmaster for Archway Arete, a Great Hearts Academy in Gilbert, Arizona. He has worked with Great Hearts for fifteen years and has served as headmaster for nine. Neil also serves as a senior headmaster, a mentor program for other school leaders in Arizona. He holds both a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in elementary education. In his free time, Neil enjoys painting, running, and Brazilian jiu jitsu. He is married with two children.
Over the past fifteen years, Alison Chaney has served Great Hearts Academies in a variety of roles at Great Hearts Scottsdale Prep, first as a founding faculty member and Master Teacher. She moved into school leadership in 2013, leading the Scottsdale Prep campus as Headmaster for eight years. In her current role as a Leadership Recruiter, she guides the sourcing, tracking, and hiring of new school leaders for the network’s new and existing regions. She has supported the design and coordinated the launch of the APEX course “Hiring for Mission Fit” as well as Great Hearts Supervisor 101, a supervisory training course offered for all hiring managers across the network. A lifelong musician and educator, Alison earned a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University, after completing a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree at Baylor University. She pursued an operatic singing career for several years prior to entering the field of education and sang for 15 seasons with the Grammy award-winning Phoenix Chorale, where she now serves as Vice Chair of the Board.
Helen Hayes founded one of the first Great Hearts schools—Chandler Prep—where she served as headmaster for nine years. After that, most of her work has been in the area of hiring, training, and coaching headmasters. As Vice President of Academies, she supported nine headmasters in their work while also overseeing college counseling, special education, and academic data for the network. She then founded the Headmaster College program, which generated several generations of headmasters for the network, and has more recently coordinated our external recruitment program for school leadership. She is currently coordinating the APEX program, which aims to provide “just-in-time” professional development for deans, assistant headmasters, and headmasters who are interested in professional development, and the instructional coaching training program for the network. Ms. Hayes has a Master’s degree in Education and an MFA in poetry, both from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Yale University.
Dr. Paul Weinhold directs the APEX Program. For the past twenty years, he has been a teacher and leader in the classical education movement. Cultivating the art of dialogue through friendship and Great Books is what originally drew him to classical education, and that initial spark has grown into a love for creating organizational health through teamwork and collaboration. He has served in numerous teaching and administrative roles, including Headmaster at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy for four years. He currently serves as Director of Continuing Education for Great Hearts Academies, where he leads the national network of teachers in their pursuit of personal and professional development. Dr. Weinhold also directs the Academy for Classical Teachers, an online intellectual enrichment program designed to deepen teachers’ pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Andreea Balan is the APEX Program Manager. Originally from Romania, Andreea moved to the U.S. in 2000 to attend Culver Academies in IN. An alumna of St. John’s College and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Andreea has over ten years of experience working as a teacher. A former youth director, Andreea was a high school English and humanities teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in both classical charter and public schools. Andreea joined Great Hearts in 2021 to collaborate on and manage the APEX Program under Rob Jackson. In addition to her service to Great Hearts, she is enrolled in the IPS, the doctoral program at the University of Dallas, with a concentration in Literature.
Andreea Balan is the APEX Program Manager. Originally from Romania, Andreea moved to the U.S. in 2000 to attend Culver Academies in IN. An alumna of St. John’s College and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Andreea has over ten years of experience working as a teacher. A former youth director, Andreea was a high school English and humanities teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in both classical charter and public schools. Andreea joined Great Hearts in 2021 to collaborate on and manage the APEX Program under Rob Jackson. In addition to her service to Great Hearts, she is enrolled in the IPS, the doctoral program at the University of Dallas, with a concentration in Literature.
Over the past fifteen years, Alison Chaney has served Great Hearts Academies in a variety of roles at Great Hearts 
Dr. Amber Dyer holds the Ph.D. in literature from the University of Dallas where she passed her dissertation defense with distinction. She is a Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, where she has served on the graduate faculty of the Sue Rose Summer Institute for Teachers. 
Andrew Duininck is a passionate, experienced leader in the education space with work encompassing professional development, curriculum design, data analysis, and school operations. He has worked in the field of education for eleven years.
Dr. Ben Mitchell is a Teacher Resource Portal Manager at 
Helen Hayes founded one of the first Great Hearts schools—
Jason has spent the last ten years in various leadership roles helping new Great Hearts schools get off the ground. Starting as a third-grade teacher at Archway North Phoenix, he moved to Texas when that state opened to help start newest Great Heart’s schools. After helping start four schools in various leadership roles over 8+ years, he and his family have moved to Florida to lead the newest wave of Great Heart’s growth.
Julia Gillingham is the incoming Director of National Professional Development at Great Hearts America. She joined Great Hearts Academies in 2008. She began in special education supporting students 6th through 12th grade. After teaching for 5 years she moved into a campus Director of Operations role and then to Assistant Headmaster. For the last 6 years, she has served as the Headmaster for 
Neil Gillingham is headmaster for 
Dr. Nicolas McAfee is a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at the