Dr. Duke Pesta

Executive Director

Dr. Duke Pesta is the Executive Director of FreedomProject Academy, host of the Dr. Duke Show, and a tenured professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He is one of the country’s foremost authorities on critical race theory, the dangers of Common Core, and the federal takeover of education, having delivered more than 1,000 talks in 48 states.

Mr. Michael Menzel

Dir. of Operations & Media

Mr. Menzel is Director of Operations & Media at FreedomProject Academy where he has worked since the school’s inception. Mike has spent 20 years in video and television production. He has produced more than 1,000 hours of live television for ABC and earned five national awards for excellence. Under Mike’s leadership FreedomProject Media has amassed more than 100 million views.

Mr. Dave Harper

Principal

Mr. Harper earned his Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2002 at Marian University and his Educational Specialist Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in August of 2018. He has worked in suburban, rural, and online public schools in both Florida and Wisconsin for the past 25 years.

Ms. Nakayla Graham

Admin Asst./Asst. Producer

Ms. Graham earned her Bachelor’s degree in Christian Education at Heartland Baptist Bible College. She has a passion for teaching and a desire to travel worldwide.

Mrs. Bobbi Leitsch

Registrar/Academic Advisor

Mrs. Leitsch attended Elgin Community College and John Brown University. She has an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education and over 25 years of Administrative experience. She is our school Registrar and an Academic Advisor, working personally with families to make sure they are ready for the first day of classes and throughout the school year.

Mrs. Mary Lou Lindner

Admin. Assistant 

Mrs. Lindner brings over 15 years of administrative experience to FPA. She has returned to Appleton, after 35 years to be near her extended family.

Mrs. Nancy Henn

Academic Advisor

Mrs. Henn earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She taught in several Wisconsin public school settings from 1994 – 2004. She dedicated the next 13 years of her professional career to the brain training company, LearningRx.

Mrs. Cindy Kempen

Academic Advisor

Mrs. Kempen earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She has been involved in Christian education in various capacities in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for more than 45 years.

Mrs. Katie Craig

Academic Advisor

Mrs. Craig graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. During college, she worked at Abeka Academy with the homeschooling program. She has taught in grades ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade, as well as early childhood.

Mrs. Emily Gomez

Academic Advisor

Mrs. Gomez graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and with a minor in Math. She has a lifelong love of learning and a desire to impart that to all students. “No subject is too complicated that if properly taught cannot be understood and even enjoyed.”

Mrs. Katie Petrick

Academic Advisor

Mrs. Petrick has earned baccalaureate degrees in political science, communication, and secondary education: broad field social science. While completing a master’s degree in political science at Northern Illinois University, Katie taught undergraduate courses in American government and political statistics.

Mrs. Katie Scholl

Creative Director / Webmaster

Mrs. Scholl has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from UW Oshkosh. With 15+ years of experience, she upholds the standard of design and consistency across the brand and web. At FPA, she establishes the overall creative direction and provides guidance, inspiration, and feedback to ensure the team creates top-notch graphics, web projects and campaigns.

Mr. Ben Jenkins

Web/Digital Producer

Mr. Jenkins has a Bachelor of Science in Interactive Media from Cedarville University. He creates video content for the school and studio as well as aids in the maintenance of our online platforms.

Mr. Dan Kahler

Web/Graphic Designer

Dan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Communications from UW Oshkosh, coupled with over 15 years of experience in the field. His expertise spans across various mediums, from creating designs for media graphics and articles, print media, and websites.

Dan’s great eye for design also helps him create email designs for both the Academy and the Media divisions. In his free time, Dan likes to spend time with his son, going on walks, exploring local coffee shops, and immersing himself in the pages of a good book.

Mrs. Kaylyn Davis

Web/Graphic Designer

Mrs. Davis is a graphic designer. She has a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University Idaho (BYU-I) in Communications, where she focused on Visual Media Design & Video Production. Organizing the FPA curriculum into fun designed layouts is her forte. Her 2 adorable dogs also love joining her at the office some days. In her free time, she enjoys DIY home projects, exploring, art, singing, and musical theater. Kaylyn also teaches a weekly preschool age sunday school class at her church. 

Mr. David Heup

Technology Director

Mr. Heup has a Master’s of Education in Instructional Technology. He is adept at taking the confusing world of technology and simplifying it to make it easy to understand and use.

Mr. Alex Basiliere

Technology Support Specialist

Mr. Basiliere earned an Associate’s of Applied Science in Network System Administration from Fox Valley Technical College. He is currently enrolled to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Information Communication Technology from University of Wisconsin Stout. He enjoys learning and troubleshooting technologies and helping others learn technology in a friendly and simple setting.

Mr. Jim Krause

Tech Support / Academic Advisor

Mr. Krause graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education. He taught for 9 years in Wisconsin public schools from 2011-2021. Being a former homeschooler, he enjoys working with families in their pursuit of a Classical Judeo-Christian education.

Mr. Jeff Bujanowski

Media Producer

Mr. Bujanowski serves as producer for FreedomProject. He is an electronic media graduate from UW-Green Bay and has over 15 years of production experience.

Mrs. Cary Rabideau

Accountant

Mrs. Rabideau, CPA, has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and MIS from UW Oshkosh. She also has her CPA certification from the State of Wisconsin.