Check out our incredible lineup of dynamic speakers for CHES 2025! Each one brings unmatched expertise, passion, and a heart for empowering families!
Stay connected—you won’t want to miss this!

KIRK SMITH
​EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @ ICHE
Lifelong Benefits of Homeschooling
Kirk and Joely Smith have been married since 1991. Kirk graduated from Greenville College and taught and coached for two years at the high school level before founding the House of Prayer church in Albion, IL, which he pastored for almost 25 years.
Joely graduated from the University of Southern Indiana and taught first grade for two years before the birth of their first child, after which she stayed home. ​​​​​​

LATASHA H. FIELDS
CO-FOUNDER @
Christian Home Educators Support System
The Education Battleground
Pastor Latasha H. Fields, an 18-year home educator, and parental rights advocate, co-founded Our Report Ministries & Publications in Chicago with her husband, Pastor Ronald L. Fields, II. They have four children: two homeschooled graduates, one college graduate, and one entering a trade program.
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Latasha founded CHESS and EPIC and serves as the Illinois State Coordinator for ParentalRights.org. A 1776 Unites Achiever and former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (Max Solomon) and a strong critic of public schools for undermining parental authority and promoting harmful ideologies.
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She has testified before Congress, written for the Wall Street Journal, and appeared on Fox News, Newsmax, C-SPAN, Infowars, and more.​​​​​

LANISSIR JAMES
High School Educational Specialist & Outreach Coordinator for HSLDA
High School Transcript Clinic
A homeschooling mom and leader, LaNissir has a passion to serve the home-educating community. She provides social, spiritual, academic, and supervisory support for families in local groups and encourages and equips homeschool graduates to transition into colleges, careers, and vocational schools.
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As an HSLDA high school specialist, LaNissir loves speaking to parents to encourage and support their homeschooling with empathetic, engaging, and practical wisdom. She says, “The joy of helping a family feel confident that they can homeschool is priceless.”​​​​​​​​
CEASAR LEFLORE
SENIOR PASTOR @
The Spirit of Liberty Church of God
The Good Soil Good Seed Scholarship Foundation
Rev. Ceasar I. LeFlore III is the Senior pastor at The Spirit of Liberty Church of God in Markham, Illinois. With a motto that reads, “Where worship and works come together”, their mission is to impact their community through acts of Christian love that include prayer ministry, Liberty Faith Academy Christian School, and the soon to launch “His Loving Arms Women’s Pregnancy Center.”
Reverend LeFlore is also the State Director of The Illinois Family Institute’s Public School Exit project, and the Founder and Chairman of the Good Soil Good Seed Christian Education Foundation, providing grants to launch Christian schools and scholarships for low-income families.​​​​​​


LESLEE DIRNBERGER, J.D.
Founder and President of Aspire Education
Moving Beyond Labels - The Connection Between Health and Learning
Leslee Dirnberger (‘Mama D’ to her students), is a proud Mom of 4 homeschool graduates who are all thriving as they pursue their passions. Along with teaching and mentoring her own children, Leslee has taught her passions to thousands of homeschooled teens in local classes, worldwide online classes, and academic camps since 2008.
She has also started and run numerous Co-ops, Co-Schools/Microschools, and helped to build an online homeschool program to over 30,000 families.
Leslee also began consulting with homeschool families over 9 years ago and works with families
all over the world. Leslee is passionate about homeschooling in general, but has a special passion
for “Labeled” students, student athletes, and entrepreneurial/vocational students.

DR. NIKEYA YOUNG
Best-Selling Author/Board-Certified Mental Health Coach/Speaker/Podcast Host/Entertainer
#YesYouCan: A Toolkit for Homeschooling Children with Special Needs
Dr. Nikeya Young is a Best-Selling Author, Award-Winning Speaker, Board-Certified Mental Health Coach, Certified Master Life Coach/TEDx Speaker/Keynote Speaker, Workshop Facilitator/Ordained Minister/Podcast Host, and Entertainer. Her TEDx Talk, “Let’s Normalize Homeschooling,” made her the 1st Black person to give a talk on this subject.
She is also an experienced subject matter expert for local and national media outlets (such as WGN's Daytime Chicago and News Nation, Thrive Global, NBC News, The Steve Harvey Show, and more!). ​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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DR. MARK ZUMHAGEN
FOUNDER @ Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Ater Exiting government education, is exiting the current vaccine system the next step? A Christian Analysis
Mark Zumhagen, MD, graduated from Rockford College with a B.A degree in mathematics in 1980. He then attended the University of Illinois School of Medicine at Peoria, where he graduated in 1985. He then completed his internship at McNeal Hospital Family Practice.
He soon after started working at Homefirst Health Services, a Chicago-based physician home practice, until 2010. In 2009, Dr. Zumhagen founded Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, a holistic and nutritionally based center in Orland Park, IL, where he currently practices.
Dr. Zumhagne and his wife Virginia have nine children and 24 grandchildren. When he is not working, you can find Dr. Zumhangen spending time with his family, playing piano or trombone with some local groups, reading his Bible or a history book, or re-enacting our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. ​​​​​​​​​

DINORA RUIZ
Veteran Homeschool Mom of Eight: 27 Years of Experience
Audacity To Homeschool WITHOUT A Teaching Background
Dinora Ruiz is a homeschooled mom of 8 (3 daughters and 5 sons). She has been homeschooling for the past 27 years. She has been married to her high school friend for 30 years in February.
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Her life was radically changed when, at 20 years old, she had a life-altering encounter with Jesus Christ. It was then that the scales fell from her eyes, and she saw the corruption of the systems she lived in.
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This led her to the understanding that education is a lifestyle and not a season of life. Together, with her husband and children, they have traveled to half of the United States and abroad.
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She has had the privilege of serving the homeschool community while living in Chicago as a homeschool support group leader and now as a homeschooling advocate and course creator for homeschool parent development.
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Despite not having a formal teaching background, she felt a deep conviction that God was calling her to homeschool, and she had the audacity to believe she could do it! She believes the same for you!!!​​​​​​​

DR. GALE B. FRAIZER
FOUNDER @ Daughters of Sarah International Outreach Ministries
Battling for the Souls of Our Children
Dr. Gale B. Frazier has an extensive background in various facets of construction management, engineering, and education and is a certified clinical trauma professional, ordained minister, and author.
As a conference speaker, entrepreneur, and consultant with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Frazier has presented to both national and international audiences, providing consultation on various projects and topics.​​​​​​

Rachel Mikottis
Director: Free Haven Forest School
"Creating Future Leaders: The Transformative Power of Forest School Education"
I'm Rachel Mikottis, founder and director of Free Haven Forest School. I was homeschooled until college at 16 to become a teacher.
I was forced to coerce and bully little kids into doing worksheets that weren't developmentally appropriate and restrictions on outdoor play. This convinced me that traditional schooling wasn't effective for learning.
After five years, I helped my church start a daycare and preschool, refining my philosophy to focus on respecting children.
During COVID-19, I studied Forest School for safe outdoor learning and loved its impact on students. Unable to find an outdoor school job, I founded Free Haven Forest School in 2021 to promote leadership through outdoor experiences.
In 2020, I became certified as a Forest School Teacher and Director through the Forest School Teacher Institute and am pursuing an MSEd in Outdoor Education.
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