Michael Donnelly
Staff Attorney
Mike serves as staff attorney for member affairs in the states of Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, the District of Columbia. As director of international relations he oversees HSLDA’s support of persecuted homeschoolers in the Federal Republic of Germany and coordinates support to encourage greater freedom for homeschoolers all over the world. Mike is an adjunct professor of government at Patrick Henry College where he teaches constitutional law.
Mike received his juris doctorate from the Boston University School of Law with honors as a Paul J. Liacos Scholar. He is a member of the New Hampshire, Massachusetts and West Virginia state bars.
Before his legal career, Mike served in the United States Army, including combat service as a cavalry officer in the first Persian Gulf War. His previous experience includes founding a top-ranked internet marketing and advertising firm as well as serving in a private business consulting and legal practice.
Mike has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and is a frequent speaker and writer on the subject of homeschooling. He appears in a variety of media to talk about homeschooling. He and his wife Patty homeschool their six children and reside in West Virginia.
| Title: | A Hitlerian Legacy? Germany’s Treatment of Homeschooling | | Length: | 45-55 minutes
| Type:
| General Session
| Topic:
| Education, History, Legislative
| Audience:
| All
| Description:
| German homeschoolers are threatened with fines, jail and worse. If homeschooling is a human right, why does a civilized nation treat homeschoolers like this? What are parallel societies and why are German judges and policy makers so afraid of them? Is the German homeschool experience the edge of night for America? Could this pernicious German philosophy make its way across the Atlantic to America and re-impose the difficult early days of American homeschooling? What is HSLDA doing to support positive change for our brother and sister homeschoolers in Germany, and what can you do to help? Come hear HSLDA staff attorney for Germany and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly answer these important questions.
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| Title: | Defending the Freedom to Homeschool | | Length: | 45 minutes
| Type:
| General Session
| Topic:
| History, Legal, Legislative, Motivational, Political
| Audience:
| All
| Description:
| Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but forces are still at work to capture our children’s minds, bodies, and souls. These forces seek to erode our current freedoms and our will to preserve them. What can we do to ensure that the blessings and freedom we have to homeschool are secured for posterity? Come hear HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly answer that question.
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| Title: | For You, Dad—Leading Your Homeschool Family | | Length: | 45 minutes
| Type:
| General Session, Workshop
| Topic:
| Encouragement, Marriage, Motivational, Parenting
| Audience:
| Fathers
| Description:
| In most homeschooling families, Mom carries the biggest burden. How can Dad pull a share of the load when he is gone all day earning a living? There are so many other good works dads are asked to do—how can we influence our families as God calls us to do? Come listen to HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly, as he discusses Kingdom priorities in homeschooling and practical ideas to balance the increasing demands on your time and resources.
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| Title: | Forging Ahead—Apprenticeships in the 21st Century | | Length: | 45-55 minutes
| Type:
| General Session, Workshop
| Topic:
| Education, Motivational, Parenting, Teens
| Audience:
| All
| Description:
| College? Homeschoolers may be better prepared for it than many other college-bound teens, but that doesn’t mean they should automatically get sucked into the “college conveyor belt.” But if not college, what do we do with our bright, well-educated, well-socialized homeschooled students? And where do we find resources and apprenticeships to help guide homeschoolers through this process of vocational preparation and calling? Get practical tips and insightful advice in this talk by HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly.
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| Title: | Juggling on a Tightrope | | Length: | 50 minutes
| Type:
| General Session, Workshop
| Topic:
| Encouragement, Marriage, Motivational, Parenting, Spiritual
| Audience:
| Fathers, New Homeschoolers, Parents
| Description:
| Today’s father has precious few waking hours that are spent going in countless directions to address seemingly great causes—not least of which is family. Our children have only one earthly father and our wives but one husband. How can we best invest our most precious resource time? And where should we be investing it for eternal value? How can we properly lead our families and serve God in an increasingly demanding and busy world of sports, music, drama, church, school, support groups, homeschool co-ops, extended family responsibilities, and ministry programs? How do we know when to say yes, and more important, when to say no? Must we choose between competing priorities to be effective stewards? Come hear thoughts on answering these questions from Mike Donnelly as he shares insights gained from his experiences as a father of six and as an army officer, entrepreneur, company executive and attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association.
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| Title: | Knock, Knock! There’s a Truant Officer or Social Worker at the Door—What Are You Going to Do? | | Length: | 45 minutes
| Type:
| General Session
| Topic:
| History, Legal, Legislative, Motivational, Political
| Audience:
| All
| Description:
| There is no need to fear if you understand your rights, the law and how to manage the interaction with these government workers. They have a job to do—and so do you! Come hear HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly discuss the most frequent issues homeschoolers face when dealing with school superintendents, principals, and social workers. In this practical talk, Mike will discuss how to homeschool legally in your state and how to handle encounters with civic authorities
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| Title: | Parents’ Rights—A Crisis Is Coming | | Length: | 45 minutes
| Type:
| General Session
| Topic:
| Education, Encouragement, History, Legal, Legislative, Lobbying, Motivational, Parenting, Political, Why Homeschool
| Audience:
| All
| Description:
| In 1923, the United States Supreme Court ruled that parents have the fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children. So why are parental rights suddenly endangered? Come hear HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly discuss the next biggest threat to homeschool freedom and what you can do about it.
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| Title: | Singled Out! | | Length: | 50 minutes
| Type:
| General Session, Support Group Leaders, Workshop
| Topic:
| Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting, Political
| Audience:
| Fathers, Mothers
| Description:
| Homeschooling can be challenging even when Mom and Dad are pulling together with a common vision. How is it possible for single parents to manage these demands of providing for, protecting and educating a homeschooling family? Mike Donnelly was raised in a single-parent home and will share his research and thoughts on how hundreds of single moms and even dads are able to keep homeschooling on their own.
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| Title: | Why Homeschool? | | Length: | 45 minutes
| Type:
| General Session
| Topic:
| Why Homeschool
| Audience:
| All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers
| Description:
| Homeschooling works. Studies show that homeschooled children perform 20–30 points higher than their peers on standardized tests, and that homeschoolers are more civic-minded and socially prepared to deal with the “real world.” Homeschooling also protects children from negative cultural influences rampant in public schools. These are all valid reasons to homeschool, but there is one reason more important than any of them. Come hear more in this talk by HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly.
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If you would like to schedule Mike Donnelly as a speaker for your upcoming event, please contact him at 540-338-5600. 
Mike requests that the host pay for his travel and hotel expenses, but speaking fees are negotiable. |
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