Chris Butler is a homeschool dad, pastor, advocate, and experienced organization builder. He and his amazing wife, Aziza, have six wonderful children. In 2016, Pastor Chris was installed as the senior leader at Chicago Embassy Church in the Englewood community of Chicago. Under his leadership, the congregation has relocated to the Hyde Park community, completed its first missional church plant, and established another campus. Chris is a strong supporter of homeschooling freedom and parental rights, and his 2022 primary campaign, in which he ran from Chicago’s South Side as a pro-life Democrat for Illinois’s first congressional district, was endorsed by the HSLDA Action PAC. Chris is also the founder of Citizen Consulting Group Inc., an organizing and communications consulting firm. Having worked across the spectrum of organizations and types of engagement, Chris often lends insight and leadership on organization building and civic engagement to elected officials, organization heads, community organizers, and other faith leaders. Pastor Chris coauthored Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement with Justin Giboney and Michael Wear.

A homeschool graduate from Pennsylvania, Will Estrada began his legal career in January 2004 as a legal assistant to HSLDA Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff. After graduating from Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy with his Juris Doctor in 2006, he moved on to direct HSLDA’s Federal Relations Department and serve as HSLDA’s federal lobbyist. Will worked as a career federal employee in the Office for Civil Rights at the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021. In November 2021, he resigned from the federal government and was selected by the board of ParentalRights.org to serve as the first full-time president of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation. In June 2023, Will decided to return to his roots at HSLDA, this time serving as a senior counsel representing HSLDA members in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. Will and his wife, Rachel (also a homeschool graduate), have two sons and live in Northern Virginia

With a head for leadership and a heart for leaders, "Dr. J" is a sought-after consultant, teacher, and coach in corporate, government, nonprofit, military, and ministry contexts. He draws from diverse personal experiences as a counselor, professor, executive, and NCAA coach to strengthen some of the best-known organizations around the globe, as well as schools, nonprofits, and individual leaders around the corner. More than three decades of surviving and inspiring organizational and personal change have cultivated his deep appreciation for what it takes to make the most of people and projects, as well as his commitment to encourage and equip those who take up the challenge. Dr. J has served in many university positions, including honors professor and chair of the Nonprofit Leadership Program at Belmont University and graduate faculty member and professor of the practice at Vanderbilt University. He has also held leadership roles in both profit and nonprofit organizations and served on numerous boards and advisory groups. Dr. J has degrees in interpersonal communication and literature from Wheaton College, in counseling psychology from Auburn University, and in higher education leadership policy from the University of Tennessee, with additional education in leadership and organizational change from Harvard University.

Richard Lorenzen is an American entrepreneur, investor, and speaker. As the founder and CEO of Fifth Avenue Brands, Richard is regularly cited as one of the most influential millennial entrepreneurs in the United States. Born in New York as the son of a journalist and an FDNY firefighter, Richard developed an interest in entrepreneurship at the age of 15 and founded what would become Fifth Avenue Brands out of his parents’ home. Inc. magazine called him one of the most inspirational entrepreneurs to watch. Richard has been featured by CNBC, Forbes, Fox News, Business Insider, AdWeek, PRWeek, Inc., Mashable, and more. He speaks frequently on entrepreneurship and policy at venues including the United Nations, TEDx, NASDAQ, and universities and corporate conferences in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Since joining HSLDA to lead the litigation team in 2001, Jim Mason has represented homeschooling families in a wide range of challenging situations and has set precedents that have expanded freedom for the homeschool community. Under Jim’s leadership, HSLDA’s 4th Amendment litigation work has changed the way three states (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico) approach social services investigations. In Wilson v Russo, HSLDA won a $700,000 settlement for our client, a single parent whose children were seized by a rogue child protective services investigator. Jim was instrumental in litigating the 2008 California case Jonathan L., in which a state appellate court reversed its previous ruling that homeschooling was illegal. This put an end to years of controversy over the legal status of homeschooling in California and set a precedent that affects other states as well. Jim became the president of HSLDA in 2022 after serving as vice president of litigation and development for seven years. He also serves as the president of HSLDA Action and chairman of ParentalRights.org and ParentalRightsFoundation.org. He and his wife Debbie live in Winchester, Virginia. They have seven children and seven grandchildren. The Masons homeschooled all of their children through high school.

Albert Cheng is an associate professor at the Department of Education Reform in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, where he teaches courses in education policy and philosophy. In addition to studying homeschooling, he is the director of the Classical Education Research Lab, a research initiative dedicated to studying the effectiveness of classical schooling and pedagogy. He is a senior fellow at Cardus and an affiliated research fellow at the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. Dr. Cheng serves on the governing board of Anthem Classical Academy and on the editorial board of the International Journal of Christianity and Education. He taught high school math at James Logan High School in Union City, California, after completing his undergraduate studies in pure mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2006. He later returned to school, receiving a master's degree in education from Biola University in 2012 and his PhD in education policy from the University of Arkansas in 2016.

Carla Fuller is an HSLDA High School Educational Specialist with 17+ years of experience in the homeschool community as a mom, teacher, and support group administrator. She earned two master's degrees from the Syracuse University College of Human Development: marriage and family therapy, and child and family studies. Carla specializes in working with children, teens, and their families, and maintains her desire to help those she serves live out God's intentions for family life. She and her husband, Charles, have two adult sons who graduated from their homeschool and are currently pursuing higher education. Carla enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, cooking, and watching or reading a good story.

Russ Hiebert served as a member of Parliament in Canada from 2004 to 2015 before returning to the private sector. During his time in office, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and later Intergovernmental Affairs. He also served on the Natural Resources, Finance, and International Trade Committees and as Canadian Chairman and Representative in the 53-nation Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He has held leadership roles in many other international associations, with speaking engagements at the European Parliament and the United Nations. He earned his law degree at the University of British Columbia and practiced as a lawyer before completing his master of business administration. He serves as a director of the Home School Legal Defence Association (Canada). Russ lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife, Andrea, and four school-age children.

Darren Jones has worked at HSLDA since 1996, first as a legal assistant and then as an attorney in various capacities. He spends his time at the office: 20% talking to members in legal difficulties, persuading them that it’s not as bad as it could be and HSLDA has got their back; 60% advising homeschool group leaders about everything from crafting statements of faith (he prefers the Nicene Creed) to designing policies to protect children at co-ops; 10% writing legal briefs (and wondering how in the world documents of 30 pages can possibly be called “brief”); 10% keeping HSLDA and its sister organizations in compliance with the charitable solicitation laws of way too many competing jurisdictions; and 100% advocating for the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children. Darren and his wife, Sara, homeschool as a team and have graduated the oldest two of their four children. He enjoys board games, teaching Sunday school, and speaking at homeschool conferences around the country.

Dr. Brian Ray is a leading international expert in research on homeschooling and president of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI). He has published numerous articles and books, is interviewed by major media, serves as an expert witness in court cases, and testifies to legislatures regarding education. He is a former university professor and public and private school classroom teacher. He holds a PhD (science education, Oregon State University), an MS (zoology, Ohio University), and a BS (biology, University of Puget Sound), and is a church leader. Brian and Betsy have been married 47 years, have eight children who were all home-educated, run a small farm, and have 23 grandchildren. Dr. Ray really enjoys wandering with Betsy, and being out in the forests and mountains and on adventures pursuing animals.

Peter Stock has served Canadian homeschooling families as president of HSLDA Canada since 2017. He also serves on the advisory board of the Pestalozzi Trust, which defends South African homeschooling families, and is chairman of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which defends the rights and freedoms of Canadians through litigation. Prior to joining HSLDA, Peter spent 22 years serving in a variety of unelected roles in Canada's Parliament. He and his wife, Tarah, have home-educated their four children.