New England Consortium Conference 2024

Sarah Abbott is a classical educator and student with over twenty-five years of experience teaching, training, writing, coaching, and administrating. She serves as the Head of Outreach and Teacher Training for the Consortium, which allows her to do exciting things like lead a one-of-a-kind book club in her home and conduct trainings in classical pedagogy. Sarah is a Lecturer of Classical Education at Southeastern University and an Area Representative for Classical Conversations. Since graduating her homeschooled son, Sarah now devotes her time to learning about literature and the arts to discover connections between them and culture, and ultimately to uncover what it means to be human.

Eric Cook is the President of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL). Eric has been formally associated with SCL for over a decade serving in multiple roles, including Executive Director and Board Chair. He was the Head of School at Covenant Classical in Fort Worth, TX for 13 years before joining SCL full time. Prior to Covenant, Eric was the Head of Upper School at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, VA. Eric also taught and served in leadership at several public schools.

Eric earned a bachelor’s degree from Transylvania University, and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. He is currently working on an EdS in Classical School Leadership from Gordon College.

Eric has taught a myriad of subjects from philosophy to thesis. He consults with schools and coaches leaders in a variety of contexts. He speaks and presents at conferences around the country. Eric and his wife, Liz, have six children. They live in Richmond, Virginia, home of the SCL headquarters.

Jenifer Devereux lives in Connecticut with her awesome husband and a ridiculous dog. She has been in classical education for over twenty years, having homeschooled and launched her two adult daughters. Jenifer is a Latin apprentice in Circe’s Tirocinium Latinum program. An Oregon native and retired military spouse, Jenifer spends her free time reading, quilting, and camping as much as possible.

Alexandra Gonzalez is a CiRCE certified classical educator. In 2018, she started the St. John Chrysostom House of Humanities in Westford, MA where she cooks up a concoction of learning for homeschool students grades 9 – 12, from Great Books, history, and Lost Tools of Writing, to Plato, Latin, and the Four Loves. It is truly her dream job. Alex also directs Shakespeare plays for children ages 6 to 18, and has written and directed several of her own original plays. Alex and her husband, Roberto, have three teenagers, the eldest of whom is in her first year at Hillsdale College.

Juliana Schneider Joyce has worked within public schools for over twenty years, most recently as an elementary school principal. Seeking a more integrated life, she finds herself looking beyond the limits of public education. Drawing inspiration from her Orthodox Christian Faith, her family, the past Great Thinkers and the many people she is meeting on this classical journey, she is working toward starting a classical school. She is currently in her second year of CIRCE’s 3-year Apprenticeship, and though she thought she would be studying Classical Education, she has quickly learned that in fact she is learning how to become a better person. She is delving into all the books she wished she read years ago, learning the importance of form in her writing, and is enjoying meeting others who are challenging her in ways she never expected. Most importantly, she is watching the silos begin to merge toward a more integrated and meaningful life.

Timothy Knotts is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four protégés. He is the author of Reasoning Together: Philosophy, a soon to be released high school introduction to philosophy, and is occasionally published on the CiRCE and Kepler blogs. Timothy is a Lead Curriculum Developer for Classical Conversations, a CiRCE Institute certified master teacher, a recovering attorney, an amateur poet, and lover of the beautiful.

Josh Mayo is chair and associate professor of English at Grove City College, where he teaches British literature, composition, and the “Good Books” (feel free to ask him about this favorite term). He and his wife Bethany, along with their five children—Ezra, Silas, Ainley, Zoe Claire and Finn—live in Western Pennsylvania (in a technical sense). But for most of the year, Josh’s soul dwells in a little fishing village in Maine called “New Harbor.” Additional relevant notes: he feels inspired by Beowulf, confused by Flannery O’Connor, and elated by Dickens.

Scott Postma lives in the panhandle of Idaho with his bride of 31 years where he serves as the president of Kepler Education—an online consortium of independent classical educators—slowly writes on his doctoral dissertation, and practices the ancient art of Tsundoku. He served as a minister for 20 years, has been an educator for nearly 30 years, and he and his wife homeschooled their four adult children. Scott blogs at scottpostma.net.

Heatherly Sylvia is passionate about the Word and words; her love of literature, language, and classical pedagogy is contagious. A passionate speaker, teacher, and mentor, she has a reputation for making difficult concepts approachable and practical. Heatherly is co-founder of the Classical Learning Consortium for New England (now NECCE) and lives with her husband and two children in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.