2012 Speaker Bios
Speaker bios are listed below in alphabetical order.
Vicki Bentley -- Vicki Bentley is the mother of eight daughters, foster mom of over 50, and grandma to 15 wonderful grandbabies (so far). Vicki has homeschooled 17 children since 1988, alongside her husband Jim, and led a local support group of over 250 families for 14 years. She has served on the executive board and convention committee of the Home Educators Association of Virginia and has addressed state and national conventions, university teacher organizations, and many mothers' groups. She is the author of My Homeschool Planner, Everyday Cooking, The Everyday Family Chore System, Home Education 101: A Mentoring Program for New Homeschoolers, High School 101: Blueprint for Success, and other homeschool and homemaking helps, and coordinates HSLDA's Toddlers to Tweens and Group Services programs. Vicki has a heart for moms, with strong practical wisdom and encouraging words. (Top)
Bernie & Linda Beall -- Bernie and Linda Beall are the founders of Great Commission Families, a local family ministry helping families to "take steps of faith toward greater involvement in the Great Commission." Prior to Great Commission Families, Bernie and Linda were on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ for 23 years. Today, a big part of their ministry is creating family friendly evangelistic outings by giving Christian heritage tours to prominent tourist sites in our area. The Bealls began homeschooling their now grown four children in 1989. Today they have five grandchildren, who all live near Charles Town, while they live in Brunswick, Maryland, not far from where Bernie grew up on his family's dairy farm. (Top)
Diane Kummer -- Diane and her husband Tom homeschooled their two children from kindergarten through 12th grade using a variety of teaching options. The Kummers' daughter completed her master's degree in government and their son earned a bachelor of arts degree in communications/public relations. After her children graduated from high school, Diane helped to develop HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School program and website. As an HSLDA High School Consultant, Diane regularly speaks throughout the country at homeschool conferences and one-day high school symposiums where she shares from her experiences and her imperfect (but real) homeschooling days!
Diane enjoys writing articles (such as regular columns for the Homeschool Enrichment magazine), brochures on high school topics, and a monthly high school newsletter filled with helpful tips. She reviews new resources and provides personal consultation to HSLDA members by giving advice on high school planning, suggesting curriculum options, lending a listening ear, and reassuring parents they are on the right track as they head into the high school years. "The joy and grace of the Lord are available, and He has provided many avenues of care and help along the way," she says.
During her homeschooling years, Diane coordinated events, activities, and support meetings for her church's 190-plus homeschooling families while developing a program that provided evaluation of credits, diplomas, and transcripts for high school families. Along with songwriters, singers, and actresses from her church, Diane was involved in two videos created by the FunnyMoms to encourage and uplift homeschooling mothers. Her love for math is evident as she continues to teach high school-level math classes for homeschooled students. (Top)
