Meet the Team

Dr. Kelly Van Sande

Founder, CEO

Dr. Kelly Van Sande is a lifelong educator with a passion for children. She married her high school sweetheart and they have two teenage children. She is a certified teacher, principal, and school superintendent, and has served in all of those roles, including teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has more than 20 years of school leadership experience. She holds a bachelor's degree in education (B.S.), a master's in teaching and curriculum leadership (M.Ed.), a master's in business administration (MBA), and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration (Ed.D). She is also a trained Registered Behavioral Therapist and holds additional graduate certificates.

Dr. Van Sande has been recognized as a Top-50 Trailblazing Educator and has been invited to speak on topics related to educational choice, including at the Harvard Kennedy School Program on Educational Policy & Governance.

As a parent and educator, she observed the traditional school system often was not able to meet the needs of all students and she believed there had to be a way to make education come alive for students at all ability levels, from various backgrounds, and to allow students to learn in their own, meaningful way. She sought to develop a school that removed barriers to learning, allowed for acceleration and remediation, maintained very low student-teacher class sizes, and focused primarily on teacher-student relationships in order to foster a school community and culture driven by student success. She decided to open her first private school, Ignite Learning Academy, and later Ignite Achievement Academy, to accomplish these exact goals.

She looks forward to working alongside parents, students, teachers, and staff every day so we can build a thriving school community of students prepared for today, tomorrow, and the future ahead!

Nichole Peterson, MBA

VP of Operations

Nichole Peterson lives in Mesa, Arizona with her husband, 2 boys and their pug. She graduated with her B.B.A in Management Information Systems from University of New Mexico in 2005. Nichole then went on to complete her Master's degree from University of Phoenix in Business Administration with a Human Resources concentration. She has held many different positions in brick and mortar charter schools as well as online schools over the last 16 years.

A fun fact about Nichole Peterson is that she loves to be outdoors with her family! Her favorite activities include camping, hiking, swimming, and kayaking and they often take their pug along for most of these activities.

Mike Van Sande

Chief Information Officer

With over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology industry, Mike Van Sande is a seasoned executive and strategic leader known for driving technological innovation and operational excellence. Throughout his career, Mike has held various key positions, progressively advancing to the role of Chief Information Officer. He possesses a deep expertise in IT strategy, infrastructure management, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Mike has roughly a decade of education experience in both brick and mortar and online schools, including large school districts and small private schools. He enjoys finding new ways to leverage and integrate technology into the learning experience.

Mike holds a bachelor's degree in network and communication management from DeVry University and has completed various advanced certifications in IT management, cybersecurity and networking.

Nicole Kelly

Executive Assistant

Nicole Kelly is a certified paralegal with over 15 years of experience in the education system with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. Born and raised in New York, Nicole and her high school sweetheart—now her husband of 24 years— relocated to Charlotte so she could be a stay-at-home mom during the early years of their children's lives. Nicole and her husband have two children: their daughter is currently a sophomore at Chapel Hill, and their son is a junior in high school. Nicole worked for the CMS School Board as an administrator for many years and played an instrumental role in implementing new platforms designed to enhance the structure and effectiveness of board meetings. Before becoming a board administrator, Nicole worked in schools as a front office secretary and data manager. Nicole loves to cook Italian food for friends and family! Joining the Ignite team has been a blessing for Nicole and her family. She has always had a passion for volunteering and reading.

Grace Adeyemi

Course Developer

Grace Adeyemi is a course developer with a background in instructional design and digital learning. At Ignite Learning Academy, she creates engaging, accessible online courses using Rise 360, Storyline, and Canvas LMS. Grace holds a Master's degree in Learning Technologies from the University of Texas at Austin and a BSE in Elementary Education. When she's not building online learning experiences, she enjoys sewing, storytelling, and exploring new ways to blend creativity with education.

Amy Flanders

Curriculum Developer

Amy Flanders began her career in education where she dedicated 16 years to teaching middle school students in grades 6th-8th and provided tutoring for K-12 learners for the next six years. These experiences have deepened her understanding of diverse student needs and effective instructional strategies. Her academic credentials include a Master of Arts degree in General Education K-12 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Maryville College in Childhood Development and Learning with teacher licensure. In addition to tutoring, Amy also worked in curriculum development for eight years by planning and developing a wide array of materials, including lessons, videos, teacher resources, presentations, passages, test items, and digital products for edtech companies. She has contributed to the creation of over 110 curriculum products, both written and digital spanning K-12 education. For over two years, Amy has shifted to working in AI or artificial intelligence. During this time, she trained models for a client using her writing and editing skills. Also, she learned to become a trainer and trained new hires for the projects in her department. When Amy is not educating the world, creating materials, or working with AI, she can be found playing with her 13-year-old dog, watching sports, or flipping furniture.

Alana Kirtley

Curriculum Developer

Alana Kirtley received her Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Masters of Education in Secondary Mathematics from the University of West Georgia. She has over twenty years of teaching experience in the classroom and online. She currently lives in Georgia with her husband, son, her dog Phoebe and her two cats, Badger and Lolly.

Carrie Maddox, M.Ed.

Curriculum Developer

With over 20 years of instructional experience and a Master of Education in Instructional Design, Carrie applies deep expertise to enhance education across diverse student populations. Carrie is passionate about designing engaging, effective, and adaptive learning solutions that drive student performance and improve student confidence.

Amber Parker, M.Ed.

Curriculum Developer

Amber Parker lives in Kentucky with her husband. She is an experienced educator and curriculum developer who brings over 15 years of teaching and content creation expertise to our team. She holds a B.B.A from the University of Houston and a Master's of Education from the University of the People. Amber has taught grades 1–10 in both the United States and internationally. In addition to her classroom experience, Amber has designed and developed engaging K–12 curriculum and online courses. She is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that support student success. A fun fact about Amber Parker is that she loves traveling with her husband. They have traveled to over 35 countries together! In addition, she loves trying new foods and living an active lifestyle. Her favorite activities include exploring new places, cooking up new dishes, and spending time outdoors.

Billy Parker, M.A.T.

Curriculum Developer

Hailing from Kentucky, Billy brings over 20 years of experience in education to Ignite. He holds a BA in History from the University of Kentucky and earned his MAT from Marshall University. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to helping students make meaningful, real-world connections to what they learn, especially in the field of social studies. His teaching journey has taken him across the globe, with international classroom experience in multiple countries. These experiences have shaped his global perspective and continue to inspire the engaging, relevant content he develops for educators and students alike. When he's not writing or collaborating with the team, Billy enjoys traveling the world with his wife, drawing inspiration from different cultures and communities. He's also a huge college basketball fan, an avid reader, and makes sure to get in a daily walk.

Allison Powell, M.A.

Curriculum Developer

Mrs. Powell (she/her/hers) has taught every level of secondary English over her career, and she now creates curriculum for high school English. She holds two bachelor's degrees (English and German) from Arizona State University and a master's degree (English literature) from Northern Arizona University. Her master's thesis focused on using graphic novels in the Gothic literature classroom. A proud southpaw, she loves hiking with her bloodhound, fiber arts, and making marshmallows. When she's not working, Mrs. Powell can be found cheering for her daughter, a competitive swimmer, on the pool deck. Like our ILA students, Mrs. Powell is an online student, pursuing her doctorate in educational policy; her dissertation field is school attendance policy.

Fun Fact: Mrs. Powell collects vintage Bobbsey Twins books and two patterns of china.

Malabika Sarker, Ph.D.

Subject Matter Expert, Science

Dr. Malabika Sarker is a dedicated educator, researcher, and lifelong learner with a passion for creating engaging, student-centered science education. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Granada, Spain, and brings more than a decade of experience in teaching, curriculum design, and scientific research. Over her career, she has taught in U.S. public schools, private IB schools, online platforms, and universities, as well as developed curriculum for undergraduate and high school science courses. Dr. Sarker previously worked at Ignite Learning Academy from August 2020 to June 2021 as an online instructor for Math, Science, and Spanish, where she implemented dynamic virtual lessons, led science clubs, and fostered strong student engagement. She is now thrilled to return to the Ignite Education Group family as a Subject Matter Expert for Science at ILA, bringing her deep expertise in curriculum development to inspire and support both teachers and students. Her background includes authoring 16 peer-reviewed journal articles and two book chapters, securing research funding from GATES and STTR, and contributing to pioneering bioinformatics projects such as the Plasma Proteome Database and the Human Protein Reference Database. She is also a Certified Associate in Project Management and holds certifications in Chemistry and Biology for grades 7–12, as well as virtual teaching. She believes that high-quality curriculum is at the heart of student success, and that science education should ignite curiosity, foster critical thinking, and connect learning to real-world applications. As both an educator and parent, she has seen how personalized instruction, small learning communities, and strong teacher-student relationships can transform learning outcomes. At ILA, she is excited to collaborate with colleagues, students, and families to develop innovative science curricula that prepare students not just for exams, but for life in a rapidly evolving world.

Sara Sikora

Curriculum Developer

Sara Sikora has been teaching for the past eighteen years, first as a preschool teacher in the Madison School District and then as a fourth and fifth grade teacher in the Tolleson Elementary School District in Arizona. She also taught kindergarten and 4th grade online and was an assistant principal for seven years. She is early childhood endorsed and has received her Master's in Reading and Instruction from Grand Canyon University. Sara has two children, Abby and Cooper and has been married to her awesome husband, Chris for twenty-two years.