Our Faculty & Staff

Administration & Administrative Support

Ms. Leslie Draper Executive Director

Bio

Leslie Draper has dedicated her career to working with children and strengthening communities through education. As the founding leader of Inspire Academy, she is deeply committed to empowering students to become self-accountable learners and confident achievers through project-based learning, meaningful presentations, and authentic work that contributes to a more just society.

A creative, “outside-the-desk” thinker, Leslie strives to model the curiosity, integrity, and high expectations she hopes to see throughout the school. She believes all families deserve meaningful choices in education and founded Inspire Academy to meet this need within the Muncie community.

Leslie is known for inspiring others to pursue excellence and work together toward a shared mission. A proud resident of South Central Muncie, she is an active member and leader at Urban Light Community Church and views education as a vital part of holistic community development and local investment.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies, Taylor University
Master's Degree in Education Administration, Ball State University

Certifications

Professional Educator’s License in English Language Arts for 5th-12th Grade and in Building Level Administration for PK-12

Mr. Bryan Hair Principal

Bio

Mr. Bryan is committed to fostering a student-centered environment at Inspire.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education
Master's Degree in K-12 Building Leadership

Experience

Assistant Principal, Behavioral Specialist, and Special Eduction Coordinator

Mr. Jeff Clark Assistant Principal

Bio

Mr. Clark describes himself as firm, fair, and consistent. With his experience in education administration for the past fifteen plus years, Mr.Clark sets clear expectations and boundaries when building his relationship with our students. If you visit his office, you’ll see the visual diagram on the wall used to help identify the root cause of student feelings and behaviors that initially present as anger. Mr.Clark also allows students to take the lead with conversations when they are ready to talk, and this approach helps our students process their thoughts and feelings to resolve conflicts and reach solutions.

Outside of Inspire, Mr. Clark collects non-traditional pets including snakes and spiders. Inside of his office, he also has his pet cockroaches secured in their habitat.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's - education, Master's (in progress) - education administration and supervision

Experience

Assistant principal, school safety specialist, social studies teacher

Ms. Ana Maric Financial Manager

Bio

Ms. Ana focuses on strategic planning and finances to support Inspire's goal of producing curious and adventurous learners.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree from Ball State University
Master's Degree in Business Administration, concentration in Finance, from Purdue University Global

Experience

Healthcare Finance

Ms. Holly Solomon Senior Administrative Assistant

Bio

Ms.Holly has served Inspire Academy in several different roles over the years; currently, Holly is our rockstar receptionist. She is the go-to guru for our team for many things with her wide range of knowledge. Holly builds personal relationships with our students to support them on both their good and bad days and our students respect Holly as a confidant and trusted adult within our school.

When Holly’s not at Inspire Academy, you can find her spending time with her two young grand babies, or playing bingo with her dad for the chance to win some cash!

Education/Experience

Coming soon.

Instruction & Instructional Support

Ms. Alicia Jackson Kindergarten Crew Leader

Bio

Ms. Alicia is our Kindergarten crew leader. She has prior teaching experience in the private school setting in Honduras and has also homeschooled her own daughter. Through these experiences, Ms. Alicia fully understands that students have unique and individual learning styles, so she accommodates her lessons to assure there are opportunities for all of her students to learn and succeed. Ms. Alicia’s approach to learning is very hands-on and she utilizes the curriculum to create experiences for the students outside of the traditional textbook. She accepts our students for their individuality at such a young age and builds a sense of safety and stability that children yearn for when they transition into school.

Ms. Alicia was born and raised in Honduras. She is bilingual in Spanish and English and translates for the courts in both Jay and Blackford counties. She enjoys reading, gardening, music, and spending quality time with her family.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from UNAH (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras)

Experience
Kindergarten Teacher, Inspire

Ms. Riley Burrows 1st Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Self-motivated and adaptive, Ms. Riley is excited to dive into her career at Inspire Academy and serve our students with learning experiences that inspire and engage.

Education/Experience

Education

Ball State University, Muncie, IN - Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood Education

Experience

Summer Advantage Teacher
Daycare Teacher
Substitute Teacher

Ms. Elizabeth Strausburg 2nd Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Coming Soon...

Education/Experience

Coming Soon...

Ms. Sarah Helber 3rd Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Ms.Sarah has taught elementary grades for multiple years at Inspire Academy. She has direct experience with dyslexia as an interventionist in previous roles prior to her tenure at Inspire Academy. Her focus is on the whole child view and she meets students at the level they are at to outline next steps for continued growth and success. Ms. Sarah understands that a child’s progress may not be linear and she celebrates forward momentum with her students, even when setbacks may occur.

Ms. Sarah is a mom of two who enjoys getting outside and playing with her children both at home and in her role as an educator at Inspire. She implements the “outside the desk” thinking that is embedded in our school model.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Christian Ministries & Elementary Education, Anderson University
Master's Degree in Special Education from Ball State University

Experience

Working with students who have dyslexia.

Ms. Haley Miller 4th Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Ms. Haley uses different teaching styles to reach all kinds of learners. Whether it’s hands-on activities for kinesthetic learners, discussions for auditory learners, or visuals for those who learn best by seeing.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies, Western Governors University

Experience

E-4, Intelligence Analyst United States Navy Reserves
Civil Air Patrol Teacher Anderson Preparatory Academy-Anderson, IN

Mr. Tate Eastburn 5th Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Bio coming soon..

Education/Experience

Coming soon...

Ms. Megan Byard 6th Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Ms. Megan received a fellowship at the Indiana Writing Project’s Invitational Summer Institute and presented at the Indiana Teachers of Writing Conference in 2024.

Education/Experience

Education

Ball State University/ Bachelor of Arts in English, Graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors; Spanish minor

Experience

High School English Teacher, Delcom Schools
Middle and High School English Teacher, Jay School Corporation

Mr. Andrew Tunnell 7th Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Bio coming soon.

Education/Experience

Coming soon...

Ms. Misty White 8th Grade Crew Leader

Bio

Ms. Misty enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and 2 children.

Education/Experience

Education

Dual Master's Degrees in Management & Leadership and Curriculum Instruction, WGU

Experience

Afterschool Teacher, Inspire's I ASK Tutoring Program

Mr. Harry Pickett Art • PE • Athletic Director

Bio

Mr. Harry has been with Inspire Academy since 2015. His personal teaching philosophy is to never say “I can't," no matter how hard things may get because “can’t” creates additional barriers. He believes in leading by example with actions instead of words. Mr. Harry connects with our student body with his candid, honest, and fun loving demeanor. He’s also devoted countless hours coaching sports at Inspire for 11 seasons (and counting!) and takes pride in developing young athletes to achieve excellence both in and out of the classroom.

He is a superhero fanatic and enjoys teaching students how to draw comics when he has the time. With his artistic skills, he’s also hand painted several murals on Inspires walls and created our mascot logo.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelors in Education with a focus in mathematics

Experience

TA
Volleyball, Boys/Girls basketball, and Track Coach
Taught 3rd through 5th grade
Middle school math
Math Specialist
PE and Art teacher

Ms. Jerika Clemens Literacy Coach

Bio

Ms. Jerika has been with Inspire Academy for many years. She implements the Literacy Cadre program to assist our teachers with bringing in best practices and ideas into the classroom to assist students read proficiently by the end of third grade. Additionally, Ms.Jerika is the co-director of the writing center and spends time instilling confidence in our middle school students so they can successfully work with our elementary students to deepen their knowledge and love for writing. Jerika is currently working on her dyslexia specialist training which should be completed soon.

Ms.Jerika is a Muncie local and takes pride in working with our youth in the community that she grew up in to make a positive impact on their learning experience. Also, Ms. Jerika enjoys traveling and hopes to visit every AZA accredited zoo in America!

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Ball State with concentrations in Reading and State/Worldwide Connections
Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University

Awards
2022 Inspiring Educator Award

Ms. Sidney Cain Interventionist

Bio

Ms.Sidney is our Title I Reading Interventionist. She works closely with our students who need additional support with reading, phonics, and comprehension. Ms.Sidney also works alongside Ms.Jerika in the writing center. Prior to Ms.Sidney’s time at Inspire, she was in the classroom setting for five years. Ms. Sidney learns each child’s personality and their likes, dislikes, and quirks and utilizes those things to build a foundation that strengthens the ability to learn in her smaller group setting at Inspire Academy.

In addition to her teaching degree, Ms.Sidney has her Masters degree in other field learning experiences design and educational technology. Ms.Sidney describes her hobbies as “grandma hobbies” which includes taking care of her plants, reading, thrifting, and crocheting.

Education/Experience

Education

Western Governors University- Master of Science in Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology 2024
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana - Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with concentrations in Reading 2017- 2019

Experience

Elementary teaching (5 years)
Instructional support (1 year)

Ms. Heidi Elliott MTSS Strategist & Interventionist

Bio

Ms. Heidi is our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Interventionist. She uses her encouraging and positive energy paired with a step by step approach to learning in her small group instruction. Ms. Heidi hones in on individual student needs and involves families in the learning process to create successful student outcomes. Ms. Heidi wants to make a lasting impact on her students and feels fulfilled watching them grasp concepts and learn by going through each step

Ms. Heidi enjoys hiking trails at Indiana State Parks and reading with her extra time as she’s entered the new empty nest era of life. She also loves spending time with her family and children.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Special Education, Indiana Wesleyan University

Certifications
Trained in the Wilson Reading Program

Disability Services

Mr. Michael Cowherd Teacher of Record

Bio

Mr.Max is our Teacher of Record. He has a wide variety of experiences that have guided him to work with our students at Inspire Academy. With over twenty years of experience working for the State of Indiana advocating for those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, Mr. Max truly has a servant’s heart and empathy is at the core of his connections to our students. Mr. Max believes each child’s voice is important, and he expands on their knowledge by meeting them on their common ground of interests which allows space for communication to flow. Oftentimes, students associate Mr.Max’s style of teaching with games because he makes learning so fun.

Mr. Max is creative and knows how to sculpt, draw, and paint. He has even drawn several logos that we see in our Muncie community! He also enjoys golfing, going to the movies, and creating memorable experiences with his family.

Education/Experience

Experience

Title 1 Reading Interventionist and Literacy Coordinator for Inspire
Worked for the State of Indiana advocating for adults with physical and intellectual/ developmental disabilities

Ms. Allannah Turner Direct Service Provider

Bio

Ms. Allannah is a Music Director and Assistant Director, as well as an actor, at Muncie Civic Theater.

Education/Experience

Experience

Special Education Instructional Aide since 2020

Ms. Kristin Wiggins Direct Service Provider

Bio

Ms. Kristin is a proven educator with expertise in child development communication, and teamwork.

Education/Experience

Education

Master of Science, Special Education, Ball State
Bachelor of Science, Secondary English Education, Ball State

Experience

Registered Behavioral Technician
Home Health Aid

Certifications

Registered Behavioral Technician Certification

Ms. Angela Autry Speech Pathologist

Bio

Ms. Angela is big sports fan (Go Cubs!) and loves cheering on her son in baseball, basketball, and soccer. She loves traveling to Florida with my husband and our two boys.

Education/Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State University
Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Indiana University

Experience

12 years as a school based Speech-Language Pathologist

Ms. Vicki Bowman Occupational Therapist

Bio

Bio coming soon.

Education/Experience

Coming soon.

Our Faculty & Staff

The Heart of Inspire Academy

Administration & Administrative Support

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Instruction & Instructional Support

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Disability Services

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