Proud father of two boys, husband to a phenomenal wife, and the owner of Active Martial Arts, Active Afterschool, Active Summer Camp, and Active Leadership Academy. He is passionate about children and changing lives.

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved school. She grew up and became a teacher at a public school where free time was non-existent, tests were frequent, and students were pushed forward whether they mastered content or not. One day she decided she was tired of feeling like she was perpetuating a broken system she didn't believe in. She found Active Leadership Academy and became excited to work in a school with the same values and it has been a fulfilling journey!

Once upon a time there was a little girl named GiGi with an innate superpower and mission to do here on earth that would greatly impact the lives of others, especially children! To be apart of something that profoundly impacts the lives of others and contributes to a better society for the future is something so special and forever rich! Her vision was to take every experience, opportunity, and lesson whether a success or failure; and use it as guidance not just for herself but for others. She believes children deserve and are bestowed this gift of discovery in life on their own path to figure out what success means to them and how they are to get there; not by someone telling or showing them but through their own personal freedom, choices and development!

• BA Psychology
• Minor Sociology
• Montessori over 20 years experience

Kandance’s is a parent of an Eagle at our school and master at helping other parents with their journey at Active.

A 5th degree blackbelt who has been mentoring children and team members her entire life. She enjoys cooking, gardening, and spoiling grandchildren.

Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.

Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.

Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.

Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.

Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.

Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."