Dr. Donna Akers
Founder and CEO, Ivy Greene Academy
Dr. Donna Akers is a lifelong educator with a deep passion for learner-driven education. A proud graduate of Pontotoc High School (Class of 1988), she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss in 1989, followed by a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction in 1997, and a Doctor of Education in 2015 — all from the University of Mississippi.
With 28 years of experience teaching in public schools, Dr. Akers has worked with hundreds of learners over the past 32 years. In that time, she became convinced that there had to be a better way to unlock each learner's potential — and she found it through learner-driven education.
Since founding Ivy Greene Academy, Dr. Akers has assembled an outstanding team of expert guides who are dedicated to helping learners thrive. Under her leadership, Ivy Greene has become a place where shy learners blossom into confident leaders, academically struggling learners rise to the top, and learners who felt stifled by traditional education discover their true potential.
Dr. Akers is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She has been married to her husband Grant for 35 years, and they have four children: Dylan, Evan, Georgia, and Rhett. Her vision for Ivy Greene Academy is to create a safe, nurturing environment where learners can find their voice, discover their calling, and change the world.
Our Pontotoc Campus
Our campus is located at 355 People's Drive, Pontotoc, MS 38863
Our Advisors
Jeff Sandefer
Co-Founder - Acton Academy
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 Sandefer
Co-Founder - Acton Academy
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."
Our Promises
We promise through Socratic guiding and experiential learning to encourage each member of our community to:
Begin a Hero’s Journey,
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Beliefs
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Economic Model
We believe self-directed, peer-to-peer learner-driven communities built by our young Heroes will deliver transformational learning at a cost all parents can afford.
About
Ivy Greene Academy provides a Christ-centered education that fosters academic excellence, spiritual growth, and a heart for service. Rooted in the belief that every learner is a unique creation of God, we cultivate their gifts and talents to prepare them for a purpose-driven life. Our vision is to develop independent, resilient leaders who choose to follow Christ.
Location
355 Peoples Drive Pontotoc Mississippi 38863
Action
© 2025 Acton Ivy Greene Academy. All rights reserved.