I’m Donna Akers, the founder and CEO of Ivy Greene Academy, but more than anything, I’m a lifelong learner who cares deeply about children and how they learn. I grew up right here in Pontotoc and graduated from Pontotoc High School in 1986. I went on to Ole Miss, earning my Bachelor’s in 1989, my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction in 1997, and my Doctor of Education in 2015. Every degree, every classroom, every experience shaped the educator I’ve become.

After 28 years in public education, I reached a moment of truth. Rhett, my youngest, was a second grader, and I realized that he needed something from school that he wasn’t getting. He needed the environment to spread his wings and become the independent leader that I knew he could be. So, I started looking for an educational option that would truly help him grow, not squeeze him into a one-size-fits-all approach. That search led me to Acton Academy, and it was like the clouds parted and the sun touched my face! It was exactly the kind of environment I had always believed children needed: learner-driven, purposeful, challenging, and full of joy.

In that moment, I realized something important. God had been preparing me for this work for decades. Every degree, every classroom, every learner, and every challenge was pointing me toward this calling. I knew it was time to step out in faith, retire from public education, and open the kind of school I wished my own children - and so many others - had always had.

That’s how Ivy Greene Academy began.

Since opening Ivy Greene, I’ve been blessed with an incredible team of guides who pour their hearts into helping learners grow. I’ve watched shy children find their courage, those who once struggled rise to the top, and learners who felt stifled finally come alive with purpose. Seeing these transformations reminds me every day why this work matters.

My faith and my family are the center of my life. Grant and I have been married for 35 years, and we’ve raised four wonderful children - Dylan, Evan, Georgia, and Rhett. We recently welcomed a daughter-in-law, Maddy and then our precious first grandchild Colter to the family. They inspire me to keep building a school that feels safe, nurturing, challenging, and full of hope.

I truly believe Ivy Greene Academy is my mission, my ministry, and my calling. My vision is simple. I want Ivy Greene to be a place where children feel loved and seen, where they discover their voice, their gifts, and their purpose, and where they grow into young people who are ready to change the world.