As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative (BHSC) is governed by a board of directors consisting of the following individuals:
Jennifer Hartenburg (Co-Founder & Board Chair) earned a BA in English and an MA in education from Biola University where she remains a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College. Jen began teaching literature and writing in 1997 and helped pilot an interactive online program for high school students through Biola University beginning in 2000. She has been offering summer writing camps and classes in the Houston area since 2015, and she is also an Accomplished Instructor with the Institute for Excellence in Writing. A published writer, her poetry and creative non-fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in literary journals including Rattle: Poets Respond, Weber—The Contemporary West, The Saint Katherine Review, The Other Journal, Dappled Things, and The Christian Century.
Alisa Sikora (Board Vice Chair) earned a BA in humanities from Biola University and has a teaching credential in secondary education. She is a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College, and she is a mother to three. With decades of experience teaching in public, private, and homeschool settings, Alisa currently teaches math and science at The Saint Constantine School in Houston.
Natasha Estes (Co-Founder & Board Treasurer) trained and worked as a professional tailor making custom clothing for several years before opening her own business, Morton Street Tailor, in Richmond, Texas, which she operated for five years before becoming a mother and beginning her homeschooling journey. She now enjoys teaching handicrafts at BHSC where she helps guide students in developing skills in areas such as sewing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, macramé, weaving, working with clay, and wood burning.
Dr. Gary Hartenburg (Board Secretary) earned BA in biblical studies and theology from Moody Bible Institute, an MA in philosophy of religion and ethics from Biola University, and a PhD in philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. He is an associate professor and the director of the Honors College at Houston Christian University, and he serves as visiting faculty for Summit Ministries in Colorado. Dr. Hartenburg teaches tuition-free classes at BHSC including Logic 1, Logic, 2, and Inklings & Classics, a three-year rotation of integrated humanities reading-and-discussion-based classes.
Rev. Andrew Ferguson (Board Director) is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Comunidad Cristiana Church of Yakima in Washington and a seasoned entrepreneur. He earned a BA from Pacific Union College with continuing education in Small Business Management. He has over thirty-five years experience in business development nurturing small-cap startups and helping to bring new products to market.
Dr. Bethany Getz (Board Director) earned a PhD in English from Baylor University and has a diverse background in teaching writing, literature, and integrated humanities. She has had the privilege of working with graduate and undergraduate students as a professor at several different colleges and now with high school students at Escondido Charter High School in California. In addition to teaching, Dr. Getz is an author as well as a mom to four children. She has experience both with homeschooling independently as well as homeschooling through hybrid models similar to BHSC.
Kathryn Jones (Board Director) has a BS in Business Accounting and a background in finance and accounting—working with a Big 4 accounting firm, small businesses, non-profit companies, and in personal finance. She is also a mom to three children and has experience both homeschooling independently and schooling through hybrid programs and charter schools. She previously lived in Houston and is now a real estate agent and enrichment teacher in California.