Board of Directors
Donna Grinter, Secretary & Director
Donna and her husband, Tom, have two children, who attended the Rhetoric program at Greenhouse beginning in 2014. They are extremely grateful to the dedicated faculty at Greenhouse for the incredible impact they had on their children’s academic and spiritual growth. Donna is honored to serve alongside people who share a common mission to further the Christian faith through education. She received her Master of Science degree in Accounting in 2017. Having worked in this field part-time while homeschooling, she now works full-time at a non-profit organization. The Grinters attend Wheaton Bible Church, where Donna continues to be engaged in the kids and the student ministries.
Michael Johnson, Vice President & Director
Dr. Michael Johnson helped start Gospel Fellowship Church (GFC) and has served as a pastor there since 2012. In the midst of a career as a pharmacist, God called Michael to pursue pastoral ministry. Before pastoring at GFC, he served in youth ministry for five years in various roles as a volunteer, intern, and associate pastor. He is passionate about making disciples, shepherding, and preaching and teaching God’s word. Michael earned his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his Doctor of Pharmacy from North Dakota State University. He went full time with GFC in 2017. Michael and his wife Sarah have been married since 2004 and they have four children. They have been part of Greenhouse since 2017.
Laura Jones, Treasurer & Director
Laura and her husband, Jeff, have been married for 31 years and have six children, two who are married, and one grandchild. Three of their children have attended Greenhouse and are now alumni. Their daughter, Christina, currently attends Greenhouse on Wednesdays. The Jones are members of Wheaton Bible Church / Iglesia del Pueblo. Laura is a CPA who received her accounting degree at Miami University, Ohio and her MBA from Ohio State. God has led Laura, over the years, to serve in public accounting, helping in her family’s manufacturing business, higher education teaching, housing refugees and international students, and women’s Bible study leadership. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve the families of Greenhouse as a member of the Board.
Cindy Nickell, President & Director
Cindy is the Business Development Administrator, managing marketing and onboarding projects, for Efficient Capital Management, LLC. She and her husband Stan are blessed with three children, two of which attended Greenhouse and are now alumni. During her children's time at Greenhouse, Cindy taught Grammar History/Lit on Wednesdays. The Nickells live in St. Charles and attend Wheaton Bible Church. God led Cindy back to Greenhouse in 2020 in a new role as Board Member. She is thankful to serve the families of Greenhouse in this way.
Tom Spacek, Executive Director
As the co-founder and first Headmaster of Greenhouse, Tom Spacek has been championing the mission and shepherding the vision since the turn of the century! Described by some as a Renaissance man, Tom has always been a self-learner, despite not having been home-schooled himself! A graduate of Emmaus Bible College, he has been serving various congregations and ministries for over 30 years. Many believe that Tom embodies the servant leadership ideal to which we call our students. He and Jennifer have worked together at Greenhouse since its launch, during which time they have also raised their four children, the youngest of whom still attends. The Spaceks live in Wheaton, four doors away from the building, and worship at Church of the Resurrection.
Michael VanCleave, Director
Michael and his wife Tammy have four children, three of whom attend Greenhouse. Michael is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. He works at Microsoft and is responsible for workplace technologies and cybersecurity. In his spare time, Michael enjoys reading, being active and spending time outdoors as a family. He and his family live in Wheaton and worship at College Church.
Angela Wisdom, Director
The Wisdoms have been homeschooling their two sons since 2016. It’s a privilege and challenge they can’t imagine undertaking without the support and guidance of Greenhouse. Angela is a spiritual director and teacher with a master’s degree in spiritual formation and soul care from Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. For more than 25 years, she has enjoyed roles serving in corporate, church, parachurch and academic settings. Having lived in many parts of the U.S. and abroad, Angela has a special appreciation for the breadth and diversity of the Body of Christ. Angela and her husband Jeff, a philosophy professor, live in West Chicago and attend Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville.
Ken Wolgemuth, Director
Ken Wolgemuth earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature with a minor in art from Taylor University. He previously held positions in Christian literature publishing with Campus Life Magazine, Zondervan Publishing House, Creative Direction for Word Records, while serving as VP, Gospel Music Association, and Urban Ministries. As a capstone of his career, for ten years, Ken was regional director of development for Taylor University.
Married to Sharon, and blessed with 4 daughters (one of whom is a Greenhouse parent) and 7 granddaughters, Ken and his wife help their daughter and husband, Molly and Michael Bornfriend homeschool her two youngest. Ken is passionate about Greenhouse and is grateful to serve as board member.
