Board of Directors
Michael Johnson, 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, 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.
Alan Kersey, Director
Alan and his wife of 32 years, Linda, have five children, all of whom attended the Greenhouse for at least part their schooling, and they have seen the ins and outs of public, private and home-schooling. They live in Wayne and attend Crossroads Community Church (Aurora). Their oldest is married, and the youngest is in college. Alan earned a B.S in Physics from Wheaton College and an M.S. in Physics from Northern Illinois University. He served in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer on active for about 5 years and then as an intelligence officer in the reserves for 20 years while he was teaching. After leaving active duty, Alan taught mostly physics at Waubonsie Valley High School for 7 years and then at Downers Grove North High School for 24 years. He is now retired from both the Navy and teaching, and he is thankful for the opportunity to serve the Greenhouse as a board member.
David Mathues, Director
David Mathues was homeschooled K-12, starting in the mid-1980s. Today, he’s thrilled to see continued expansion of resources—such as those offered through Greenhouse—that homeschooling pioneers such as his mom could never have even imagined. He’s pleased to help grow those resources by serving on the Greenhouse Board. David graduated the University of Notre Dame Law School and is a partner at a small firm in Itasca, Illinois. He and his wife Lauren married in 2012, and they live in Bartlett with their two sons. The older has been enrolled since first grade, and the younger will be enrolling in the near future. Their family worships at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville. David enjoys backpacking, pickleball, and reading history in his (rare) free moments.
Cindy Nickell, Secretary & 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.
Kevin Weber, Treasurer & Director
Kevin has worked in financial positions throughout his 40-year career, primarily as the Controller for a mid-sized manufacturing company. He is currently the CFO of a small manufacturing firm. He is a CPA as well as a CMA and holds an MBA from DePaul University. Kevin lives in Bartlett, attends Grace Redeemer Church, loves the Lord and has served in a variety of ways including Sunday School teacher and AWANA Director at Wheaton Bible Church and as the Church Accountant for Grace Redeemer Church. He is passionate about serving on short term mission trips and has done so in a variety of locations including: the United States, Central and South America, Europe and Africa. He has 6 children, some of whom attended Greenhouse Co-School. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve the Greenhouse as a member of the board.
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.
Mark Wynsma, Director
Mark Wynsma resides in Winfield with his wife Elizabeth and their four boys. He has been employed at First Trust Advisors as an ETF Portfolio Manager since graduating from Taylor University in 2013. His degree was in Finance and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Mark and his family worship at Grace Church of DuPage in Warrenville. In his spare time, he enjoys being active playing various sports with friends and supporting his sons in their various endeavors. Mark and Elizabeth are very thankful that the Lord brought their family to Greenhouse and that he now has the opportunity to make an impact as a board member.
