Manfred Smith, Principal Director

Manfred is an award-winning, retired Maryland public school teacher with 38 years of experience in the field of education. In 1984, along with Barbara Klein, he established The Learning Community International and was its Executive Director for two decades. A contemporary of John Holt, he founded the Maryland Home Education Association in 1980, led the struggle for homeschooling, and was instrumental in formulating the current Maryland home education laws. A trained Theory of Constraints facilitator, he is passionate about training parents in these and other powerful thinking tools. Manfred is the father of three children, all of whom graduated from TLCI.

Nancy Stempel, Associate Director

Nancy has been a long-time educational consultant, High School Director for The Learning Community International and supervises TLCI's International Division. She has been involved with home and community based education for over 25 years, and has successfully educated her three children — all graduates of TLCI — through high school. Nancy participated in the development of TLCI's Living Curriculum™ — a tailored individualized learning plan — and has organized and conducted seminar and conference workshops. Nancy's passion for alternative learning, and the learning tools that best support it, has led her to join Manfred's efforts to empower learners through carefully selected thinking tools.

Jean Aseff, Mentor Program Director

Jean has been a consultant for The Learning Community International for over six years. Her experience spans an eclectic range of successes including managing hospital mergers, critical care & emergency medicine training programs, transplant & flight trauma programs, Middle & High School Robotics and Career Shadowing programs, professional continuing education courses, medical/legal case review, and currently as Director of the TLCI Mentor program. She has enjoyed initiating and designing programs throughout her careers in hospital administration, education of health care professionals, and developing TLCI's Mentor Program. Critical in the development of an educational philosophy has been her eight years of advocacy work with gifted students with learning disabilities.