Our Team
Megan Duke
Head of School
Megan has been married to Zach for 12 years and together they have 5 beautiful children (3 that attend ILA). In 2020, Zach and Megan founded the Indiana Leadership Academy out of a love to see the community and families transformed and empowered for the glory of God. The Duke family has long roots in this community and a deep desire to see it flourish for generations to come.
Megan received a full-ride scholarship to Liberty University and served on it’s premier ministry team for 4 years. Along with being the Head of School at ILA, she is also a Christian music recording artist and worship leader. Megan is especially passionate about making disciples and helping people walk in their true identity in Christ! One of her favorite verses is Galatians 6:9- “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up!”
Lydia Mansour - Head Tutor
5th Grade
Lydia studied Psychology and Education at Liberty University. She has worked in education for 9 years and has a passion to work with children. In her own words, Lydia says ILA has been the greatest experience. “It is so family-oriented and I love that I get to work with families who are passionate about working with me to help their children learn and grow personally, spiritually, and academically. It brings me so much joy! I absolutely love what I do and being a part of the ILA community!”
Lydia is happily married to her husband Naser and they enjoy traveling the world together and spending quality time with family and friends!
Julie Kelly
Pre-K
Julie lives in Center Grove with her husband, Kip. They have 2 daughters (24 and 26) a son (20). She earned a degree in elementary education from Ball State University. She especially enjoys working with preschool and kindergarten, which she has done for 15 years (with time off to raise her children). Julie and Kip are involved with Emmanuel Church in Greenwood where they are co-leaders of their small group. Julie’s favorite times are spent with family and the family dogs. This will be her second year teaching at ILA and she is looking forward to a fantastic year!
Jess Trotter
Kindergarten
Jess and her husband, Adam, are originally from Saint Louis, MO. They moved to Indy in 2011 for Adam’s job as the worship pastor at Stones Crossing Church and have been here ever since. Jess graduated from Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, MO with a business degree in 2009. She then went on to work for Special School District of Saint Louis where she became a behavioral therapist and helped mainstream kids into the classroom and assisted them in their core subjects. After moving to Indy, Jess became a stay at home mom and has been homeschooling their 3 children, Tenley (12), Jett (10), and Beckett (8) for 8 years. Jess enjoys spending time with her family, going to the lake and early morning sunrises. She is looking forward to getting back into the classroom and also walking alongside parents to help their child thrive spiritually and academically.
Mandi Wilkerson
Kindergarten
Mandi lives with her husband, Andrew, in Franklin, Indiana. They have four children, Abigayle (14), Alyse (13), Arie (10), and Asher (7). They are active members at Stones Crossing Church where Andrew serves as an elder, and Mandi serves in the student ministry. Mandi earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Indiana State University and her master’s degree in education at Indiana Wesleyan University. She taught for 8 years in Paoli, Indiana from 2004-2013. After moving to the Greenwood/Franklin area in 2013, Andrew and Mandi followed the Lord’s calling for their family to homeschool. Mandi has been homeschooling her children for the past 10 years. Andrew and Mandi are passionate about marriage, family, and student ministry. They serve as the Directors of Spiritual Growth on the Indy Genesis Volleyball Sport Board. Mandi is thrilled to partner with ILA in shepherding, nurturing, and discipling the hearts of students. She looks forward to encouraging students and parents in their academic and faith journeys. Her desire is to help equip and encourage families as they seek Christ first in their child’s education! (Matthew 6:33)
Michelle Prow
First Grade
Michelle received her elementary education degree at Indiana University. Her teaching experience has been diverse, spanning early and elementary education across Indiana, California, and Missouri in both private Christian and public school settings. Michelle was also a home educator for her youngest children, which included serving as a Classical Conversations Essentials tutor.
She is active in her small church in Nineveh, where she volunteers as the children’s director and enjoys singing with the worship team. She and her husband, Jon are proud parents of five and are nearly empty nesters.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, discovering new restaurants, embarking on adventures, and spending time with family and friends. She is also a dog lover—Rosie Cotton and Arwen (aka Rosie and Wenni) bring extra joy to her life!
Emily Aiken
2nd Grade
Emily is originally from Bloomington, IN but moved to the Greenwood area 3 years ago. Emily graduated from Taylor University in 2018 where she studied Elementary Education and Psychology. While at Taylor University, Emily was blessed with numerous teaching opportunities including teaching overseas in Mexico her senior year. Emily loves spending time outdoors with her family.
Katie Anne Lothe
3rd Grade
Katie Anne is married to Eshaan. They live in Greenwood. Katie Anne graduated from Butler University with a degree in Organizational Communication & Leadership. She has since been serving with the global mission organization, Cru. She has served with Cru in the Middle East & is now, back in Indianapolis working to share the Gospel with college students. She loves being a part of the ILA family because of the emphasis ILA has on discipling children in order to develop strong servants of God & on the partnership she has with the parents of her students!
Cindy Bauer
Director of Spiritual Development
Cindy is privileged to be a wife, mom, and grandma-and above all of those, a Daughter of the King. With an education background and a heart for people, she has been active in the Center Grove community for 30 years and a part of ILA for 3. She loves to spend her time serving, writing and reading.