Meet Our 2026-2027 Leadership Team
Kelly Koonce
Kelly has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 15 years and homeschools their four kids who are 9, 7, 4, and 1. Kelly is a former public school teacher turned homeschooling mom, which still surprises her to this day!
While homeschooling was never (ever!) the plan, the Lord led her to it when her oldest turned five and she hasn’t looked back since. This will be their family's sixth year homeschooling. While she has always been passionate about education, Kelly has become extremely passionate about homeschooling because she has experienced just how transformative it has been for her and her family. Now, her favorite thing to do is encourage and cheer on other homeschool parents and help families make learning a natural part of life regardless of their school choice.
LIGHT has a special place in Kelly’s heart and has been a huge part of her family’s homeschooling journey. She is honored to serve the organization as president and help it continue to grow and bless others.
Outside of LIGHT you can find Kelly reading books (mostly aloud to her kids), perusing bookstores, and enjoying copious amounts of coffee!
President
Jessica Tanner has been married to her husband for 17 years and is the proud mom of four kids in elementary and junior high. She's beginning her eighth year of homeschooling, a journey that's been filled with both challenges and joy. When she's not teaching, Jessica loves spending time around a game table; whether its a lively board game night with friends or a quick card game with family. She also enjoys crocheting , getting lost in a good mystery, or curling up with a sweet Hallmark style story. Faith and service are important parts of her life. She serves in the kids ministry at her church, stays actively involved with her daughter's American Heritage Girls troop, and leads a women's workout with FIA ( Females in Action), encouraging friendship and fitness in her community.
Jessica Tanner
Vice President
Monica McDermott
Secretary
Monica and her husband Richard have been working together to homeschool their 2 boys (5th grade and 1st grade) for the last 6 years. The passion for homeschooling really took hold of her heart when her second born arrived and learning how to care for both kids at home became a fun journey! Monica and her husband have been very involved in the children's ministry at their church for the last 5 years and really believe in serving others and giving back to community. LIGHT has been such a blessing and answer to prayer for Monica and her family and she is honored to be able to have this role in serving along side wonderful people to give back to such a great community of homeschoolers.
Monica enjoys reading, running, going on fun adventures with her kids, cooking, baking and spending time with family and friends.
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Sarah Coin
Sarah and her husband, John, moved to Katy in 2012 with every intention of enrolling their children in the local public school. Then, a serendipitous conversation with a mom at the park changed everything. They decided homeschooling was the path for their family, and are still happily educating their three kids at home.
Sarah and her family have been members of LIGHT since 2015 when her oldest was in Pre-K. Though their membership, at first, was a way to add a few extra activities to their routine, the group quickly became a beloved community through which they have found deep friendships. Sarah has served on the board as Vice President, Enrichment Director, Operations Director, and now Treasurer.
Outside of LIGHT, Sarah serves as a leader for Females in Action, a free women's fitness group. She also serves on the altar guild at her church and enjoys cross stitching.
Treasurer
Alisha is the wife of Brian and mom of three kids (13,11 & 10). Initially, she had no intentions of homeschooling but through much prayer and talking together, Alisha's husband convinced her to "just try it out". Seven years later, she's confident it was the best option after all! Alisha and her family have been a part of LIGHT since 2021. It has been great being in a community of like-minded believers to walk along with in the homeschool journey. Sometimes the days are long... But the years are very short. Alisha and her husband try to soak up all the time possible in guiding their kids to be self-sufficient humans that love the Lord and others. As a family, they enjoy playing games, riding bikes, and camping.
Alisha Tetreau
Enrichment Director
Erin and her husband, Christopher, met while students at Texas A&M, and they lived in various locations across the U.S. while in the U.S. Army before settling in the Katy area in 2012. They have two wonderful boys, ages 11 and 9, and they embarked on their homeschool journey 4 years ago after seeking to have more freedom educating their children in faith-based curriculum.
The Peels enjoy spending time in the mountains, accumulating more books than they could ever possibly read, and being fixtures at Aggie baseball games. They have been blessed to be part of LIGHT since 2023, and they are so thankful for the community of like-minded families that have welcomed this "new" homeschool family with open arms.
Erin Peel
Operations Director