Our journey toward opening an Acton Academy began with a desire to provide something different for our children and our community. As an entrepreneur, I knew early on that traditional homeschooling wasn't the right fit for our family. When I discovered Acton Academy, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for — not just for my family but for our entire community.
My brother, Jake, and I have always shared a passion for building and nurturing a community. For seven years, we ran a Crossfit gym together, providing a space where people could push their limits and support one another. In 2020, life shifted as our families grew, and we sold the gym to focus on our next chapters. Now, we're coming back together with a new mission: to create a learning environment that empowers children to take charge of their education, develop real-world skills, and thrive at their own pace.
We long for a community where our children could interact with other families and students, enjoy the company of peers, and gain opportunities for leadership and collaboration. We knew that what we truly needed was a fundamental shift in how we approach education. We want our children to confidently navigate the real world, uncover their talents early, and embrace frequent opportunities to try and fail. We aimed for character, leadership, and responsibility to be valued just as much as academics.
We sought an approach that deviated from the traditional model of uniform curriculum, pace, learning style, and standards for every child. At our Acton Academy, we're dedicated to giving children the freedom to explore, create, and learn in a way that aligns with their individual strengths. We're excited to bring this unique approach to education to our town and to build a community that inspires and challenges each other — just like we did with our gym, but now for the next generation.
Our permanent location is still in progress. Updates will be provided soon!
My name is Nicki Winfield. I am 36 years old. I live in Readington Twp with my husband and two girls, ages 3 and 6. I am an entrepreneur at heart. I co-owned and operated a CrossFit gym for 7 years that my brother and I built together. We sold in 2020, and I got into the world of finance. I currently own a virtual bookkeeping firm. We help small businesses manage their money. Acton will be my 3rd business endeavor and I am very much looking forward to the journey. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time outside, riding horses, and doing projects around the house.
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."
Begin a Hero’s Journey,
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
