Our Team
Megan Duke
Head of School
Megan has been married to Zach for 13 years and together they have 5 beautiful children (4 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
6th Grade
Lydia studied Psychology and Education at Liberty University. She has worked in education for 10 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 Tutor
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 third year teaching at ILA and she is looking forward to a fantastic year!
Arika Tackett
Kindergarten Tutor
Arika has been married to Kevin for 8 years and together they have 2 beautiful kids, Rorie (6) and River (4). They moved back to Indianapolis a couple years ago after living in Tennessee for 5 years. She studied Kinesiology at Anderson University and has a passion to work with children. Arika believes that ILA offers her children opportunities that her family has been unable to find anywhere else in Indianapolis. This will be her first year apart of the Indiana Leadership Academy staff, teaching kindergarten. Arika feels honored to shine Christ’s light in the classroom and guide her students with love and purpose. She can’t wait to meet her new students this coming year!
Michelle Prow
Second Grade Tutor
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!
Katie Anne Lothe
3rd and 4th Grade Tutor
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
Administrative Assistant
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 4. She loves to spend her time serving, writing and reading.