Volunteer Biographies

Daniel E. Witte - Chairman, Board of Trustees

A description of Dan's background may be found by clicking here.

Dr. Larry Arnoldsen - Trustee

A well-respected leader and scholar within the alternative-education community, Dr. Larry Arnoldsen has rendered critical service to the home-educators for over twenty-five years. He began studying home education in 1958. His public service to alternative educators started because of a collaboration with John Holt in 1978.

After beginning his career as a public-school teacher, Dr. Arnoldsen worked as a junior-college instructor. He then became a consultant for 18 public school districts in Idaho. Arnoldsen earned a B.S. in History and Psychology, an M.S. in Educational Administration, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education, studying at Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, California Polytechnic University, Clark University, and Carnegie-Mellon University.

Dr. Arnoldsen subsequently became a Professor of Secondary Education at Brigham Young University. For thirty years he taught, acting most of that time as a tireless advocate of home education. He helped pioneer formal academic research and study of home education, home educators, and achievement within the home-education movement. Arnoldsen's efforts provided important intellectual support for home education in Utah and across the nation during an era when the concept was fiercely attacked by the academic and political establishment. By 1981 his efforts were already significant enough for John Holt to list him as a resource and professional ally of home education in the landmark book, Teach Your Own.

Arnoldsen conducted the nation's first university-level class on home education from 1995-98. He participated as a presenter the Utah State Conference on Home Education from 1981 to 2001, serving as Keynote Speaker in 1984. From the 1970's through the 1990's, Arnoldsen conducted or authored numerous scientific studies, academic papers, course curriculums, and journal articles and presentations concerning the nature of benefits and character of home education. He visited audiences and reporters throughout the United States and in Canada. As one quoted in numerous newspaper articles discussing alternative education, Arnoldsen put in over 500 hours in radio and television appearances to discuss home education. He advised thousands of students and families seeking to study or participate. His extensive assistance to others has been rendered as a civic service, almost entirely without any form of financial remuneration.

Dr. Arnoldsen also pioneered the cause of alternative education by serving on numerous university, college, and department committees. He acted as a Faculty Advisor to the B.Y.U. Student Education Association, participated with the Utah Council on Alternative Education (a public school entity) and assisted various private and home-education advisory boards. He has also rendered expert testimony in court concerning home education.

Dr. Arnoldsen retired as an Emeritus Professor at Brigham Young University in 1998. The following year he visited as a foreign expert to a teacher's college in China, where he lectured large numbers of Chinese students on home education and other topics. Married to Marilee Mohlman for forty-two years, Dr. Arnoldsen has ten children (the three youngest were home-educated in the unschooling tradition), and twenty-nine grandchildren. By serving as a Board Member for the Quaqua Society, Arnoldsen continues his already distinguished record of service.

Scott Hamilton-Trustee

Scott Hamilton attended public schools. The eldest of two children, he was a member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America and enjoyed playing hockey.

Scott received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Utah. He focused on Finance and Human Resource Management. His career includes seven years of work in the financial services industry. He is experienced in dealing with securities, annuities, variable insurance products, and regulatory compliance in marketing. He has passed the NASD Series 7, 24, and 66 exams.

Scott is married and has four children. As an active volunteer in his church and community, his service includes work with the Boy Scouts of America.

Nicole Marie Bastian-Selection and Audit Committees

Nicole is a volunteer consultant overseeing the design, implementation, and internal auditing of Quaqua's accounting systems, procedures, and protocols. Nicole spent most of her childhood in Washington state, where she attended public schools, played varsity tennis, and spent numerous hours practicing the piano. In addition to her current residence in Palo Alto, California, Nicole has lived in Houston and Dallas, Texas, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Phoenix, Arizona.

Nicole speaks Spanish, has employment experience as a database developer, and enjoys serving as an organist for her local church congregation. Nicole's distinguished college career includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy degree with an emphasis in Information Systems, both from Brigham Young University. Nicole taught for a year as a full-time instructor at BYU's School of Accountancy and Information Systems. She currently attends Stanford University, where she completed a Master's Degree in Statistics in June 2002. Nicole also plans to complete her Ph.D in Accounting at Stanford within the next two years.

Maile Dunlap–Selection and Fundraising Committees

Maile Dunlap sits on Quaqua’’s Selection and Fundraising Committees and is a committed advocate of educational choice and parental rights.

An African-American who currently resides in Tracy, California, Maile has a long record of personal accomplishment. As First Honors student throughout her studies at St. Elizabeth High School, in Oakland, California, Maile qualified to be a member of the National Honor Society, served on the Student Council for two years, and learned to speak French. Maile graduated from high school at age 16.

Her interests include sports of all kinds, particularly watching football and playing basketball, tennis and golf. As a National Scholar Athlete, Maile played basketball in high school and college and with a Junior Olympic Basketball team. She declined a collegiate athletic scholarship in favor of a collegiate academic scholarship.

Maile attended Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, graduating at age 20 with double majors in History and Legal Studies. She was a member of the college debate team, and ran the Cultural Diversity Admissions Team (CDAT). CDAT is a student-intern program devoted to recruiting students from all ethnic backgrounds to Claremont McKenna. Maile’’s CDAT responsibilities included outreach through telephone and college fair drives.

While attending the John F. Kennedy School of Law, Maile served as Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association. During the same time period she also worked at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom as a legal assistant. She completed her Juris Doctor in 2001 and is a member of the California Bar.

Maile is committed to service and believes in the importance of hard work, leadership, team-effort, and building the ladder of opportunity for others. She has regularly volunteered to speak to children at local high schools about higher education and society, and has actively participated in visiting local retirement homes to read to the elderly. Maile recently founded Children for the Future, a mentor program for pre-teen and teenage children. She is also involved in promoting cancer research.

Other Volunteers and Forthcoming Biographies

Quaqua has other volunteers, some of whom do not post information publically. We are constantly recruiting diverse participation and gathering additional biographies. Quaqua's volunteer pool already includes, among others: 1) a Buddhist, Vietnamese, woman doctor who lectures at Stanford University and volunteers for the Boy Scouts of America; 2) a woman with a Master's Degree in aeronautical engineering; 3) an atheist, democrat, woman professional; and 4) a Catholic single mother who graduated from Stanford University.