Conference 2010 Speaker Bios

Coming to the Dayton Catholic Homeschool Conference 2010, an exciting line-up of speakers!

Danielle Bean

Danielle Bean, a mother of eight, is Editorial Director of Faith & Family. She is also author of My Cup of Tea: Musings of a Catholic Mom (Pauline 2005) and Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living (Pauline 2007).  Her blog is a source of inspiration, encouragement, and support of Catholic women of all ages and life stages

 .

Regina Doman

Regina grew up in a large family in Collegeville, Pennsylvania .  She began telling stories almost soon as she could talk, and she began writing stories by the time she was five.  Having a strong interest in scriptwriting, she attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio from 1988-1992, and graduated with a BA in Communications, concentrating on Television Production, with a minor in Theatre Arts. She lived in New York City and worked as assistant editor of Lay Witness magazine from 1992-1994, and wrote columns and articles for various publications, including a comic strip for YOU! magazine. In 1994 she married her husband, Andrew.  She published her first novel for teenagers in 1997: Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale, republished in paperback in 2002 under the title The Shadow of the Bear. Three sequels followed: Black as Night in 2004, Waking Rose in 2007, and The Midnight Dancers in 2008.  Regina is currently working on the fifth fairy tale novel.  Her picture book for children, Angel in the Waters, has sold over 100,000 copies.  She is the creator and managing editor of the teenage John Paul 2 High series whose first title, Catholic, Reluctantly was released in March 2008 with the sequel, Trespasses Against Us, published the following year.  The third book in the series is scheduled to debut in 2010.  With her husband Andrew, Regina reviews and edits fiction manuscripts for Sophia Institute Press in an effort to develop their line of Catholic fiction.  In 2009, Sophia Institute Press released two books that Regina helped edit, a murder mystery called, Bleeder, and a time-travel story for teens called Awakening.  In addition to writing and editing, Regina homeschools their six children, does arts and crafts, and speaks at conferences, schools, and workshops.  To the question, “How do you manage to get it all done?” Regina responds, “What makes you think I get it all done?”

Maureen Wittmann

Maureen Wittmann is the coeditor and contributing author to Catholic Homeschool Companion (Sophia Institute Press) and A Catholic Homeschool Treasury (Ignatius Press).  She is a contributing editor to the Catholic homeschooling magazine Heart and Mind.  Her articles have appeared in Our Sunday Visitor, Homeschooling Today, Catholic Home Educator, New Covenant, Latin Mass, Catholic Faith, Catholic Digest, and more.  She has completed writing a new book, For the Love of Literature (Ecce Homo Press), which is scheduled for release Christmas of 2007.

Mrs. Wittmann and her husband, Rob, are parents to seven children, who have always been homeschooled.  She brings to our conference not only her experience, but an excitement and love of homeschooling.  You can find Mrs. Wittmann online by visiting her blog or at Catholic Treasury.

Andrew Schmiedicke

Andrew grew up in a large family on a small farm in Greenville, Michigan .  After an interval of profligacy at college, Andrew rediscovered the beauty and truth of his childhood faith and began practicing it again and became involved in pro-life activities.  Later he earned an M.A. in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.  After a fairy tale romance, he and Regina Doman married in 1994.  In 1996 Andrew and his brother Mike founded a web development company, Veraprise, with a partner.  In 1999 Andrew began producing a radio drama version of Regina’s first book called The Shadow of the Bear which won the 2009 “Best Audio Drama Show” award from the Sonic Society.  He provides technical and marketing support for Regina’s projects but more importantly, helps her edit her books.  “He's the secret of my success”, says Regina.  For over a year now Andrew has been working with Regina as a freelance agent/editor to develop Catholic fiction for Sophia Institute Press in order to foster a greater sense of Catholic identity among youth and young adults.  Andrew and Regina have had seven children so far: six of whom are still living with them near Front Royal, Virginia, where they make their home at Shirefeld Farm raising lambs, llamas, chickens, and a pig or two.