Patrick and Allyse Sedivy

Entrepreneurs and Founders of Cumorah Academy

Patrick and Allyse Sedivy live in Pleasant Grove, UT and are the parents of 5 children and grandparents of one grandchild and one on the way. Patrick graduated from BYU with a degree in Civil Engineering. Patrick considers himself a serial entrepreneur and along with Allyse has owned and operated several businesses. Together they have been involved in businesses in retail, wholesale, importing and education. Allyse and Patrick both served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Czech Republic. In 2005 Patrick and Allyse received a spiritual prompting to start a school in Europe, a place for young adults to learn, connect and grow. The idea of Cumorah Academy became a reality when they opened the doors for the first semester in Fall 2021. Patrick and Allyse are very passionate about leadership, personal development and business. They enjoy sharing their passion with the students each semester at Cumorah Academy.

Jan and Pavlína Pohořelický

Managing Director and Admin Support

Jan Pohorelicky was born in the Czech Republic and currently lives there as well. Jan graduated from the Brno Technical University in Nuclear Engineering. He has over 18 years of experience on different nuclear energy work positions, including Technical Director, Project Manager, Head of Engineering Department, Senior Auditor, License and Project Modification Specialist, and licensed PWR reactor and control room operator. His experiences include Project Management, Budgeting, Scheduling, Risk Analysis, Team Management, and Leadership. Along with his wife Pavlína, they have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Together between 2016 and 2019 they served as Mission President and Wife in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Pavlína graduated from the Brno Technical University as a mechanical engineer. She worked in several technical positions especially in automotive area. Jan is now the Managing Director of Cumorah Academy while Pavlina works as an admin support for the academy.

Iain Saunders

Director

Iain has been teaching in one form or another most of his life, from sports teaching, to missionary work to language teaching. Since moving with his family from England to the Czech Republic over 20 years ago Iain has also worked as a freelance teacher-trainer, business trainer, examiner, school director, voice-over artist, proof-reader, web-designer and writer. He has a Master’s Degree in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester. Iain has served in numerous Stake and Ward callings, including serving as Branch President, Bishop, Scout Leader, Stake Young Men’s President, Stake High Counselor, Elder’s Quorum President and Ward Choir Director. Despite all of this, his favorite activity of all is spending time with his wife and four children.

Chris and Liz Crittenden

Mentors

Chris and Liz Crittenden have been married for 12 years and have four children. Chris is an Entrepreneur and most notably founded an artificial intelligence company that was acquired by Walmart in 2014. Liz received a degree in Humanities from BYU and for the last decade has focused on raising their four children. Chris is now the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at BYU.

Brett and Bonnie Hilton

Mentors

Bonnie and Brett Hilton live in South Jordan, Utah. They have been married for 30 adventure filled years. They have nine children – quadruplets through a surrogate mother and five more through international and domestic adoption. Brett and Bonnie are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have had numerous opportunities to serve. Brett has worked with AFLAC as an insurance agent and manager along with running his own business, RVMemory.com. In 2020, after many years of thinking and planning, Bonnie and Brett co founded DELIVEЯ –Rescuing Children at Risk, a non profit organization.Bonnie recently completed writing a book, Gathering Israel’s Children which will be published soon.

Brad and Ann Taylor

Mentors

Brad & Ann Taylor just returned from three years of service as the Mission President Couple of the Korea Seoul Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brad & Ann are parents of 4 children (who are all married), and grandparents to 16 cute grandkids. Brad & Ann serve in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. Prior to serving in Korea, Brad served as the Vice-President of Human Resources for BYU’s 22,000 employees. Prior to joining BYU in 2016, Brad was a VP, Human Resources at General Mills, Inc. where he worked for 30 years. Brad has now been asked to lead the startup of the newly announced BYU Center for Belonging at BYU. Brad is an active community volunteer involved with the “Feed My Starving Children” world hunger project and service at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo.

Troy and Julie Thompson

Mentors

Troy and Julie met while playing ultimate frisbee on the campus of Utah State University and were married a year later. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple 28 years ago. Julie received a degree in Journalism and Troy has a doctor degree in dentistry, with a masters degree and advanced training in endodontics (root canals). He owns a dental clinic in South Jordan, Utah. Troy and Julie have three children, ages 23, 21 and 15, and they are thrilled to have a new son in law who is also pursuing a degree in dentistry!

Olga Campora

Mentor

Olga Kovarova Campora, PhD., the author of Saint Behind Enemy Lines, published by Deseret Book, was born and reared in Czechoslovakia (now the Czechia). She worked as an educator, yoga teacher, and lecturer in Czechoslovakia. Since the early 1990s, Olga has made her home in the United States. She helped establish the Czech language program at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Her story was shared in the 2011 church-published history of the Relief Society called Daughters of My Kingdom. She is married to Randy Campora, bass trombonist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Olga is especially passionate about empowering women and young people.

Taylor and Lisa Halverson

Mentors

Lisa Halverson is a Research Professor in Civics Education at Utah Valley University's Center for Constitutional Studies . In addition she helps direct a non-profit in women's civic leadership. Lisa studied international relations (BA) and modern Jewish and Middle Eastern history (MA) at Stanford University and then taught high school English for 10 years. She holds a PhD in instructional psychology and technology from Brigham Young University, where she researched learner engagement in blended and online settings. A native Oregonian, Lisa now lives in Springville, Utah, with Taylor and their two children, both adoption miracles. Taylor Halverson is currently an entrepreneurship professor in the BYU Marriott School of Business. As an executive coach and entrepreneur, he builds leaders and businesses while creating transformative professional and personal development experiences. Taylor leads tours to locations throughout the world (Israel, China, India, Europe, Central America, and America’s national parks). He is a prolific author and editor of 20 books and more than 300 articles and a developer of scripture study resources.

Jason Plant

Mentor

Jason grew up all over the United States and eventually setted in Utah where his parents tried their hand at being small business owners. At the age of 18 his family moved to Boston. After serving his mission in Brazil he returned to Boston where he met his wife and started his career in finance. After 8 years in Boston he relocated to Utah to start a small business of his own. He graduated with an MBA in 2013 and now serves as the treasurer for Cumorah Academy

Manly Acker

Mentor

Manly Acker lives in Katy, Texas. He has been an Investment Advisor for 18 years working with Businesses and Individuals to help them improve their investing habits and performance. My amazing wife Kathryn and I have been married for 18 years and have three children, Jaxson 16, Harrison 14, and Madilyn 12. I enjoy Golf, basketball, and basically any activity where I can be together with my family. I served my mission for the Church in Rome Italy.

Richard Magleby

Mentor

Richard Magleby works as a Deputy District Attorney (a prosecutor) in Los Angeles, California. He received his law degree from Pepperdine University and his bachelors degree in International Relations from BYU. Mr. Magleby served as a missionary in Yekaterinburg Russia and is a fluent Russian speaker. Mr. Magleby has spent significant amounts of time in Ukraine and has been a guest lecturer at several universities there, working with law students. Mr. Magleby enjoys sailing on the pacific ocean, listening to audiobooks and traveling. He has a goal to visit every country on the European continent. So far he's visited 30 of them.

Hans and Margiet Noot

Mentors

Hans and Margariet have been married for 44 years and have 4 children and 11 grand-children. Margriet’s calling is responsibility for family services for the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). She has her own practice in Family Counseling, and teaches Attachment Theory to different types of professionals. She is also a qualified teacher by profession.Hans holds a Masters degree of Organizational Behavior (Leadership and Global Strategy) from BYU as well as a Bachelor of Sciences majoring in Organizational Behavior, Personnel Psychology and languages. He has worked for the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Program for the past 42 years, with responsibilities over the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and South-Eastern Europe. He is deeply involved in Human Rights, being the President of the Gerard Noodt Foundation for Freedom of Religion or Belief, a member of the board of Directors at Human Rights Without Frontiers, and the chair of Platform Freedom of Religion or Belief Worldwide.