Meet Our Team

Phillip Toriello

Center Director

As Sylvan Central Coast’s Center Director, Phillip leads the way in creating an enthusiastic learning environment. From hiring great teachers, to welcoming and helping students identify their academic goals, he is the ambassador of aloha. A former guest-teacher for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Phillip chose a career in supplemental education because helping children to be, and do their best, has been a life-long passion of his. Following his military service, Phillip studied at, and graduated from California Polytechnic University – SLO. When Phillip isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him at the beach with his family surfing, building rock towers, and enjoying the Central Coast.

Matt Shea

Assistant Director & Administration

Matt Shea helps oversee the educational integrity of our programs.  He also helps Phill to provide a top notch educational home for our parents, students, and teachers.  Matt graduated with a BS in Geography from the University of Oregon and then a Masters in Teaching from Concordia University.  He has taught junior high social studies and language arts, high school English, and English as a second language in Prague.  Although he misses his fellow ‘Ducks’ in Oregon, Matt loves living on the central coast with his wife and two daughters.

Mariah Kirkham

Teacher

Mariah has been in secondary education for several years, mostly teaching math. She likes to brag that she’s tutored one-on-one and in groups, online, upside-down, and in Portuguese. Right now she’s working hard on her Mechanical Engineering degree at Cal Poly, but she almost always finds time to read at least a book or three.

Spencer Kirkham

Teacher

Spencer Kirkham is our one-on-one ZOOM tutor. Since the age of 14, Spencer has loved teaching math, literature, science, and Spanish to his students, friends, and even (when they ask nicely!) his seven younger siblings. His favorite part of tutoring is breaking down a concept that seems complicated on the surface, then seeing the lightbulb turn on in a student’s eyes as they realize that they can do that hard problem now. When he’s not behind the camera, Spencer can be found pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at ASU, reading the latest book by Brandon Sanderson, or working on whatever eclectic hobby has recently caught his eye. He currently lives in Mesa, Arizona, but still finds time every once in a while to visit his birth town of San Luis Obispo on a Farmers’ Market night.