Meet Our Team
Great Teachers Inspire
Our tutors and staff in Meridian consist of passionate educators who love inspiring children to succeed. Warm, caring and great at relating to kids, our tutors in Meridian know how to engage and motivate each child in a personal way—building confidence and smiles, as well as skills and better scores. We selectively choose tutors who know local curriculum and can link Sylvan lessons to what’s being taught in school.
Get to know our tutors and staff in Meridian!
Mr. Don Baldi
Director of Education
Mr. Don has over 25 years of experience and has taught grades 3-12 in traditional and Montessori settings. He has a Masters of Education in Elementary Reading and Literacy.
Mr. Don served as an Adjunct Professor at Chapman College and taught elementary reading and literacy and English as a second language in their credentialing and graduate programs.
Mr. Don also spent a decade as an instructional coach, Site Assessment Coordinator, IEP/504 Coordinator, GATE teacher, Math Olympiad Coach, and District Rigorous Design Committee (curriculum design).
He has 3 sons and 5 grandchildren. He is happily married and enjoys his dog Darcie and his cat Crackers.
Ms. Jacqueline (Jacque) Wilson
Managing Director
Ms. Jacque Wilson is a certified teacher and administrator with over 35 years of educational experience. She has taught kindergarten-second grade. Ms. Jacque received her Bachelor’s degree in Education from California State University at Bakersfield. She received a Masters Degree in Reading from Boise State.
She has an Educational Specialist degree in administration from the University of Idaho. Teaching reading is her passion. Ms. Jacque has lived in Idaho for 36 years. She enjoys reading, running, pickleball and spending time with her six year old grandson, Milo.
Ms. Amber Maggio
Managing Director
Ms. Amber Maggio is a certified teacher with over 7+ years of teaching experience. She has taught students in grades 6-12 as well as adults. She also worked as a private tutor for two years & has helped students expand study skills, improve confidence, and develop critical thinking skills.
Ms. Amber has a B.A. in history from University of Providence-Great Falls, an M.A. in ancient history from Indiana University-Bloomington, and an M.Ed. in secondary education from Grand Canyon University.
Having grown up in Nampa, she returned to the Treasure Valley as quickly as she could! She enjoys reading, writing, drawing, playing video games, and spending time with her husband and three cats.
Ms. Terrie Cornetta
Certified Lead Teacher
Ms. Terrie is originally from Central Illinois and has decades of experience in educating children of all ages. At age 15, she found her vocation for coaching children when she began work as a swimming instructor. Since then, thousands of kids have learned swimming under her tutelage and many competed in the Junior Olympics.
She has a BS in Business Administration and an MS in Education along with teaching credentials from Illinois and California. She has taught children of all grade levels including special needs kids.
Ms. Terrie has a happy family of 5 children and 6 grandchildren. In her spare time, she loves to swim, lift weights, and bake.
Ms. Jennifer Houser
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Jennifer Houser was born and raised in New England. She graduated college with a Masters in Elementary Education and Special Education. She has taught students of all ages K-12.
She has lived and worked in a variety of places across the United States. When not working, she enjoys time with her family as well as the great outdoors, hiking, swimming, and gardening.
Mr. Kody Andrew
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Mr. Kody is a certified teacher with 3+ years of teaching experience. He has taught students in grades 1 through 12. He is a graduate of Boise State University with a bachelors in multidisciplinary studies. Mr. Kody has also helped children of many ages by umpiring football, baseball, and basketball recreation leagues for many years.
Mr. Kody was born and raised in Idaho. He enjoys cooking, golfing, and attending sporting and musical events with friends and family. Not much of a winter person, but during the summer the only time you’ll see Mr. Kody indoors is for work.
Ms. Linzi Meldrum
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Linzi was born and raised in the Rexburg/Idaho Falls area. She graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a minor in math from BYU-Idaho. She has taught 1st and 2nd grade and has experience tutoring students of all ages.
Ms. Linzi’s passion for education began when she was enrolled in a peer tutoring program in high school. There, she got her first experience working with students in the classroom setting, and she instantly found her niche. Education has become her calling, and she strives to meet students where they are and lift them to reach their full potential.
When not in the classroom, Linzi can be found reading books, working on jigsaw puzzles, trying new things, spending time with her family, or soaking up the sunshine.
Ms. Nancy Wylder
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Nancy Wylder is a certified teacher with 6+ years of experience in education. She has taught a variety of grade levels and subjects from History, Foreign Language, Interventions, and Mathematics. She has spent the majority of her teaching time working at middle schools within the Treasure Valley. She received a B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Liberal Studies from Arizona State University.
Ms. Nancy has lived in several states including Arizona, Northern California, Wyoming. She grew up in North Dakota where her love of winter weather comes from. She moved to Boise in 2016 with her son Denali so that she could spend more time with family who had settled here.
When she’s not teaching, she enjoys hiking with her Golden Retriever, spending time with her son, reading as many books as possible, and playing cribbage.
Ms. Tara Curl
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Tara Curl has lived in the Treasure Valley for the last 30 years. Prior to moving to Idaho, she lived all over the country as a military brat and the desire for adventure.
Ms. Curl holds a B.S. in Business Administration, a B.A. in Elementary Education (K-8) and Special Education K-12, and a M.Ed. in English Language Learning. She currently works as an elementary Special Education Teacher for the Boise School District. She was also an Adjunct Professor for BSU in their Masters in Teaching Special Education program for several years.
Ms. Curl loves True Crime, family dinner nights, game nights with family and friends, all things travel, flamingos, pink anything, and any opportunity to go barefoot (she really hates shoes).
Ms. Tasha Lyon
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Tasha was born on the Pacific Coast and traveled many states across the county with her military family. She graduated with a Bachelors in Elementary Education. She worked in many teaching roles throughout a preschool in the North End and in all grade levels at Boise School District.
Ms. Tasha has been working as a substitute teacher in the Kuna School District since last year. Ms. Tasha has had more than 5 years in various teaching positions that have helped her diverse her teaching skills.
In her free time, Ms. Tasha enjoys riding her bike, and being a lifelong learner while encouraging others as well.
Ms. Taylor Smith
Certified Sylvan Teacher
Ms. Taylor Smith Is originally from Oregon but she moved to Boise four years ago. She is a proud graduate of Boise State University with a bachelor’s degree in K-12 education, her endorsements being visual media and ceramics. She is very passionate about teaching and has two years of teaching experience from both the classroom and virtual teaching. She has taught both middle school and high school students.
She enjoys drawing, reading, and traveling with her partner. She has been with her high school sweetheart for seven years.
Start your child on the path to academic success today
Give us a call at (208) 960-0217 or fill out the form to discuss your child’s learning goals.
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