Meet Our Team

Kent

Owner

Welcome to Sylvan Learning Center! My name is Kent Kolbow, and I am the owner and one of the directors. I received my college education in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During my educational experience, I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Math with a strong background in Physics, Chemistry, and Psychology. I also earned an endorsement in Education. Throughout college, I taught at Sylvan Learning centers in Fort Wayne, and within a few years, became the director. In 1997, I decided to purchase the Sylvan centers in Elkhart and Mishawaka. I have since had the opportunity to purchase nine additional centers in Indiana, four in Florida, and five in Maryland. My goal through working with Sylvan is “Success with every student.”

Sarah

Chief Operating Officer/ Owner

As Chief Operating Officer & Owner, Sarah oversees eleven centers in Indiana (Mishawaka, Elkhart, Merrillville, Schererville, Valparaiso, Fishers, Carmel, Plainfield, Greenwood, Fort Wayne North, & Fort Wayne South), four Florida centers (Clermont, Ocoee, Dr. Phillips & Kissimmee), and five centers in Maryland (Bel Air, Crofton, Catonsville, Timonium, & Columbia). She thoroughly enjoys working with all of the students and their families. Sarah studied at Cedarville University.  When Sarah isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her spending time with her husband and her two beautiful daughters.

Cheri

Director of Education

Sylvan has been such a blessing! I started at Sylvan Learning in 1995 and have been an instructor and director for many years. I enjoy that I am able to teach students, meet with parents, and connect with classroom teachers. School can be challenging and, in my position as Director of Education, I am able to work alongside students to see their success. It is such a rewarding career. Always knowing I wanted to teach children, I earned my Bachelor’s of Elementary Education at Indiana University. Some of my favorite hobbies include “planning” events, reading, vacationing and spending family time with my husband and two sons.

Jane

Director of Marketing

Did you know I have been a director at Sylvan Learning for almost 32 years?! For me, it is the best job in the world! I love to see a plan come together for a student’s learning success. I see confidence grow in them and parents beam with pride. When I am not working, I live at the lake! I have 2 naughty dogs. I like to fish, read, garden and do crafts, especially paint and stained glass. Be sure you tell me your favorite book when I see you! I love recommendations.

Lisa

Tutor

My interest in mathematics began at Washington High School in South Bend. It led me to pursue a degree in Math and French education at Ball State. After graduation, I was blessed to receive an offer to teach at Concordia Lutheran High School. For the past 28 years, I taught Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Honors Algebra II. During that time, I also coached Girls Basketball and Girls Track. I also pursued a Master’s Degree in Mathematics at IPFW. In my spare time, I enjoy cross-stitch, reading, and searching garage sales and flea markets for Mickey Mouse collectibles.

Broderick

Tutor

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School. I continued my studies at Concordia University Chicago where I earned my Bachelor’s of Arts in Mathematics with a minor in Education. Since then, I have worked as a substitute teacher, as well as a math teacher. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watching movies, and finding projects to do. The projects could be fixing a leaky pipe or building a desk.

Brian

Tutor

With over 20 years of teaching experience, I started my journey at Village Woods Middle School. I then worked at Crossroad Children’s Home/Homeschool for nine years teaching General Education courses and Mathematics to middle school and high school students. For three years, I was the Director of Academic Advising for Brown Mackie College. I am currently at Blackhawk Middle School teaching Algebra. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and graduated from Whitmer Senior High School. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball, reading, and doing arts and crafts. I also like to cook and have worked for over 15 years in restaurants.

Isabella

Tutor

Isabella is a teacher at Fort Wayne-North with a gift for working with elementary-aged kids. She grew up in Fort Wayne and graduated from Purdue University. She has taught for 2 years since graduating. When she is not teaching, you can find her going for a walk or riding her bike with her daughter.

Jamie

Tutor

Jamie is a teacher at Fort Wayne-North with a gift for working with elementary and middle-school aged students. She grew up in Indianapolis. She graduated with a degree in Special Education from Ball State University. When she is not at Sylvan, you can find her hiking or going to church with her husband!

Karen

Tutor

I earned a master’s in library science from the University of Michigan. I graduated from Adrian College with a secondary teaching license. I was a Reference Librarian at Allen County Public Library, the librarian at Croninger Elementary and Shawnee Middle School, and at my church. I have also been a teacher assistant in Fort Wayne Community Schools and tutored here at Sylvan from 2004-2018. My favorite memories are the joy of helping a student find the right book or seeing a student make progress in reading. I am retired and now read a lot of books to our four great-granddaughters. My other interests are flower gardening, sewing, and collecting information for our family history.

Linda

Tutor

I was born and raised in Huntington, IN, about 20 miles south of Fort Wayne. I graduated from Huntington North high school and went to then, Huntington College, now University. I have 8 brothers and 2 sisters and 3 children. Family get-togethers are never boring! I graduated from Western Governors University with a degree in Early Childhood Education; and in spring 2023, I finished my master’s in special education, mild intervention. I started my fifth year at Churubusco Elementary in 2023 and love my job! I am happy to be working at Sylvan and highly recommend it to my parents when asking about tutoring.

Haley

Tutor

Haley is a teacher at Fort Wayne North with a gift for working with elementary-aged kids. While she has many tutoring talents, Haley finds the greatest joy in reading tutoring. Haley studied at Ball State University with a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. When she isn’t at Sylvan, she likes to read, do Zumba and watch Netflix with her husband.

Linda

Site Coordinator

Linda oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors in Fort Wayne. As a former Program Director and trainer/educator at a company in Fort Wayne, Linda brings a wealth of knowledge to Sylvan of North Fort Wayne. She graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelors in Education. When Linda isn’t at Sylvan, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Max. She also enjoys spending time with her three grown children and three granddaughters and all their sporting events.

Suzanne

Site Coordinator

Suzanne recently retired after 28 wonderful years of teaching high school English, psychology, and U.S. history. She still loves working with kids, and Sylvan has provided her with the perfect opportunity to continue doing what she enjoys. She is an Indiana native and a proud graduate of Indiana University.When not working at Sylvan, you can find Suzanne lounging by a pool, reading a book, or hanging with her grandkids—sometimes all at the same time!

Amy

Tutor

Amy is a Math and Reading instructor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne- North with a gift for working with students. While Amy has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in seeing the light bulb when her students “Get it”. She taught at Sylvan 25 years ago and was excited to come back to work one on one with students. When Amy isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her eating out and traveling with her husband!

Sarah

Tutor

Sarah is a tutor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne-North with a gift for working with elementary kids. She studied Elementary Education and Exceptional Needs Education at Indiana Wesleyan University. While Sarah has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in helping students make connections and grow confidence in the skills they are learning. When Sarah isn’t tutoring, you’ll find her reading, gardening, singing, and playing board and card games with her friends and family.

Michelle

Director

Michelle is a director at Sylvan of North Fort Wayne. While Michelle has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in tutoring reading and grammar. She studied Elementary Education at Indiana State University. When Michelle isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her enjoying time with her family playing games or watching sporting events. She also enjoys fishing, hiking and camping with her husband, Bob.

Benford

Tutor

Benford is a tutor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne North. While Benford has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in Calculus tutoring. He studied Software Engineering at Bowling Green State University. When Benford isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him playing video games and enjoying the computer.

Gabrielle

Tutor

Gabrielle is a tutor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne North. While Gabrielle has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in Math and Phonics, especially with the elementary grades. She studied elementary education at Purdue University of Fort Wayne. When Gabriele isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her listening to music, playing games or watching the Colts!