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.

Devin is a Director at Sylvan of Valparaiso. While Devin has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in elementary reading tutoring. She studied Business Administration at Indiana University South Bend. When Devin isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her reading a book or spending time with her daughter and pets.

Zach

Director of Student Advancement

Zachary oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors in Valparaiso. A former teacher in Michigan City, Zachary brings a wealth of knowledge to Sylvan of Valparaiso. He graduated from Purdue University North Central. When Zachary isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him playing games and collecting cards with his friends.

Kristen

Center Director / Team Lead

Kristen is the Center Director for Sylvan of Merrillville and Valparaiso, IN. A former physical education coordinator in Colorado, Kristen chose to return back to Indiana and to the academic side of education because she thrives on the connections made with parents and students as they overcome educational challenges. She studied at Indiana University. When Kristen isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her spending time with family as well as her 2 dogs (Lu and Milo) and cat (D.O.G).

Bennie

Lead Teacher

Bennie is a Lead Teacher at Sylvan Learning of Merrillville as well as our Schererville and Valparaiso locations. While Bennie has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in tutoring upper-level mathematics. He studied at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, IN. When Bennie isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him at home binge-watching the latest Netflix documentary. He has been with Sylvan since October 2023.

Michael

Teacher

As an Advanced Math Tutor, Michael works with high school students that are attending pre-college courses. He is adept at teaching all forms of Algebra, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

Brianna is a Verbal SAT/ACT tutor at Sylvan of Valparaiso with a gift for working with kids. While Brianna has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in English tutoring. Brianna received her degree from Purdue University Northwest. When Brianna isn’t tutoring, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her dog Bee.

Rachel is a reading and science tutor at Sylvan of Valparaiso with a gift for working with kids. While Rachel has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in science tutoring. Rachel received her degree from Concordia University of Chicago. When Rachel isn’t tutoring, you’ll find her hiking and nature journaling.