Meet Our Team

Barbara Nickless

Center Director

Barbara joined Sylvan in 2004 as Director of Education, and transitioned to Center Director in 2014. As Center Director, Barbara wears many hats to ensure our families receive the best educational support. A former teacher, Barbara chose a career in the tutoring business because connections with students and families are greater. Her greatest joy is seeing each child reach his/her goals. Barbara earned her Bachelor’s of Education, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, at Northwest Missouri State University. When Barbara isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her enjoying water activities, watching classic films, checking out local restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.

Karen

Instructor

Karen is a retired special education/elementary education teacher in Kansas City, MO with a gift for working with kids. While Karen has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in Reading and Math tutoring. She studied at Adams State University in Colorado. When Karen isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her spending time with family, gardening, and reading.

Michael joined Sylvan as a Math tutor in 2017 and moved into the Assistant Director role in 2020. Michael oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors in Kansas City North as well as tutoring our upper level Math and ACT Prep students. Michael brings a wealth of knowledge, especially math, and has many tutoring talents. His greatest joy is tutoring students in Math and ACT Prep. When Michael isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him bowling with his bowling league and spending time with family and friends.

Dee Dee is a retired elementary teacher. She has a gift for working with kids of all ages but especially enjoys our youngest learners. While Dee Dee has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in Reading tutoring. When Dee Dee isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her traveling and spending time with family and friends.