Meet Our Team
Great Teachers Inspire
Our tutors and staff in North And Northeast Portland consist of passionate educators who love inspiring children to succeed. Warm, caring and great at relating to kids, our tutors in North And Northeast Portland 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 North And Northeast Portland!
Mary
Center Director
Director
As Center Director, Mary conferences with families and schools conducts initial assessments and maintains the center’s schedules for Sylvan of Portland. A licensed teacher, Mary chose to work at Sylvan because she understands the need for supplemental education. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Indiana University and worked as a family caseworker before continuing her education. Mary received her Master’s in Elementary Education from Ball State University and has been working as an educator ever since. When Mary isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her playing board games, baking, and teaching her cats new tricks.
Carl
Director of Education
Director
Carl oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors in Portland. As our former lead teacher, Carl brings a wealth of knowledge on curriculum and effective teaching strategies. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts in History and Master’s of Arts in Ancient History and Language Acquisition from Indiana University. When Carl isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him hiking or designing campaigns for Pathfinder! Carl has been working at Sylvan since February 2020 and was an integral part of ensuring students’ continuous learning as we transitioned to teaching online. Before working at Sylvan, Carl tutored college students in calculus and finite!
Adam
Assistant Center Director & Teacher
Adam has been a tutor with us since January 2022 and finds the greatest joy in teaching writing! Adam has been in the education field since 2020! He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and a Master’s of Arts in English at Portland State University. When Adam isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him hiking!
Sharon
Teacher
Sharon has been tutoring with Sylvan since 2006 and finds the greatest joy in teaching early reading and math! Before working at Sylvan, Sharon was an instructional assistant, substitute teacher, and Title I teacher! She received a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Portland State University and a Master’s in Elementary Education from Concordia University. When Sharon isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her gardening, reading, doing puzzles, and practicing photography!
James
Teacher
James has been a tutor with us since October, 2006 and finds the greatest joy in teaching math, study skills, and ACT/SAT prep! James has been in the education field since 2002! He received a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and History at Portland State University before earning his Master’s in teaching at City University. When James isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him reading, listening to music, and playing the organ!
Ron
Teacher
Ron has been a tutor with us since November 2019 and finds the greatest joy in teaching reading! Ron has been in the education field since 2002! He received a Bachelor’s of Arts in English and a Master’s of Science in Special Education at Portland State University (Go Viks!). When Ron isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him running and reading, of course!
Laura
Teacher
Laura has been a tutor with us since October 2020 and finds the greatest joy in teaching reading, writing, and K-3 math! Laura has also worked for Portland Public Schools for the past six years and has been in the educational field for the last 10 years. She received a Bachelor’s in Art History and French from Louisiana State University and a Master’s in Teaching from Concordia University. When Laura isn’t at Sylvan, she enjoys reading, drawing, cooking, crosswords, and yoga!
Aaron
Teacher
Aaron has been a tutor with us since October 2021 and finds the greatest joy in teaching math up to Calculus 3, physics, and chemistry! Aaron has been in the education field since 2016! He received an Associate’s of Applied Science at Seattle Central College and is currently working toward his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
Janeth
Teacher
Janeth has been a tutor with us since February 2023 and finds the greatest joy in teaching early reading! Janeth taught English as a second language in South Korea for three years before joining the Sylvan team. She received a Bachelor’s in Cinema and Television Arts from California State University, Fullerton, and an Master’s in Book Publishing from Portland State University. When She’s not teaching, you’ll often find her in bookstores, eagerly searching for new books to dive into!
Julianne
Julianne has been a tutor with us since September 2023 and finds the greatest joy in teaching math! Julianne’s passion is to help girls and young women to believe they are smart and capable – especially in math and science. She received a Bachelor’s in Math/Physics with a Russian Minor from Wells College; a Master’s in Operations Research Engineering from Stanford University. When She’s not teaching, you’ll often find her practicing yoga, golf, gardening, cycling, knitting, reading, playing the piano.
Start your child on the path to academic success today
Give us a call at (971) 269-0522 or fill out the form to discuss your child’s learning goals.
