Meet Our Team
Great Teachers Inspire
Our tutors and staff in Defiance & Wauseon consist of passionate educators who love inspiring children to succeed. Warm, caring and great at relating to kids, our tutors in Defiance & Wauseon 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 Defiance & Wauseon!
Kiersten Payne
Director of Education
As Director of Education, Kiersten leads educational programming for Sylvan of Defiance, Bryan, Ottawa, and Wauseon. Formerly an ACT/SAT tutor and high school teacher, Kiersten most recently worked as an English teacher in South Korea before returning to the US in December of 2023. She chose a career in the tutoring business because she highly values education and wants to provide the opportunity for every student to be successful. She received her undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree from Yale Divinity School. When Kiersten isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her reading or playing games with her family in Hicksville.
Diana Wehri
Tutor
Diana is a retired teacher with over 35 years of experience. While Diana has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in reading tutoring. She received her Undergraduate from Bluffton College and her Masters from Wright State University. When Diana isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her reading, quilting, volunteering at school, working on crafts, or in her flower garden. Diana loves that Sylvan helps students find their greatest potential.
Rylee Miller
Tutor
Rylee is currently pursuing a degree in Middle Childhood Math and Science Education at Defiance College. When she’s not at Sylvan or in class, she also works as a substitute teacher or teacher’s aide. In her free time, Rylee likes to play guitar and piano and is involved in her church as a junior church teacher and worship leader. She also loves hanging out with her friends and catching up over coffee.
A quote from Rylee: “I love being able to work one-on-one with students and watch them progress both in their academics and their confidence. I also love being able to teach a variety of skills at different levels; it keeps things interesting!”
Madison Weller
Tutor
Madison is currently working in 2nd and 3rd grade special education at Hicksville Elementary School. She has a bachelors in general and special education, and is a proud graduate of Ayersville High School. Madison also works as a local cheerleading coach.
Madison is the happy aunt to three boys and one girl, and has a three-year-old German Shepherd named Piper. She’s also a fan of local Defiance favorite Cabin Fever.
April Thim
Tutor
Beth Morman
Aide
Start your child on the path to academic success today
Give us a call at (419) 956-4437 or fill out the form to discuss your child’s learning goals.
