Meet our Irvine Tutoring Staff

Great Teachers Inspire

Our tutors and staff in Irvine consist of passionate educators who love inspiring children to succeed. Warm, caring and great at relating to kids, our tutors in Irvine 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 Irvine!

Joe Liu

Executive Director

Joe earned his Masters in Art Education and an emphasis in Educational Management at the University of Melbourne. He also holds a graduate degree in Education with a teaching certificate in English as a second/foreign language/ ESL Joe is passionate about helping students succeed academically and finds the greatest joy when families reach their goals.
Daniel Vo

Center Director

As Center Director, Daniel is responsible for ensuring and establishing quality vision for the center. Daniel earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Riverside. Throughout his educational journey, he has discovered his passion for teaching and finds joy in helping others understand new concepts and building skills.
Melody Marlene Perez

Director of Education

As Director of Education, she is responsible for overseeing curriculum development and establishing a positive learning environment for our students. She earned a Bachelors in Human Services with an emphasis in Mental Health from Cal State Fullerton. She also possesses a Dual Language Multi-subject teaching credential from San Diego State University.
Shirlee Smith

Lead Teacher

Shirlee Smith has taught at Sylvan for many years. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology, and from CSU Northridge with an MA in Deaf Education. She also currently holds two California teaching credentials - Multiple Subjects, and Communication Handicapped Specialist. She loves working with students of all ages. When she is not teaching, Shirlee enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and studying the violin.
Marge Packman

Teacher

Marge earned her degree in English with minors in Education and French from Northern Illinois University. She has over 20 years' experience as a tutor and substitute teacher. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and acting in community theater.
Beth Ullman

Teacher

Beth is a passionate teacher with a M.A degree in Library Sciences. She possesses a Multi-subject teaching credential.
Susan Romito

Teacher

Ms. Susan Romito is one of our widely versed teachers with several credentials. She possesses a California Administrative Service Credential; Bachelor of Arts: Spanish, California Community College Credential: Basic Education/Ethnic Studies, Credential: Single Subject Spanish and English and California Bilingual Cross-Cultural Specialist Credential K-12.
Conor Matthews

Teacher

Mr. Conor earned his Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a Master's in Teaching at the University of California, Irvine. As a teacher for nine years, he's passionate about a wide variety of subjects, including math, writing, and social science. In his free time, Mr. Conor enjoys hiking, going to the gym, reading, and spending time with his dog.
Alexander D'Agostino

Teacher

Mr. Alex is a dedicated teacher with a Bachelor's of Science in Math and a Masters in Math. He graduated from both UCI and CSULB and has been teaching for four years. Mr. Alex's favorite subject is math, and he hopes to help students flourish and find their potential. In his personal life. Mr. Alex enjoys playing video games.
Roberta Nematzadeh

Teacher

Ms. Roberta received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with minor in Psychology and Art History from Canisius College in New York. She has over 15 years of experience as a substitute teacher in the L.A. Unified and in private schools, as a designer and teacher of her own art and art history program, and as a tutor. She is also a professional artist. She enjoys helping students learn and gain confidence to achieve success.
Susan Li

Teacher

Susan received her B.A degree in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan. She possesses a Multi-subject teaching credential. Passionate about education, she had taught elementary education for a little over 10 years. In her free time, Susan likes to read and do crossword puzzles.
Pamela Jenkins

Teacher

Pamela Jenkins possesses a Doctorate degree in Education from Pepperdine University. Aside from Sylvan she teaches ESL at Santiago Canyon College. Pam enjoys reading, hiking and going to the theater in her spare time.
Stacy Patriarca

Teacher

Ms. Stacy is a new teacher with seven years of experience as a teacher's aid with students K-8. She received her Bachelor's in Liberal Studies at Cal State Fullerton. Ms. Stacy's favorite subjects are Social Studies and English, and she loves to sing, dance, rollerblade, and play the drums.
Deirdre Newman

Teacher

Deirdre earned her B.A degree in Political Science and has a Multi-subject teaching credential from San Francisco State University. She is also an experienced journalist with extensive experience in writing, revising, editing and proof reading.
Colleen Velasco

Teacher

Ms. Colleen graduated from the University of California Irvine with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and is currently doing a Post-Bacc Program in Computer Science at Oregon State University. She has always enjoyed teaching and tutoring students to help them better their understanding in academic subjects, such as math, science, and reading, and overall, to help them gain a greater confidence in themselves!
Donna Linzey

Teacher

Ms. Donna Linzey received her M.A in Education and an M.S in Reading. She holds a Multi-subject Teaching Credential and a Reading specialist certification.