Meet Our Team

Katherine

Center Director

Director

Katherine’s is the Center Director for Sylvan Learning of Kent. Katherine has worked in both retail and customer service for over 15 years starting from sales associate, to supervisor, and then management.  She brings with her a desire to learn with Sylvan and to explore the world of education.  When Katherine isn’t at Sylvan you’ll find her traveling the world with her friends, reading , playing video games,  sailing, or at local museums or restaurants trying all sorts of cuisines.

Ashley

Teacher

Ashley has worked at Sylvan of Kent since July 2015. She is a graduate of Western Washington University, where she obtained a degree in Spanish with an emphasis of secondary education. Ashley has a little over year of tutoring experience working as an instructor for Sylvan Learning serving in Tahoma, Kent, and Enumclaw school districts. She enjoys teaching a variety of subject areas, including academic reading, mathematics, and writing. In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her friends, either in Kent or Seattle, shopping, video games/watching TV, and watching shows such as Dallas with her family at home.

Maureen

Teacher

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Maureen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from the University of Ottawa.

With over 20 years experience teaching and tutoring, Maureen has lived and taught in 4 different countries including 2 years in special education right here in the Kent school district! With a specialty in primary education and learning support, she is passionate about bringing out the very best in her students and seeing them succeed.

When Maureen isn’t at Sylvan you’ll find her spending time with her family, traveling, or enjoying a good book.

Vera

Teacher

Vera graduated from the University of Washington, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Early Care and Education program. Currently, she is enrolled in a master’s program at Grand Canyon University majoring in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Previous to Sylvan Learning of Kent, Vera was a preschool special education paraprofessional in Auburn School District for 6 years. Vera enjoys teaching a variety of subject areas, including reading, math, and writing to young students. In her free time, Vera enjoys spending time with family, playing piano, cooking traditional food, and learning.

Dorothy

Teacher

Dorothy Baker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California Baptist University in Riverside, California, and a Master of Arts in Education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.

In 2022, Dorothy made a significant life change by relocating to Washington to spend more quality time with her family, particularly her beloved grandchildren, of which she has a total of six. She finds immense joy in playing with her grandchildren, exploring her creative side through decorating, enjoying leisurely walks, engaging in friendly card games, and occasionally sharing her knowledge and experiences with friends.

Alyssa

Teacher

Alyssa is a tutor in Kent, and a Paraeducator in Auburn. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English in the year of 2022, and now helps students develop their skills in Reading and Writing. When she’s not at Sylvan, Alyssa can either be found with her nose in a book or busy writing her own.

Gerald

Teacher

Gerald has a gift of understanding numbers and relating that gift through tutoring. He’s been tutoring math throughout his entire adult life. Gerald attended the University of Memphis where he received his Engineering degree. He recently retired after a 39 year career at Boeing.
When Gerald is not at Sylvan you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, actively involved in church activities and walking his dogs. He also enjoys baseball, basketball and being on the golf course.

Rachel

Teacher

Rachel is an instructor with a gift for working with kids. She loves tutoring  multiple subjects, she finds the greatest joy teaching reading. She studied at Pacific Lutheran University and Northwestern University. When she isn’t at Sylvan you’ll find her volunteering with the local historical society, reading, or going on long walks.

Robin

Teacher

Robin is an Certified Behavior Analyst and teacher in Tacoma, WA .While Robin has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in  science and biology and everything else tutoring. As our most tenured tutor, Robin possesses knowledge is every area of Sylvan programming. She studied at the Evergreen State College. When Robin isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her playing games with her family, reading, watching dance shows, or tide pooling.

Heather

Teacher

Heather is an amazing tutor in Kent, Washington. She has special expertise in writing tutoring and study skills tutoring. Patient and kind, Heather has a great ability to relate to kids. She studied at Pacific Lutheran University. When Heather isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her hiking, reading, gardening, or playing with her cats.

Melanie

Teacher

I have been in education for over 30 years! In previous roles I had my own classroom, been a substitute teacher, and I’ve also done tutoring for Highline School District.  I graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree.  My Masters Degree is in Curriculum and Instruction from City University.  I’ve been a reading specialist but I like teaching math and writing as well.
Swimming, hiking, dancing and church activities keep me busy enjoying life when I’m not teaching here at Sylvan.  Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders!  I want to be a part of helping each student grow and reach their potential.

Claudia

Teacher

Claudia, a graduate of the University Autonomous of Aguascalientes, Mexico, has been with Sylvan of Kent since October 2023. Before that, she worked as a Para-educator at the Kent School District, teaching elementary students. With 5 years of experience in the district, Claudia specializes in classroom management, language arts, math, and science. She focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension to enhance students’ literacy skills. In her free time, Claudia enjoys various creative activities such as painting, reading, music, and crafting.

Jade

Teacher

Jade enjoys sharing his joy of Math and helping others see that anyone can do mathematics. Jade attended Montana State University, where he got his degree in mathematics. He spent a year teaching high school mathematics but now is pursuing higher education and doing mathematics research. If he isn’t studying mathematics, you can find Jade skiing during the winter or taking his two dogs for a hike.