Meet Our Team

Madison started with Sylvan in 2018 as a teacher and has moved into the Director of Education role where she oversees the educational integrity of our programs, meets with parents for conferences, and manages and trains our tutors in Schaumburg. Madison brings a wealth of knowledge to Sylvan and a passion for providing top-notch programs to our students.  She holds a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education.  When Madison isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her involved in Yoga or spending time outdoors.

Heather believes in the power of personalized lessons for all students. She enjoys meeting with incoming and current families to develop the best learning plan for each student. She knows that academic success isn’t just about teaching facts but also about building confidence and a love for learning. 

Danielle started with Sylvan as a tutor in 2020 and was a huge help to so many students who were struggling through education during Covid. Danielle is now our Assistant Education Director and while she still spends a lot of time teaching our students, she also conducts conferences with families, ensures proper instruction of our programs, and updates student programs as needed.

Jen has been involved in education for the past 21 years. She has worked as a substitute teacher, has taught fourth and sixth grades, and currently teaches reading to first graders. She has been working at Sylvan in Schaumburg, IL since 2006 and enjoys working with the students. Her greatest love is teaching and reading to her students. Her goal is to make learning fun for every student! When she is not at Sylvan she is playing with her pets, cooking, and/or singing. La La La!!

I have been teaching for about 10 years as a high school math teacher and teaching at Sylvan for about 8 years in total. I’ve always enjoyed the ability to teach a different age group than I normally do in my day-to-day career, as well as subjects that vary from mine. Working with students who experience success is very rewarding, and I always try to motivate those who need it in different ways. When not teaching, I enjoy watching all four major sports, collecting Transformers, trying new foods, and traveling to new places.

Tara is a science and math teacher with a gift for working with learners of all ages.  While Tara has many talents, she finds the greatest joy in teaching the sciences.  Tara holds multiple degrees in science and education.  When Tara isn’t at Sylvan you’ll find her enjoying time with family, friends, and her dog Coco.

Ken has been in the education field since 1993. His passion for education dates back to tutoring kids in a Big Buddy program in the ‘80’s. “Once I saw the difference an individualized approach can have on a child’s learning, I knew I would work in education in some capacity!” After 20+ years with different tutoring organizations, Ken was attracted to Sylvan based on it’s reputation, people and innovation. Sylvan’s recent investment in an iPad driven educational platform for delivering instruction is unique in the tutoring world, and allows for the optimal integration of a high-touch, teacher-driven learning experience and a high-tech, digital environment that fuels results. Ken bought the Lake Zurich and Schaumburg Sylvan locations in 2014 and is actively involved day-to-day as Regional Director. Ken’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Notre Dame, and he has a Masters from Harvard University. When not at Sylvan, you can find him shuttling his three children around Barrington, coaching one of their teams, or playing softball (not quite retired yet!)