Tessa Apschnikat

Director of Education

Tessa recently joined our team when she relocated to San Francisco, and she loves living in California! Her Master of Arts in Teaching is from the University of Louisville, and she has over 14 years of experience in the field of education, primarily as a high school English teacher. She has also been a preschool director and a software journal editor. Her favorite activities include reading, traveling, cooking, walking (especially by the beach!), and hiking.

Contact Tessa by email at: tessa@sylvansanrafael.com

Lauren Hucke

Academic Support and Dedicated Teacher

Lauren has been with Sylvan Learning Center since 2010. She graduated from Sonoma State University with her teaching credential in Social Studies and her BA in Liberal Studies. Currently, Lauren is also pursuing her English credential. In her free time, Lauren enjoys hiking, baking, and spending time with her family.

Teri Randall

Dedicated Teacher

Teri has a California teaching credential in Math and Science (K-12), her BS from UC Berkeley, and has recently earned her Master's in teaching Math for grades 5-9. She has been a member of the Sylvan team since 2010 and loves working with children of all ages!

Madeline Armstrong

Dedicated Teacher

Madeline, a Sylvan team member since 2010, is a retired New York teacher. She is certified to teach N-6 Common Branches and 7-12 English. The last part of her career saw Madeline as a Math Facilitator, training teachers to teach Math. Madeline's Master's degree in teaching is from New York University. She has also taught knitting and cooking and is a member of the Redwood Country Cloggers.

Jim Fish

Dedicated Teacher

Jim has been a Sylvan dedicated tutor in all areas for 8 years, a substitute teacher for 2 years, and is currently teaching Algebra II at a local high school. When Jim has spare time, he does magic. Jim will receive his Math/Science California credential for Christmas!

Kate Behr

Dedicated Teacher

Kate Behr came to Sylvan over 3 years ago because she loves teaching children to read. She brings a sense of fun and play to learning while ensuring that her students perform to their fullest potential. Kate's theater background, enables her to add a sense of silliness to her teaching. She can often be heard singing and reading with a variety of voices and accents! In her free time, Kate enjoys hiking, photography, and spending time with her rescue kitties – Oliver, Livliv, and Brown Baby. She is also working on her 1st children’s book.

John Serena

Dedicated Teacher

John graduated from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) with a degree in philosophy. He has been a part of the Sylvan team since 2010 and has tutored in the Bay Area for the past six years. John strives to impart a spirit of curiosity and discovery in his students. In his spare time, John enjoys running, reading, and sailing on the San Francisco Bay.

Denise Berry

Dedicated Teacher

Livia Santos

Administrative Director

Livia Santos started with Sylvan in May of 2008. She comes to us with a background in college planning, and is currently working towards her BA.

Currently, Livia is responsible for overall communications at the San Rafael Center. She is fielding phone calls from parents and students regarding schedule changes, and oversees the student and teacher schedules. This is likely one of the most complicated pieces at the Center- dealing with changing needs of parents, students and staff. Livia is also responsible for communicating and confirming conferences and tests, taking initial inquiry calls. In addition, Livia handles general accounting, monthly billing and working with the team on community outreach and annual planning. Livia supports the administrative and educational staff in organizing the many facets involved in running and planning for a Sylvan Learning Center!

Livia loves working in an environment where she can help make a difference in children's education and how they feel about learning.

Contact Livia by email at:
livia@sylvansanrafael.com

Annette Mixon

Director of Administration/Operations

Annette Mixon is the Director in charge of Administration and Center Operations. She has her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential along with a Masters Degree in Adult Education and Program Planning from SFSU. She worked for the SFSU Urban Community Family Service Project before joining Sylvan 11 years ago. During her tenure with Sylvan she has served as Center Director and Franchise Business Consultant working with franchisees and staff in the Pacific Northwest.

Kelly Page

Director of Academics/Operations

Kelly Page has her K-9 Teaching Credential earned at University of Illinois-Chicago. She taught for 3 years in Chicago before moving to the Bay Area. In her more than 12 years with Sylvan, she has served in just about every capacity, from Director of Education to District Manager overseeing operations and educational programs in multiple centers in the Bay Area.