Roxann Staursky

District Manager, Austin and Center Director at North Austin

Roxann has a Master's Degree in Reading Education, a Bachelor's Degree in English, and is certified in teaching special education K-12 as well as English 6-12. Her teaching background is varied, as she has taught pre-K through 8th grade for students with a broad spectrum of learning needs.

She first joined Sylvan in 1996 as a part time instructor and has been with Sylvan ever since! Moving back and forth between Sylvan part-time/full-time and public education in the schools, she realized in 2004 that her heart was with Sylvan and being part of such wonderful success for the students who attend our centers.

She is now the District Manager for the Austin area centers as well as the Center Director at the North Austin location.

Please call her anytime to schedule a consultation or just to chat about what Sylvan can do for your child!

Ashley Crisp

Lead Teacher/Tester

Ashley received her Bachelor's Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Northern Illinois University. She is a certified teacher in Biology and other sciences for grades 6-12. Ashley is currently a Ph.D student at UT-Austin in Cellular/Molecular Biology.

Ashley has been a teacher at Sylvan since March, 2008. She teaches all levels of reading, writing, and math. She also does SAT prep, and homework support in Chemistry and Physics.

What Ashley enjoys about Sylvan is "getting to work with the students. It is great to interact with them and help them to know more about a subject when they leave than when they first walked in. The students are great. If they don't understand something, they don't get too frustrated about it. The students keep working at a problem until they understand it, and that drive to learn more is great! The motivation to learn is something you don't see in every student, but the Sylvan students do have that motivation."

Deborah Carlson

Teacher

Deborah started teaching with Sylvan in the fall of 2007. She has a B.A. in Christian Education and is a certified elementary teacher. She has taught in private schools for over 20 years.

At Sylvan, Deborah teaches beginning and academic reading, writing, and math. What she loves about Sylvan: "I enjoy working with all ages and different personalities of the students. I'm glad Sylvan has such a variety of programs to teach. I feel like I am always learning something new and enjoy the challenge of it." She also appreciates how encouraging, kind, and patient the directors are to the students and staff. Deborah says: "I enjoy my job and look forward to the times I'm working at Sylvan."

Deborah loves to work out, cook gourmet food, read, and also enjoys singing.

Kathryn McGinney

Teacher

Kathryn earned her Bachelor's of Science in Communication Studies and Business. Currently, Kathryn is a marketing professional for an Austin technology company.

Kathryn has been with the North Austin Sylvan since September of 2008. At Sylvan, Kathryn teaches upper level math, SAT Math and Verbal, and Study Skills.

In her spare time, Kathryn trains for triathlons!

Robin Von Rosenberg

Teacher

Robin graduated from Texas State University (SWTSU) and has taught in the classroom for 30 years. Now retired, Robin teaches beginning and academic reading, writing,and really enjoys the camaraderie between the students and teachers. After her six months with Sylvan, Robin says: "Sylvan is a wonderful place to work and I feel privileged to be a part of the Sylvan family."

When she's not teaching at the center, Robin volunteers at the hospital and also enjoys reading, movies, walking on her treadmill, and spending time with friends.

Jackie Willard

Director of Education at North Austin

Jackie earned her Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas State University, with a certification in Early Childhood-4th grade.

Jackie has been teaching with Sylvan for over a year now and is trained and certified in Beginning and Academic Reading, Math Essentials, Study Skills, and Academic Writing.

What Jackie says about Sylvan: "I enjoy improving students' attitudes about learning as well as their educational abilities. It feels great when a student says "Oh, that was simple, I couldn't do that last week." I love that Sylvan will work with the student's classroom teacher to help them with what they are working on in the classroom, as well as filling in any gaps they may have in their learning. There is nothing better than seeing a student reach a goal they have been working on. Sylvan makes that possible with their program and how quickly results can be seen."


Jackie also loves Sylvan because of the students: "Sylvan students are hard working and very successful. I think they know that they are our first priority from the minute they walk in the door and the entire time they are here with us. We genuinely love our students, that's why we're here!"

Janet LaHaye

Teacher/Tester

Janet has a B.S. from Southeastern LA University and a M.Ed. from University of New Orleans. She has taught over 25 years in elementary, middle, high school, and administrative positions.
Janet has been at this Sylvan since 2011. Though her roles are mostly administrative, she does teach on occasion. She can teach beginning and academic reading, as well as math essentials.

Joey Faehule

Teacher

Joey has a B.S. in Education, specializing in Math. He has taught 7th grade math and Pre-Algebra in the past. He has 3+ years of Sylvan experience.
Joey has been at our Sylvan since 2010. He can teach academic reading, math essentials, some upper level math, and study skills.

Quandra McGrue

Teacher

Quandra has a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of California-Berkeley. She has been working for over 6 years as a high school science teacher. Quandra has been with Sylvan since 2011 and can teacher upper level math and Homework support in Physics.
In her spare time, Quandra is quite the artist. She loves to both paint on canvas and write poetry.

Laura Carter

Teacher/Tester

Laura is a graduate of Daytona State College. She has national certification in Sign Language. She has worked in Special Education and Sylvan Learning centers for the past 6 years.
Laura has been with our center since 2011. She can teach beginning and academic reading, math essentials, academic writing, and study skills. In addition, Laura tests prospective students and has some administrative duties. She also a huge sports fan—loving the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Lauren McKenna

Teacher

Lauren has a B.S. degree in Exercise and Sports Science. She has been working as a substitute teacher in the Austin area for the past few years. She is also a public health educator; teaching such classes as Get Fit, Get Healthy, and Get Movin’.
Lauren has been with Sylvan since 2010 and teaches beginning and academic reading, math essentials, and academic writing.
When asked what she liked most about school when she was a student, she responded “I felt like my teachers really cared about me, and it made me want to be a good student so they would be proud of me.” This is the kind of attitude she brings to the table every time she teaches and tries to motivate students.

Racheal DeBlanc

Teacher

Racheal has a degree in Applied Learning and Development, with certifications in ESL and Special Education. She has been teaching at the elementary level for over 5 years now.
Racheal has been with Sylvan since 2011 and can teach both Academic Reading and math.
Racheal is a big football fan, rooting on the Texans, Saints, and Patriots to victory!

Regina West

Teacher

Regina has a B.S. degree in 4-8th grade Math, as well as an AA in Business Administration. She has been teaching for over 8 years in both 6th and 7th grades.
Regina has been with Sylvan since 2011 and teaches both Math Essentials and Algebra 1.

Joel Francia

Teacher