OUR TEAM
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Dan - Owner
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Dan's passion for learning started at age eight when algebra replaced bedtime stories. A high school math champion and perfect ACT scorer, Dan graduated in three years (at the age of 20) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's in finance. He later traded bonds at the Chicago Board of Trade for five years before moving to New York to focus full-time on tutoring and co-found the company's first office, Pleasantville Prep. In his free time, Dan continues to be an avid learner and hobbyist, with current favorites including photography, woodworking, and travel.
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Matt R. - Owner
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Matt grew up in Armonk. After Byram Hills High School, he graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor's in physics and the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in mechanical engineering. Matt has worked as a project manager for Consolidated Edison Solutions and served as CEO of Third Power, a company developing large-scale energy storage projects for the wholesale electricity sector. He holds two patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for innovative large-scale energy storage technologies. Matt has a passion for building students' confidence and interest in math and science and has an infectious way of sharing his enthusiasm.
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Sam - Owner
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Sam holds a bachelor's in philosophy from the University of Southern California. He is also a published research scientist, having spent four post-grad years in psychology/neuroscience research at Columbia University, where he worked on numerous empirical studies and theoretical projects. A lover of language since excelling at both Latin and Ancient Greek in high school, Sam specializes in SAT/ACT verbal prep and college essays, bringing over nine years of collective tutoring experience. His unique tutoring approach develops content mastery through highly systematic presentation of topics and carefully guided practice, while also leveraging students' natural abilities and a lighthearted learning environment.
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Matt P. - Tutoring Manager
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Matt graduated in the top 1% of his high school class. He earned a B.A. in English from Vassar College, from which he graduated with honors, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English at Ohio State University. Prior to moving to Westchester, he worked in the nonprofit sector as a grant writer, cumulatively raising more than $4 million in funding. As both a math and verbal tutor, Matt prides himself on creating a friendly and inviting atmosphere during each session, with an attentive and personalized approach for each and every student.
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Paul - Tutoring Manager
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Paul is from Pound Ridge and attended Fox Lane High School. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 with a double major in economics and classics. He subsequently spent more than six years living in Busan, South Korea. While teaching ESL to children and adults of all ages, he attended Pusan National University, earning a master's in international business in 2015. After returning to the U.S. in late 2015, Paul opened and ran a test prep tutoring academy in Flushing, Queens, before moving back to Westchester in 2017 to join Pleasantville / Armonk Prep. Paul brings over 10 years of tutoring experience and serves not only as a core tutor but also curriculum developer and operational manager.
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Ed - Director of School-Based Operations
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Ed earned a B.S. from SUNY Geneseo in History with NYS certification to teach social studies (grades 7-12) and stayed in Geneseo to complete his Master's of Education, graduating with a GPA of 4.0. He taught in both the Geneseo and Rye school districts before becoming a school programs director for a technology company in Stamford, CT, servicing a district of more than 4,500 students. Over the past ten years, Ed has successfully tutored hundreds of students for the SAT/ACT verbal sections and social studies. As the company's head of school programming, he also works to facilitate relationships with local schools, bringing high-quality tutoring and test prep to the classroom setting.
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Lauren - Office Manager
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Lauren is a long-time resident of Armonk and Pleasantville and the proud mother of three children who have attended Byram Hills, including one current rising Junior. She graduated Duke University magna cum laude with a double major in economics and art history and later worked as Senior Vice President at Aon Risk Services, designing and marketing global property and casualty insurance programs for Fortune 500 companies. As office manager, Lauren brings not only her organizational and logistical expertise but also the unique and caring perspective of a mother who's helped her own children navigate the pressures of today's ultra-competitive academic climate.
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Jennifer - Assistant Office Manager
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Jennifer is a long-time resident of Scarsdale and has a master’s degree in Journalism from NYU and a master’s in Education from Columbia Teachers College. She taught 1st and 2nd grade in the Bedford School District in the early 1990s. As assistant office manager, Jennifer brings her attention to detail and organization skills as well as an in-depth understanding of the rigors of attending a competitive high school and the subsequent college application process.
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Aaron - Assistant College Advisor
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Aaron graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in economic history from the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout his time at UPenn, Aaron worked with friends and family members on strategic college admissions advice, essay and personal statement guidance as well as narrative accentuation uniquely tailored to each student. He believes that forging genuine and authentic relationships with each student provides the foundation for unlocking a student’s potential. In his free time, Aaron enjoys hanging out with friends, hiking and participating in all things sports.
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Isabelle - Tutor
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Isabelle graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in behavioral neuroscience and a dual minor in human services and cultural anthropology. She worked as a research assistant in the Neurobiology Department at Harvard Medical School, studying how the various neural networks that support cognition--such as hearing, vision, and memory--acquire their unique properties. In addition, Isabelle spent seven months as an EMT in Boston. In her spare time, she served as an EMS instructor at Boston University, teaching prospective EMTs essential skills and protocols and preparing students to take the state and national exams. These experiences required her to be highly accountable, adaptable, and able to create quick rapport, qualities she likewise brings to each tutoring session.
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Staci - Tutor
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Staci graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Cortland with a BA in Adolescent English Education and then went on to pursue an MS in Adolescent Special Education from SUNY New Paltz. She earned a PhD in Contemporary Learning & Interdisciplinary Research with a concentration on students with disabilities from Fordham University and has been teaching high school special education and English for over 11 years. Staci has extensive experience tutoring students with diverse learning profiles and strives to assist all learners to become confident and competent. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for all things reading, writing, and grammar.
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Gabriel - Tutor
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Gabriel graduated with honors from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in acting and English/American Literature. She is passionate about teaming up with students on their English work, college essay writing, and verbal standardized test preparation. Gabriel’s writing clients have gained acceptance to masters and PhD programs at Harvard and Columbia University. Her approach is steeped in empathy and encouragement, designed to empower students to do their work with confidence. Gabriel also works as a professional actor, singer, and playwright in New York City.
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Matt W. - Tutor
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Matt is originally from Pleasantville but grew up in Moscow, Russia. He returned to the States to complete his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University, graduating magna cum laude. Matt scored in the top 1% on the chemistry and physics sections of the MCAT and works as a research assistant at New York Medical College, with plans to attend medical school. Matt tutors the Math and Science sections of the SAT/ACT, as well as various math and science school subjects.
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Lizzie - Tutor
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Lizzie graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Human Biology, Health and Society and currently conducts prostate cancer research at Weill Cornell Medical College. She brings 6 years of tutoring and teaching experience in a variety of settings, including private tutoring, student-athlete academic support, and serving as teaching assistant for Cornell courses in biochemistry and educational psychology. Lizzie specializes in all math and science-based school support through college level. Her approach centers on providing an encouraging educational environment for students—ensuring they feel confident and supported as they master challenging concepts,
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Geneva - Tutor
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Geneva graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in public policy and currently splits her time between working in political campaigns and tutoring. She specializes in ACT preparation as well as statistics and calculus. Geneva is exceptionally good at building close, supportive relationships with students to develop confident, successful learners.
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Anahita - Tutor
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Anahita, a former high school valedictorian, graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology and currently conducts vascular and cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center. While in college, Anahita served as a private tutor, study group leader, and teaching assistant for courses such as cell biology, biochemistry, and physics, and has scored in the 96th percentile on the MCAT. Anahita now specializes in tutoring for math and science and enjoys sharing with every student her passion for learning and her organized approach to academic success.
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Michal - Tutor
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Michal is a certified math teacher with a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and a master's degree from NYU. She brings several years of experience teaching 7-12th math in the New York City and Greenwich public school districts, as well as seven years of experience as a private tutor throughout Westchester and Connecticut. She believes in making math make sense rather than memorizing formulas, and above all, tries to instill the same excitement she has for math in each and every student.
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Tomasina - Tutor
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Tomasina graduated from Cornell University in 2019 with a B.S. in Human Biology, Health and Society, and a dual minor in Health Policy and Inequality Studies while also competing on the varsity lacrosse team. Throughout her time at Cornell, she served as a teaching assistant and private tutor for biochemistry and biology and worked as an assistant teacher for middle school students in Ithaca. Tomasina is currently working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia while applying to medical school and has published research in Sports Medicine. She specializes in science and math support and enjoys participating in the growth of her students while sharing her passion for learning.
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Natalie - Tutor
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Natalie graduated from Clemson University where she received a B.S. in Biosystems Engineering and a minor in Sustainability. In addition to studying renewable energy systems at school, Natalie developed a passion for education. After rapidly becoming an adept and experienced tutor for the ACT, SAT, and a variety of math subjects, Natalie returned to Pleasantville after graduation and joined the team at Pleasantville, Armonk & Scarsdale Prep. Her creativity and enthusiasm working with students has quickly made her a favorite among our clients.
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Victoria - Tutor
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Victoria is a graduate of Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, from which she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in science and technology studies and minor in Earth sciences. She worked as a genetic counseling assistant at Boston Children's Health Physicians practice in Valhalla, NY and is now an MD candidate at the NYU School of Medicine (1% acceptance rate). Victoria specializes in all core high school science subjects as well as medical school application advising.
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"I want to sincerely thank the both of you for everything. Thank you for helping me, pushing me and for never giving up. If you told me back in April that I would have gotten a 30 in September I would have laughed but look at us, we actually did it." |