Meet Our Team

Joe Liu

Executive Director

Joe earned his Masters in Art Education and an emphasis in Educational Management at the University of Melbourne. He also holds a graduate degree in Education with a teaching certificate in English as a second/foreign language/ ESL Joe is passionate about helping students succeed academically and finds the greatest joy when families reach their goals.

Thomas Fallon

Center Director

Thomas Fallon brings over two decades of distinguished experience in education to his role as Center Director of Sylvan Learning Center and Class 101.  Having taught thousands of students across more than twenty-five public, private, and charter school districts nationwide, his background spans roles including childcare provider, tutor, substitute teacher, teacher’s aide, department director, retired lead teacher, founding director of three successful  companies and a private school. Through this extensive career, he has gained a clear understanding that education is entering a new season, one in which traditional systems must evolve to meet the needs of today’s learners.
Mr. Fallon’s depth of experience has shaped his pedagogy and his unwavering commitment to student success. After retiring from the traditional classroom, he designed an innovative hybrid curriculum that blended online and in-person instruction while homeschooling his two children who have since claimed prestigious awards and full academic scholarships to their University of choice.
“Sylvan Learning has a legacy of fostering academic excellence, and partnering with families to ensure every student is prepared to thrive in an ever-changing world. As Center Director I will work to ensure that every student is equipped with the support needed to develop into confident learners and future leaders.”

-Thomas Fallon, Center Director

Daniel Vo

Class 101 Program Director

As Class 101 Program Director, Daniel is responsible for overseeing program quality, managing the counseling team, and leading the overall operations of the college planning program to ensure impactful and personalized support for students. Daniel previously held the position of Center Director at Sylvan before transitioning into his current role as Class 101 Program Director. Daniel earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Riverside. Throughout his educational journey, he has discovered his passion for teaching and finds joy in helping others understand new concepts and building skills.

Brianne Iversen

Director of Education

Brianne earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, Fullerton. She previously taught as an elementary school teacher in the Tustin Unified School District. Brianne is passionate about inspiring students to develop a positive outlook on learning, challenge themselves, and ultimately thrive academically. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, trying new restaurants and reading. As Director of Education, she oversees Sylvan’s program curriculum, monitors student progress, and promotes a positive learning environment for all students and staff.

Shirlee Smith

Lead Teacher

Shirlee Smith has taught at Sylvan for many years. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology, and from CSU Northridge with an MA in Deaf Education. She also currently holds two California teaching credentials – Multiple Subjects, and Communication Handicapped Specialist. She loves working with students of all ages. When she is not teaching, Shirlee enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and studying the violin.

Angela Ford

Teacher/Center Assistant

Angela grew up in San Francisco and Berkeley. She received her BA in Psychology and Spanish from UC San Diego and her teaching credential from San Francisco State University. Angela taught at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) for 15 years! She taught Kindergarten through 12th grade Spanish.

Marge Packman

Teacher

Marge earned her degree in English with minors in Education and French from Northern Illinois University. She has over 20 years’ experience as a tutor and substitute teacher. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and acting in community theater.

Susan Romito

Teacher

Ms. Susan Romito is one of our widely versed teachers with several credentials. She possesses a California Administrative Service Credential; Bachelor of Arts: Spanish, California Community College Credential: Basic Education/Ethnic Studies, Credential: Single Subject Spanish and English and  California Bilingual Cross-Cultural Specialist Credential K-12.

Conor Matthews

Teacher

Mr. Conor earned his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s in Teaching at the University of California, Irvine. As a teacher for nine years, he’s passionate about a wide variety of subjects, including math, writing, and social science. In his free time, Mr. Conor enjoys hiking, going to the gym, reading, and spending time with his dog.

Alexander D'Agostino

Teacher

Mr. Alex is a dedicated teacher with a Bachelor’s of Science in Math from UCI and a Master’s . He graduated from both UCI and CSULB and has been teaching for four years. Mr. Alex’s favorite subject is math, and he hopes to help students flourish and find their potential. In his personal life, Mr. Alex enjoys playing video games.

Roberta Nematzadeh

Teacher

Ms. Roberta earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in Psychology and Art History from Canisius College in New York. She has over 15 years of experience as a substitute teacher in the L.A. Unified School District and in private schools, and as a tutor for people of all ages. Roberta also was an editorial assistant for a major newspaper where she did research, writing, editing, and proofreading. She loves helping students analyze, learn and gain confidence to achieve their own success!

Susan Li

Teacher

Susan received her B.A degree in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan. She possesses a Multi-subject teaching credential.  Passionate about education, she had taught elementary education for a little over 10 years. In her free time,  Susan likes to read and do crossword puzzles.

Pamela Jenkins

Teacher

Pamela Jenkins possesses a Doctorate degree in Education from Pepperdine University. Aside from Sylvan she teaches ESL at Santiago Canyon College. Pam enjoys reading, hiking and going to the theater in her spare time.

Stacy Patriarca

Teacher

Ms. Stacy is a new teacher with seven years of experience as a teacher’s aid with students K-8. She received her Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies at Cal State Fullerton. Ms. Stacy’s favorite subjects are Social Studies and English, and she loves to sing, dance, rollerblade, and play the drums.

Cindy Spitzer

Teacher

Cindy earned her bachelor’s degree in Child Development from California State University, Fullerton and her Masters degree in Educational Administration. She served as teacher, administrator and instructional teaching coach for 30 years with the Santa Ana Unified School District. She is a passionate educator and especially loves the teaching of reading. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, writing and learning new languages!

Deirdre Newman

Teacher

Deirdre earned her B.A degree in Political Science and has a Multi-subject teaching credential from San Francisco State University. She is also an experienced journalist with extensive experience in writing, revising, editing and proof reading.

Paul Ali

Teacher

Paul Ali graduated from the University of Arizona, majoring in secondary education in English. After three years of teaching middle school in Austin, Texas, he entered the University of Texas master’s program, where he studied literature and creative writing. He returned to teaching in Los Angeles, California, where he taught English and intervention reading in the Los Angeles Unified School District for thirty years until he retired. He now spends his time writing novels and plays.

Jeyanthi Supramaniam

Online Teacher

Jeyanthi earned her Bachelors of Science degree from University of Central England, as well as a Specialist Diploma in Teaching & Learning from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She previously worked as a Allied Educator in Singapore public schools where her primary role was to help enchance teaching and learning by providing specialized support and services to students in academic areas. Jeyanthi has enjoyed sharing her time and knowledge serving students and feels that it is the most fullfulling part of her life.

Katie Inamori

Teacher

Katie is new to Orange County and earned her M.A. in Education along with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from UC Davis. When she’s not at Sylvan, she enjoys hiking, spending time at the beach, baking, knitting, and hanging out with her husband and their family.