Meet Our Team

Todd Crabtree

Executive Director

Todd is our Executive Director and has a life-long passion for helping kids achieve academic success.  Todd is the first to graduate from college in his family and served in the Marine Corp for twelve years.  He has been running learning centers since 1998 and he fully understands the impact a good education can have on a child’s life.  A native Southern California, Todd studied at Cal State Fullerton where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Theater Arts. When Todd isn’t working he’s a full-time husband and Dad, driving his son from one practice to the next.  He fully understands what every parent goes through, trying to help their child become the best he or she can be.

Nikka Jalbuena

Director of Education

Nikka graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor’s in Communicative Disorders and Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology, and a Minor in Linguistics. She also graduated from Pierce College with an associate degree in child development, early education emphasis. Nikka began working at Sylvan during her senior year of college and was planning to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology, but with time, her affection for Sylvan grew. She enjoys collaborating with families and supporting students in their academic endeavors. She recognizes the value of prioritizing a child’s education because she is a mother herself. She enjoys spending her free time visiting Six Flags, going to the park with her son, and playing video games. Nikka’s educational philosophy is that getting a head start is always a good idea and that every student should have access to a quality education so that they can succeed and feel good about themselves.

Jessica

Tutor

Jessica was an elementary school teacher at Reseda Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District, for 20 years. Before that, she taught history and writing to college students at UCLA for five years. She has also taught preschool, been a substitute teacher in middle and high school, taught dance to all ages, and film production and screenwriting to college students at the New School for Social Research in New York City. She enjoys working with small groups and individual students as a tutor for Sylvan.

Frida

Tutor

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Frida received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in English from Occidental College in Eagle Rock, CA in 2017. She is currently in the process of gaining her teaching credential from CSUN with a focus on working at an elementary level. Frida is thrilled to work at Sylvan and have the opportunity to continue her work in the field of education. She looks forward to inspiring students’ successes now and in the future. She loves that teaching can provide big changes through the smallest actions. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, baking pies, and spending time with her senior Pomeranian, Petey.

Rebecca

Rebecca has over fifteen years of teaching experience, with a BA in Art and a Jewish Studies minor from CSUN. She has worked as an art instructor, high school English teacher, and taught Visual Arts at Options for Youth. During the pandemic, she adapted to remote teaching and later published a children’s memoir, “The ‘Almost’ Halloween Baby,” under the pen name Becca B. In her free time, she runs a YouTube channel featuring book reviews and author interviews, sings with the San Fernando Valley Master Chorale, and is learning the harp.

Adrian

Tutor

Adrian graduated from CSUN in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. However, he is also an alumnus of Yale University, having previously spent 3 years studying for a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics. He discovered a passion for teaching and advising when, through volunteer work as an undergraduate, he helped a senior in high school write their personal statement for their college application. One thing he particularly enjoys about tutoring at Sylvan is seeing the progress students make in their learning, be it in small steps or giant leaps. Alongside enjoying the company of friends and family, his free time is primarily spent one of three ways: attending dance class, practicing and/or recording guitar and bass covers of songs he loves, or watching exceedingly nerdy Youtube videos about math and science.