Meet Our Team

Robert has been passionate about education since 2018. Before joining Sylvan, he worked as a substitute teacher, supporting students from Pre-K through high school. Since 2020, he’s been part of the Sylvan Lake Zurich team and now serves as our Director of Education. In this role, Robert works closely with students, families, and teachers to ensure every child receives a personalized learning experience and the highest quality education.

Robert believes that learning is a lifelong journey and strives to inspire that same love of learning in every student he meets. Outside of Sylvan, he enjoys bringing history to life through historical reenactments with friends, participating in large events across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri.

Chieko has been part of the Sylvan Lake Zurich team since 2020, when she first joined as a Teacher’s Assistant. While working at Sylvan, she earned her bachelor’s degrees in Secondary Education and English Literature and completed student teaching with high school freshmen and seniors.

As Assistant Director, Chieko loves helping students achieve their goals and celebrating their progress alongside their families every step of the way. She believes that learning is for everybody and strives to make every student feel confident and capable.

Outside of Sylvan, Chieko enjoys discovering new music, collecting unique trinkets, and reading classics like Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A fun fact about her—she was a jazz singer in college, performing weekly with big bands and ensembles and sharing the stage with talented modern jazz musicians at festivals!

Eloise has spent her life helping others learn and grow. She began as a high school German and English teacher, later teaching ESL and supporting adults returning to the workforce. After earning her Master’s in Organizational Development, she spent over 20 years in corporate learning and development before joining Sylvan Lake Zurich in 2021. Eloise especially loves helping Beginning Readers and seeing their excitement as they discover the joy of reading.

Outside of Sylvan, she enjoys book clubs, Chicago’s theater and music scene, and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Austin is an Elementary Special Education Teacher with a passion for helping learners of all ages succeed. He finds the greatest joy in teaching reading and writing and loves watching students grow in confidence as their skills develop. Austin holds multiple degrees in Special Education and is a certified Learning Behavior Specialist.

When he’s not at Sylvan, Austin enjoys spending time with family and friends, and you can often find him out and about with his two dogs, Finn and Stella.

Susan has been part of the Sylvan Lake Zurich team since 2005. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked as an electrical engineer for 10 years before discovering her passion for teaching. At Sylvan, Susan tutors students in Math Essentials, Advanced Math, and Study Skills, as well as provides homework support in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Statistics, and Finite Math. She also teaches the Math and Science portions of Sylvan’s ACT Preparation program.

Susan loves helping students gain confidence and reach their full potential in mathematics, especially when they realize what they’re truly capable of achieving.