Meet Our Team

Laura Vollmer

Center Director/Executive Director

As Executive Director, Laura oversees the Center Directors at the Springfield and Peoria locations and leads daily operations at the Normal location. Laura oversees the educational integrity of our programs, and manages and trains our team of teachers in Bloomington/Normal. She joins Sylvan with a bachelor’s degree in education from Illinois State University. A former teacher in Bloomington/Normal, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge to Sylvan. When Laura isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her spending time with her husband and three children, volunteering at her church, and spending time with her friends and family.

Vanessa Ross

CENTER DIRECTOR/OWNER

As Center Director, Vanessa leads operations for Sylvan of Springfield. A Project Manager by trade, Vanessa chose a career in the tutoring business because she wanted to help families and kids build confidence and knowledge. Vanessa studied at Truman State University, and UIS-Springfield, earning her M.B.A. When Vanessa isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her spending time with her family, her husband Phil, and two kids, Flynn and Oliver Ross.

Phil Ross

CENTER DIRECTOR/OWNER

As an Owner, Phil leads operations for Sylvan of Springfield. An RF engineer by trade, Phil chose a career in the tutoring business because he wanted to help our families and kids in the community gain knowledge and confidence. He studied at The University of Missouri-Rolla, and UIS-Springfield, earning his M.B.A. When Phil isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him spending time with his wife, Vanessa, and two kids, Flynn and Oliver Ross.

Marcus Minteer

Tutor

Marcus is a tutor in Bloomington/Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Marcus has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in higher level math tutoring. He studied at Illinois State University. Marcus is also a full time teacher. Outside of teaching, he enjoys art, reading, learning new things, learning new languages, swimming, sailing, kayaking, playing music, and hiking.

Clarisse Slater

Tutor

Clarisse is a tutor in Bloomington/Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Clarisse has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in teaching our reading and math programs to our elementary and middle school students. Clarisse has her bachelors degree in Special Education, Elementary Education from Illinois State University. She has her master’s degree from University of Illinois in Special Education.  When Clarisse isn’t at Sylvan, she likes to garden, especially container gardening. She likes to stay active in cardio dance and weight bearing programs at Four Seasons. She is also pretty busy with her grandchildren!

Imoni Smith

Tutor

Imoni is a teacher at Sylvan in Normal, IL. She enjoys teaching her students in Reading, Math and SAT/ACT Prep. She loves making connections and forming bonds with her students. Imoni is a student at Illinois State University and is majoring in Sociology. Outside of tutoring, she enjoys reading, baking and dancing.

Kal Schmitt

Tutor

Kal Schmitt is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Kal has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in math and science tutoring and ACT/SAT prep. He studies at The University of Iowa and Heartland Community College. When Kal isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him hiking, rock climbing, or spending time with his dogs.

Paulina Janikowski

Tutor

Paulina is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Paulina has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in reading and Spanish tutoring. She studies at Illinois State University. When Paulina isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her at the gym, cooking/baking or studying at the library!

Breanna Deutsch

Tutor

Breanna is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Breanna has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in math tutoring. She studies at Illinois State University. When Breanna isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her listening to music and coloring.

Kiera Brace

Tutor

Kiera is a tutor in Normal, IL, with lots of experience working with kids, big or small. While she has many tutoring talents, Kiera loves math, specifically algebra and trigonometry. She is currently studying Fashion Design and Product Development at ISU. When she isn’t at Sylvan or school, you can find her reading a good book and snuggling with her many squishmallows.

Jack Bach

Tutor

Jack is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Jack has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in math tutoring. He studied at Central Michigan University. When Jack isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him playing baseball at Central Michigan, on the golf course, or spending time with friends.

Rachel Brozenec

Tutor

Rachel is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Rachel has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in math tutoring. She studies at Illinois State University. When Rachel isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her reading, running, or riding her bike.

Alison Skelton

Tutor

Alison is a tutor in Normal, Illinois with a gift for working with kids. While Alison has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in tutoring French and reading. She is currently studying to become a French teacher at Illinois State University. When Alison isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her baking, crocheting or reading.

Allyson Moldovan

Tutor

Allyson is a tutor in Normal, Illinois with a gift for working with kids. While Allyson has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in math tutoring. She is currently a student at Illinois State University, working towards her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Mathematics. When Allyson isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her hanging out with friends, going on walks, grabbing a cup of coffee, or listening to music!

Ava Gutowsky

Tutor

Ava is a tutor in Normal, IL with a gift for working with kids. While Ava has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in reading tutoring. She studied at Illinois State University. When Ava isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her drawing, reading, or hanging out with friends.