EDUCATORS

We hire the most qualified and dedicated educators in the Bay Area and provide them with the best training possible to enhance their skills. Our tutors include graduates from top-ranked colleges and universities across the country as well as future and former teachers whose lives are devoted to education. See brief bios below for a sampling of our educational staff.

Ben Byrd is a Washington, DC, native who hails from a family of educators.  He graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University, and spent semesters abroad in southern Mexico and the Dominican Republic.  While in college he worked as a mentor and tutor with students in East Harlem, New York, Boston, and Washington, DC.  Before moving to the Bay Area he taught 5th grade at a charter school in Washington, DC, where he coached the soccer team and directed the chorus.  He enjoys sports, music, and being outdoors.

Megan Cole has a BA in Spanish from SFSU, completed a graduate course at NYU in Spanish Translation and took courses with Landmark Education for 6 years. She spent a semester in Oaxaca, Mexico and visits Mexico on a regular basis, including a backpacking trip from Mexico City to Costa Rica. She teaches Spanish part-time at Piedmont High School (where she graduated in 1991) and has also taught for 3 years at Golden Gate Apple, in Kensington. Her interest in Spanish speaking cultures extends beyond school and travel: she is an avid salsa dancer and enjoys cooking and trying different kinds of Latin American cuisines. She is also a proud owner of 2 Persian cats, and participates in campaigns with API or volunteers at the Himalayan and Persian Cat Rescue in Mill Valley. She runs an online aromatherapy store with a product line designed to educate consumers about the dangers of ingredients used in many bath and body products.

Kyla Danysh is a Berkeley native who discovered her love of teaching while living in Martinique in the French West Indies. She currently works as a Literary Specialist for middle school students. In her free time Kyla enjoys learning new styles of music on the violin, writing and spending time outdoors.

Hannah Greene grew up in Concord, Massachusetts where she was active as a soccer player and as a violinist. She has a BA in history from Yale University where she volunteered as an English and math tutor and violin teacher for high school students. After graduation, Hannah spent a year in Western Massachusetts working for AmeriCorps as a liaison between teachers in the public schools, college professors, and community organizations to aid in carrying out service-learning projects. She is currently a graduate student in the music history program at UC Berkeley, where she has taught undergraduate courses on Western music history, basic musicianship, and choral singing. She participated in a middle school mentoring program in the Emeryville Public Schools and assisted the String Orchestra of the Young Musicians Program during their summer session.

Corey Harkey holds a degree in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley. While completing his degree he worked part time teaching standardized test preparation. This experience led him to redirect his academic efforts towards understanding the complexities that affect students' opportunities. Upon graduation, he committed himself to addressing the achievement gaps that exist between communities and across demographics. As Aspire Education Project's Director of Test Prep Services, Corey works to make the college matriculation process as smooth as possible for as many students and their families as he can. He plans to attend graduate school in order to pursue a career improving education in California. In his free time, Corey enjoys reading, cycling, and rooting for hometown sports teams.

Daniel Kim grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Southern California, and Texas. During his years in high school, he was an active member of his school, participating in clubs such as Academic Decathlon and Interact. In addition to his extracurricular activities, he tutored math as a part time job. During the summer, he tutored math and chemistry in a community college. Currently, he is a freshman Nuclear and Electrical/Computer Science engineer at UC Berkeley. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to all kinds of music, playing guitar, and going outside to play frisbee.

Cristina Lau is a Bachelor’s degree candidate in Asian Studies, with a focus on China, at UC Berkeley. Cristina has worked as an English Language Learner Tutor for the Cantonese-speaking youth at Treasure Island Job Corps and also as a language trainer for IOR Global Services. She is the founder and director of an English-Spanish language program for Chinese children in Tijuana, Mexico that runs during winter and summer academic breaks. While growing up in Mexico and the United States as an ethnic Chinese, Cristina struggled as a child to learn and maintain three different languages and cultures. Now that she has mastered in balancing her diverse background, Cristina is dedicated at providing assistance to students who are experiencing language and cultural barriers. For leisure she likes to teach cooking classes, exercise and travel.

Jeanie Lerner earned a BA in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an MA in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds two Clear California Teaching Credentials: Multiple Subject and English. While her primary love is language, she considers that to include math; she often quotes her high school algebra teacher, who said, “Math is the universal language.” In addition to academic subjects Jeanie teaches Aikido (in which she holds the rank of shodan) and yoga. She has had a varied career outside of teaching including positions as Executive Assistant, Managing Editor and Senior Public Administrative Analyst. As a volunteer at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum she worked with mammals and raptors and helped found the Ask Me team. When she’s not working, Jeanie enjoys reading, hiking, playing with her dog, watching movies, visiting with her family, and baking.

Mausmi Mehta grew up in Texas and India, and attended MIT for her B.S. in Biology.  Seeking to apply her molecular biological training to the field of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, she completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle.  Mausmi recently moved to the Bay Area, where she decided to take a break from research science and taught Physical Science and Water & Environment at John Swett High School in Crockett.  In her spare time, Mausmi likes to spend time with her family and friends, brew her own wine, grow vegetables and go hiking.

Howard Nathel is involved with Oakland's Youth.  Through his volunteer work with Students Run Oakland he mentors, trains, and tutors students and is active in fundraising and grant writing. Howard holds a B.A. from Cornell University, a Ph.D from U.C. Berkeley, and was on staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 11 years, becoming a consultant in 1996. Howard is currently on the Board of Directors for Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation. He has served on the Technical Council of the Optical Society of America, the Restoration Advisory Board for the Presidio of San Francisco, Board of Directors of LaserSonix, Inc., and as an assistant coach for Berkeley High's golf team.

Peter Rich is a UC Berkeley alum with background in urban education, specializing in student empowerment. He was awarded the undergraduate Departmental Citation from the Department of Sociology in 2004 for his thesis research studying the history of racial residential segregation in the City of Berkeley. Following his studies, Peter worked for several years with Making Waves Education Program in Richmond, CA, founding the Math Empowerment department which provides specialized concept-based math instruction for high school students. Additionally, in 2008-2009, Peter managed an academic- and enrichment-oriented after-school program at East Oakland School of the Arts. Peter has traveled extensively in India (where he also taught mathematics), Nepal, Southeast Asia, and Guatemala. He has a passion for learning from and supporting oppressed communities across the world, and is looking forward to a related PhD program in the near future. He enjoys rock-climbing, backpacking, and reading in his free time.

Angel Yan grew up in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. when she was 11 years old. She graduated from James Loagan High School with highest honors and is completing her studies in Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC Berkeley. In her free time she plays piano, keeps a scrapbook and volunteers in the Pharmacy and Emergency Departments in the hospital.