BILTMORE’S TUTOR REQUIREMENTS
- Master’s Degree and/or PhD
- Teaching Experience
- Extensive Background Check
- Exceptional Interpersonal and Motivational Skills
QUALIFICATIONS: All of our tutors have Master’s degrees or PhD’s and extensive teaching experience. Beyond these industry-leading requirements, Biltmore Tutoring looks for individuals who have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills. Once a potential tutor meets these qualifications, Biltmore Tutoring runs an exhaustive background check and selects only those who measure up to our standard of excellence.
TRAINING: Tutor training at Biltmore Tutoring is extensive. After meeting initial requirements, our tutors must train for between 30 and 100 hours for each test they will teach. During this time, our tutors are taught proprietary teaching methods and strategies; they observe tutoring sessions; and analyze and annotate all relevant texts, tests and other publications. Finally, our tutors must complete a certification interview with a senior staffer. This process ensures that each and every Biltmore tutor meets our strict standards of educational excellence.
EXPERIENCE: Just as important as our hiring and training policies are our tutor retention efforts. Biltmore Tutoring provides our tutors with an environment in which they can continue to pursue their own pursuit of personal excellence, without many of the headaches associated with traditional teaching or those associated with in-home tutoring (travel, etc.) As a result, we are able to attract and retain the best tutors in the area.
All of Biltmore Tutoring’s specialists possess a minimum of a Master’s Degree along with teaching experience, and are experts in their subject areas. Call us today for a free academic consultation, and a guaranteed tutor match with your child.
OUR TUTORS
Dr. MARJORIE TIMMS, PhD
Dr. Marjorie Timms brings a rich history of training, research and direct classroom experience to the creation of individualized programs in Writing, Reading, and Communication Arts. With a broad range of teaching experiences in both remediation and enrichment of communication skill development, Dr. Timms combines thorough assessment with innovative, research-based strategies to provide a personalized approach to developmental communication. At Biltmore Tutoring, Dr. Timms serves as a mentor, guide, and tutor in helping students to develop effective creative, scholarly, or technical writing. Sessions may involve the infusion of creative and expressive arts or focus on identified communication needs. In addition, Marjorie offers preparation for standardized tests, such as the PSAT/SAT/ACT/SSAT, college entrance essays, study and learning skills, or skills in public speaking and group presentation. Aspects of interpersonal communication may be woven into sessions, with opportunities for practicing skills in conflict resolution, strengthening confidence in communication or refining skills in personal and social communication.
Goal-oriented sessions are based on a combination of diagnostic-prescriptive assessment and identification of learning strengths and special abilities, with a pragmatic focus on incorporating individualized learning styles and multiple forms of intelligence, along with motivational multi-modal, experiential learning and a systematic achievement of mutually-selected goals.
A graduate of Northwestern University’s renowned School of Communication, with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and English Education, including combined studies in the Interpretation of Literature, Theatre, and Public Speaking, Marjorie has retained a focus on creative arts infusion and dynamic, interactive learning experiences. Graduate studies have included two Magna Cum Laude Masters degrees – a Master of Arts in Drama: Acting and Directing from West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center and a Master of Science in Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology from Ithaca College in New York. In addition to completing a 5-year research grant in language and reading from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Timms was awarded a Doctorate in Special Education, with a focus on curriculum design and instruction. Marjorie also studied conflict resolution and mediation with Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, resulting in a nine-year project incorporating Rosenberg’s nonviolent communication model (NVC) in work with young people, family communication, and resolving interpersonal communication issues.
Dr. Timms holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech/Language Pathology, (CCC-Sp/L) along with Professional Teaching Certification in Language Arts, English, Speech Communication, Drama/Theatre and Special Education. She has also been honored with Master Teacher status, Who’s Who in American Women, the Woodbury Reports ‘Excellence in Education’ award and over 250 grants for her innovative work in expressive arts and communication for both gifted students and students with learning challenges, as well as ‘twice-exceptional’ gifted learning disabled students.
Marjorie’s particular area of expertise involves her belief in discovering or rediscovering each student’s special gifts and abilities as a springboard to overcoming barriers to achievement.
Subjects: AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; College Essay Writing; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; ACT English; ACT Reading; Reading and Study Skills; GRE; SSAT
Dr. MARY MAC OGDEN, PhD
Dr. Mary Mac Ogden has over twenty years of teaching experience at the secondary and college levels. She is a published author and conducts research on southern politics, civil rights and American nationalism. Her book, The Politics of Progress in South Carolina, is currently in publication at the University of South Carolina Press.
Dr. Ogden received her B.S. in History from Presbyterian College, an M.A. in History from UNC Wilmington, an M.Ed. in Secondary Social Studies, a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies and a PhD in American History with special fields of US South and American Women from the University of South Carolina. She is a Guardian Ad Litem and a freelance writer, and holds teaching licenses in North and South Carolina. Her special interests are traveling, conducting research, renovations and resale of estate jewelry.
Subjects: AP US History
Dr. JON TEBBE, PhD
Jon Tebbe obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Colorado at Boulder, and earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. His main research focus employs quantum chemistry to model transport and degradation reactions in lithium-ion batteries. With over a decade of tutoring experience, Jon has worked with students ranging from grade school to graduate school and ESL students at all levels. Additionally, he has taught both introductory and intermediate engineering core classes for undergraduates. Most recently, he has led Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) hands-on activities and lessons for 8th graders, focused on the physical sciences.
Jon particularly enjoys working with small groups of students, where he can get to know the student and fuel their interest in learning and exploration. Natural phenomena provide an abundance of questions to drive students’ curiosity and desire to learn science, and Jon finds that this curiosity and the student’s own creativity lead to brilliant engineering works – even if it is as simple as a popsicle tower. He started his own STEM career in the Boy Scouts, learning ecology and biology, as well as practical engineering skills. When he is not researching or teaching, you will find him digging up the garden or tinkering with arduinos and other electronics.
Subjects: AP Calculus; AP Physics; Algebra I – II; Geometry; Trigonometry; Calculus I-III; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science; GRE; GMAT; SSAT; AP Chemistry; Honors Chemistry; College Chemistry
Dr. DIANA OREM, PhD
Dr. Diana Orem earned her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. degree in Psychology and Honors in Psychology from UCF as well. Diana’s subspecialty is the treatment of serious and persistent psychopathology and she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in this area at the University of California San Diego/VA San Diego Healthcare System. She has conducted research and published manuscripts on topics such as attention and cognition in individuals with schizophrenia. After completing her doctoral degree, she accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at California State University, Stanislaus. There she taught undergraduate and graduate students in the Psychology Department and served as an advisor and mentor as well. She has a passion for working one-on-one with students on anything from teaching subject content, to working on test anxiety, to preparing for admissions exams. In addition to indulging her lifelong fascination with mathematics, Diana enjoys working with students on developing educational and career goals!
Currently, Diana is a licensed and practicing clinical psychologist in Asheville, North Carolina. She has focused on full-time clinical positions for the past several years but is very excited to teach mathematics again as a tutor for Biltmore Tutoring. With her background in psychology, Diana brings a unique approach into her role as a tutor as she is keen to identify challenges and barriers to effective learning such as test anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, and issues with confidence. Her goal is to meet each student where he or she is functioning currently and create an attainable, step-by-step pathway to the student’s academic goal(s).
Staying in touch with students over the years and sharing in their successes has been one of Diana’s most valued and rewarding professional experiences.
Subjects: Algebra I – II; Math I-III; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science; SSAT Math; SAT Math I Subject Test; SAT Math II Subject Test; College Algebra
Dr. IOAN MUNTEAN, PhD
Ioan has a PhD in the Philosophy of Physics from the University of California, San Diego as well as a PhD in Philosophy – with a specialization in Metaphysics – from the University of Bucharest in Romania. Ioan achieved a BA and MA in Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy from the University of Bucharest, as well as a BS in applied physics from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest (also in Romania). Ioan currently teaches at UNC-Asheville, and has worked as an instructor and lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University-Purdue, the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was a graduate student instructor at UC-San Diego, and was an associate professor at the University of Bucharest and at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest.
He has a wealth of experience in teaching physics, logic, computational science at the college level. He worked in three countries and he is passionate about improving the STEM education of young people. He has experience with mathematics, physics, computer science, logic, and critical thinking. He’s main pedagogical tool is critical thinking and learning through questions, seeking the “Big Picture.”
Ioan (pronounced Yan) is a member of the Philosophy of Science Association, the American Philosophical Association, the European Philosophy of Science Association, the British Society for the Philosophy of Science; and the Romanian Society for Analytic Philosophy (he is a founding member). He has published or co-authored many papers throughout his career; his most recent was titled Artificial moral cognition: from functionalism to autonomous moral agents, and was published in the journal Philosophy and Computing.
Ioan says that, “Any learning process is a transformative experience, a process that makes us more virtuous and our life worth living. Mathematics is like music, physics is like dance. There is no process of learning without unearthing the inner potential in the student.”
Subjects: Algebra I – II; Math I-III; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science; SSAT Math; SAT Math I Subject Test; SAT Math II Subject Test; College Algebra; AP Calculus; Calculus I-III; AP Physics, College Physics; AP Statistics
LEA McLELLAN, MFA
Lea McLellan completed her graduate degree in nonfiction writing at Emerson College in Boston where she received a full tuition fellowship and studied under acclaimed writers and poets. Her undergraduate degree was in Religion with a minor in Chinese language at the University of Vermont.
In addition to her work at Biltmore Tutoring, Lea currently writes professionally for magazines, newspapers and blogs.
Lea possesses a wealth of tutoring and teaching experience. She has aided students in areas ranging from book reports to college essays to thesis papers to test prep. With a patient and supportive presence, her goal is to take the anxiety out of reading and writing. She believes that building a student’s confidence is just as important as building a student’s skill set! When both areas are nurtured, students find that writing a paper is hardly the headache it once was, and significantly improved test scores are easily within reach.
Subjects: AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; ACT Reading; ACT English; College Essay; SSAT; GRE; Reading & Study Skills; SAT Subject Tests
BILL ARMSHAW, MA
William Armshaw has first-hand experience with the power of test preparation! He and his twin brother both received full scholarships into college due to strong SAT scores, as well as full graduate fellowships for their GRE scores.
After receiving his BA at New College of Florida, Bill joined the PhD program in History at New York University (NYU), where his dissertation topic is “The Capture of the American South: Slaves, States, and Pirates in the Early Republic.” A very versatile tutor, Bill teaches both language arts and mathematics, instructs students in SSAT, GRE, SAT and ACT topics, and has worked with students in most liberal arts topics (AP English, AP World History, AP European History, AP US History, Psychology, Economics, etc).
Bill has worked with students for ten years, and loves to help students reach higher and work harder to achieve their academic goals in high school and college.
Subjects: AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; SAT Math; ACT Reading; ACT English; ACT Math; Algebra I and II; Geometry; Math I, II, and III; College Essay; SSAT; GRE; Reading & Study Skills; SAT Subject Tests; Biology; AP Environmental Sciences; AP Psychology; AP European History; AP World History; AP World History; AP Government; Economics
MANDI BOYD, MA, NBCT
Mandi Boyd holds a Master of Arts in Education with Instruction Technology concentration from Appalachian State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Math Education from ASU. Mandi was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. She completed her Bachelor’s degree as the Honor Student Teacher for the western region and her Master’s degree with high honors, earning a 4.0 GPA. Since completing her Bachelor’s, she has been teaching in North Carolina high schools for seven years. In 2015 Mandi became a National Board Certified Teacher.
Before becoming a classroom teacher, Mandi worked for the Duke TIP program teaching Geometry and Algebra II. This program allowed for several years of specialized training in working with academically driven and gifted students. Mandi’s training with TIP has allowed her to teach honors level math each year of her career.
Mandi specializes in high school math, including: Math I, Math II, Math III, Pre-Cal, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. She is also an expert at working with students on ACT, SAT, and SSAT test prep.
In her free time, Mandi enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. She loves the outdoors, college football, and good books.
Subjects: Algebra I – II; Math I-III; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science; SSAT Math; SAT Math I Subject Test
CINDY HALLMAN-MORRIS, MA, NBCT
Cindy received both her Bachelors of Arts in Mathematics Education and Masters in Mathematics Education degrees from the University of Georgia. She is a rabid UGA fan – she tells anyone who will listen that her blood bleeds red and black. Cindy has been National Board Certified for the last 10 years. In 1997, she moved with her family to Asheville and she started teaching at TC Roberson High School. She is currently the chair of the mathematics department at TC Roberson.
This is Cindy’s 25th year as a high school math teacher. She has taught math classes ranging from Remedial Math to AP Calculus. She believes deeply in both a traditional mathematics curriculum and an integrated mathematics curriculum, and has taught in both environments. She excels in modifying her instruction for many different learning challenges, including for students on the autism spectrum. One of Cindy’s most rewarding experiences was teaching Pre-calculus to a blind student (before the aid of advanced technology).
Cindy’s graduate classes focused not just on mathematics, but specifically how the brain learns mathematics. She is a strong believer in students understanding why and how a mathematics topic works and how each topic weaves into the fabric of the bigger mathematics picture. Her recent passion revolves around Carol Dweck’s brain research, entitled ‘Growth Mindset,‘ out of Stanford University.
Cindy has two children – a daughter at TCR and a son at Vanderbilt University. Her family is rounded out with Boudreaux the dog and Harry the cat. She enjoys cooking and even had a food blog for about 4 years! When she is not tutoring and helping students to increase their test scores, grades, and confidence, Cindy spends her free time reading fiction, listening to podcasts such as RadioLab and This American Life, listening to 80’s music, hiking, working in her yard, and enjoying time with friends and family.
Subjects: Algebra I – II; Math I-III; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science; SSAT Math; SAT Math I Subject Test; SAT Math II Subject Test; Calculus
KATIE DAVIS, MA
Katie earned a MA in Special Education from Vanderbilt University with a focus on behavioral disorders. While pursuing her Master’s Degree, Katie tutored for the Vanderbilt Reading Clinic as well as Nashville Metro Schools, researching and applying evidence based reading interventions. Prior to attending Vanderbilt, Katie received a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Educational Studies from Haverford College. While attending Haverford, she was a four year starter and two year captain of the school’s NCAA women’s fencing team.
In addition to tutoring, Katie is a full time special education teacher. She values tutoring because of the opportunity to focus on an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in a supportive environment. Katie particularly enjoys helping students discover what reading strategies and executive functioning skills work best for their individual learning style.
In her spare time, Katie enjoys cooking, swing dancing, and caring for her rescue dog, Gatsby.
Subjects: AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; ACT Reading; ACT English; College Essay; Biology, SSAT; GRE; Reading & Study Skills; SAT Subject Tests; Algebra; Pre-Algebra; History
THOMAS KOZAK, MA
Thomas Kozak earned his MA in Secondary Education from Wake Forest Graduate School and his BA in English from Wake Forest University. While the primary focus of his studies was English, he has also spent years honing his skills as a teacher and tutor of Mathematics (having always loved what he deems the poetry of numbers).
Thomas prefers the personal focus of tutoring to that of classroom teaching, having found greater reward in the enduring academic growth that comes from one-on-one instruction. He is devoted to helping students develop into life-long learners, knowing that can be achieved through encouraging academic responsibility and inspiring intellectual curiosity.
A song-writer, film-maker, and poet, Thomas keeps a keen eye on the role of creativity in academic success. He has seen, first-hand, the leaps in achievement that students can make when they realize how some of the most stubborn conceptual blocks can be loosened by creativity in perspective or approach.
Having balanced a heavy load of extracurricular activities in high school and college, Thomas knows that time is a precious commodity in any student’s life. He is adept at creating individualized strategies that allow students to maximize success without overloading on work. He believes that academic achievement is always possible without being at the cost of a student’s passions.
Subjects: AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; ACT Reading; ACT English; College Essay; SSAT; GRE; Reading & Study Skills; SAT Subject Tests; Algebra I – II; Geometry; Trigonometry; Pre-Calculus; Integrated Math I & II; SAT Math; ACT Math; ACT Science
DALTON BUCHANAN, MS
Dalton graduated from Appalachian State University Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Geology and Secondary Education. He earned a teaching license in Science that he utilized at Avery County High School as both a tutor and instructor. After teaching he received my M.S. in Soil Science with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from North Carolina State University. While at NC State, Dalton’s graduate research on Bald Mountain Formations received an honorable mention in the Alltech Young Scientist Graduate Competition. After graduation, he was offered a post graduate research positon with Smart Trees Pacific in Hawaii.
Dalton spends his days working with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Division of Soil and Water Conservation as a Substrate Engineer, serving the western counties of the state.
Dalton spends a good portion of his free time at CrossFit classes. He enjoys the high intensity interval training, Olympic lifting, and gymnastics that CrossFit offers. He also competes at some of the local CrossFit competitions to support the growing CrossFit community in Western North Carolina. At the end the day Dalton enjoys watching subtitled anime, reading fantasy novels, or doing basic yoga exercises. He finds a mix of Yoga and CrossFit helps to balance out the body’s strength and flexibility, which decreases the chance for injuries.
Subjects: Algebra I – II; Geometry; SSAT; AP Chemistry; Honors Chemistry; College Chemistry; Earth Science; AP Environmental Science
MERRY HENN, MA, MS
Merry’s fascination with foreign cultures began when she was twelve and her older sister got a scholarship to study in France. When Merry got to high school she was highly motivated to study French because her grade school had not offered it. Her family hosted an exchange student from Peru, so she became interested in Spanish, as well.
At Warren Wilson College she majored in Intercultural Studies, French and Spanish, and did her junior year abroad in Angers (pronounced Ahnzhay) in Normandy, France, where she studied literature, art- and music-history and learned to cook. Over the years since then, Merry has gone back to France many times and Mexico a couple times, too. Merry has dual citizenship, as a matter of fact (American and French). After working in international cultural exchange in DC for a few years and studying tae kwon do, Merry did an internship at a women’s health organization in Istanbul, Turkey. Merry was inspired to do more to promote women’s education after living in Istanbul and seeing for herself how a lack of education caused lack of opportunity for girls and minorities. During her stay in Istanbul, Merry taught English as a Foreign Language to students and business people. She lived with a local family and became quite good at conversational Turkish!
Back in the US, Merry did a Master’s in Education at University of Maryland. For her Master’s project she taught self-defense to schoolgirls in Malawi (southeastern Africa). She went on to become a French teacher at the high school level, teaching AP French Literature and French I and II.
Later she became the librarian at the Alliance Française of Washington, DC, a cultural organization that offered French classes, arts events and a lending library with Francophone movies and music in addition to books. To celebrate earning a Master’s in Library Science, Merry spent one month in Peru and four months in Argentina volunteering and taking language and dance classes. In Buenos Aires she loved going to peñas to dance to live folkloric music. At that time she also became interested in healing bodywork and subsequently earned certification in Eden Energy Medicine. She now works with clients, teaches wellness classes and also works with International Cultural Exchange Services placing students with American host families.
Subjects: French I-IV, AP French, French Language SAT Subject Test, College Essay Writing; AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; SAT Reading; SAT Writing; ACT Reading; ACT English; SSAT; Reading & Study Skills
BRIAN CASKEY, MA
Brian Caskey
holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from UNC-Wilmington, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. Brian completed his Master’s program with great distinction, finishing with a 4.0 GPA. In addition, his thesis, “Autobiography, Southern Themes, and False Nostalgia in the Poetry of Cathy Smith Bowers” won an award as the best master’s thesis in the program. Brian’s work has been published in both scientific and literary journals, including Bios and Palaver Journal.
Before opening Biltmore Tutoring with his wife, Stacey, Brian worked for many years as a systems administrator and senior manager of digital projects for Barnes and Noble. Since returning to the field of education, Brian has helped many of the area’s top students with biology, literature and history topics. A versatile tutor, he specializes in AP US History, AP World History, and AP European History, but he also tutors in Biology, Environmental Science, and Literature topics. Brian takes great pleasure in showing students how to score highly on their ACT, SAT, and AP essays.
Despite his technical background, Brian is a firm believer that narrative is the most important element that leads to understanding. Knowing the story that ties facts and details together is the only way to understand what’s happening and why.
In his spare time, Brian enjoys kayaking, fishing, golfing, and restoring old cars (his current project is a 1971 Datsun 240Z sports car).
Subjects: AP US History; AP European History; AP World History; Biology; Environmental Science; AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature; College Essay Writing
STACEY CASKEY, MS, NBCT
Stacey Caskey completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Brooklyn College and Queens College. A National Board-certified educator, she taught in the NYC school system for eleven years before moving to Asheville in 2001. Stacey taught at Claxton Elementary from 2001-2010 and is now the educational director and co-owner of Biltmore Tutoring. With 25+ years in the education system, Stacey is one of the most knowledgeable resources of curriculum, school administration, and testing programs.
Stacey received her College Counseling Certificate from the University of California – San Diego in 2012. She makes frequent visits to colleges and universities around the US, so that she can stay abreast of admissions criteria and requirements, as well as obtain an understanding of college-specific programs and opportunities. Once gaining college admittance, Stacey works with families to obtain scholarship money to fund these dreams.
Stacey says, “College admissions are much more competitive now. In 2010, Harvard accepted only 6% of their applicants, Stanford 7%, Duke 14%, and UNC 29%. What does that mean for your student? Excellent ACT and SAT scores are needed before students will even be considered by a college admissions committee. Grades, extracurriculars, and class ranking are also important. After the application process begins, we take great pride in helping parents and students navigate the confusing application process, and to help students decide between various programs and scholarship offers.”
Subjects: College Counseling; Academic Advising; College Essay Writing