The Team
We hire the best and empower them to do the most for your student...and they're backed with a lifetime of expertise.
Dr. Applerouth is a teacher, educational innovator, and our founder. A Nationally Certified Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Jed has researched student cognition, memory, motivation, and learning strategies to enhance Applerouth's pedagogical strategies. Jed continually seeks new ways to improve the methods and materials we use, researching the most innovative ways to keep his tutors on the cutting edge of the education industry.
Ben holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Georgia State University. In addition to being one of our Senior Program Directors, he's been an active tutor with Applerouth since 2015. When Ben isn't assisting parents and students with test prep, he enjoys hanging out with family and friends, watching baseball, and tuning up on his reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.
As a graduate of Georgia State University, Bronwyn completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and post-baccalaureate studies in Pharmacy. She joined the Applerouth team as a tutor in 2008 and was quickly promoted to premium tutor status. She is currently the Senior Program Director and helps guide families through the process of SAT/ACT test preparation.
Chelsea received her Masters degrees in Biology and Science Teaching from Florida State University, where she spent several years teaching the undergraduate bio labs. Afterwards, she moved on to private tutoring. Chelsea joined Applerouth in 2016 after moving to Washington, and now is the Manager for the Seattle and New York tutors.
An Atlanta native, Emma graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Political Science and Music. Since 2011, she has been tutoring students in the SAT and ACT, and is now our K-12 Partnerships Manager. She writes and edits print curriculum, creates online educational content, and lends her voice to all of our video content.
Jenna is the Tutor Manager for DMV and IEC Account Manager. She graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia, earning a BA in English and Drama. She then traveled to London and earned a degree from LAMDA, after which she returned to the DC area to be closer to her family and decent Mexican food.
Jennifer has been in the test prep and e-learning industry for over twelve years. Jennifer graduated from Virginia Tech and has also completed the College Counseling Certificate program from UCLA. As the Director of School Partnerships, Jennifer manages all of Applerouth's school and district relationships in Georgia.
Jesse has logged thousands of hours working with hundreds of students across the globe. He brings this experience with him in his role as Director of School and IEC Partnerships. A graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Information Technology, Jesse is also a trained actor who has appeared on stage in NY dozens of times!
Joseph “Joe” Ayala worked for 20+ years as an educator and non-profit administrator with a passion in expanding educational opportunities to underserved populations. Joe has been a middle school English teacher, and has SAT courses at a non-profit called Publicolor before becoming a Program Director with us. Joe is a father (three girls) who enjoys DIY projects, movies and playing basketball in his time off. His unique skill - unicycling.
Kristen Pariseau, or KP, is a seasoned educator and we are thrilled to welcome her to our Program Director team. Before joining the Program Director team, she tutored over 200 students for the ACT, SAT, SSAT, and more. Kristen attended Miami University for her Bachelor's degree and Georgia State University for her Master's Degree. In her free time, KP loves traveling (has been to almost 50 different countries) and watching soccer (Go, Atlanta United!).
Melissa is a BA graduate of Sewanee who earned her MA from the University of North Carolina. She has over 15 years of student services experience as a former Associate Athletic Director, Student-Athlete Services Director, and Test Prep Academic Advisor. Melissa joined Applerouth in 2020 as Director of IEC Partnerships. She enjoys working with Educational Consultants because, like them, she recognizes the importance of sound college planning and the impact of finding a good college fit.
Shara-Sue received degrees in Art Marketing and Art Education from Georgia Universities. She spent eight years teaching Special Education, Math, and Visual Art to public middle and high school students. She worked as a private tutor before joining the Applerouth team as a Senior Tutor manager, where she enjoys working with students who have low confidence and test anxiety.
Tina is your dedicated Applerouth Senior Program Director. She holds a BA in English Literature with a minor in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Central Florida and an MAT in English Education from Georgia State University. She started with Applerouth in 2012 and was a premium tutor and Program Director for several years before taking a hiatus to teach high school English and finish her graduate work. Excited to return to Applerouth, Tina will be the one to help you through the process and create a custom prep plan.
Tonja is committed to helping families navigate the process of preparing their kids for the future through test prep, academic tutoring, and coaching. She holds a BA from Thomas Edison State College, an MPA from Columbus State University and an MDIV form Mercer University. Now a Program Director, she has also been an active tutor in test prep, academic subjects, and executive function coaching. Tonja enjoys playing piano, keyboard, organ, singing, and watching her kids in their extracurriculars.
Whitney Barnard was an Applerouth tutor for two years before joining the Operations team as an Event Manager full-time. She has a knack for organization, which helps her manage Applerouth’s group classes, practice tests, and marketing webinars. She likes to bake in her free time, and bring the leftovers in to share with the office.
Meet our incredible Program Directors.
They're here to advise you and guide you on your path to success.
This is fulfillment at work.
We love finding those who are passionate and confident about having a positive impact on young minds.