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Our Instructors

Dr. Art Ricciardi

As a home-schooling couple in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, Art Ricciardi and his wife Rosemarie pioneered the home education lifestyle in Plano, TX. Before being called to teach, Art worked as a field biologist for a very large electronics firm in Dallas. He continued his education by obtaining a M.Ed. at Regent University and an Ed.D. at Whitefield Theological Seminary. In addition to founding a school, he served elsewhere as a Middle School Principal, as Vice President of Educational Services for a nationally renowned Christian educational foundation, and as adjunct professor at Regent University. He is the proud parent of two married children and five grandchildren! Art@collegeprepgenius.com

Dr. Paul Jessen

B.A., M.Div., M.A., Ph.D.

Over the years, Paul Jessen has had a varied career with years of practical experience in academics, business, politics, and ministry. In education he has taught in Junior High and High School. Paul and his wife also homeschooled their three children in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In higher education Paul has taught numerous courses involving communication-thinking-reasoning-speaking-writing on ground and on line – and has taught at Penn State University, Portland State University, Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Technical University, Collin College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Long Beach Bible College, and The Kings University Gateway. In ministry Paul has been a campus pastor and a local church Pastor. He has also been active in his community, serving in such capacities as precinct co-chairman, volunteer chaplain with the Police Department, and an elder in his local church (non-denominational). Paul and his wife have three grown children, are grandparents, and are celebrating 38 years of marriage. Paul@collegeprepgenius.com

Donna Steir

With over 25 years of classroom and homeschool teaching experience, Donna Stier loves challenging teens to excel. As a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Botany, Donna taught science and math in South Florida Christian middle and high schools for over ten years. Passionate about classical education, she has directed Classical Conversations programs in Challenge B, Challenge 2 and Challenge 3. She and George, her husband of nearly 25 years, have been involved with homeschooling their two sons from kindergarten through high school. After witnessing dramatic improvements in the SAT scores of her son and other students, Donna enthusiastically desires to share the College Prep Genius program with teens and their parents so that they can also achieve PSAT and SAT success! Donna@collegeprepgenius.com

Fayee Czarnik

Fayee Czarnik is a homeschooling mother of two daughters. She married her college sweetheart, Richard, and has been married for over 25 years. Fayee resides in Kingwood, Texas. After graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology, Fayee went on to earn a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston.

Through the twist and turns of life Fayee fell in love with teaching. She has taught in both private school and home schooling settings for over 10 years. Fayee is enthusiastic about helping students find their passion and fulfill their dreams through education. Fayee@collegeprepgenius.com

Katie Petersen

Katie is an undergraduate at Princeton University, majoring in Philosophy, with 3 years’ experience in test prep tutoring. Her love for the English language has taken her to invest time in reading and writing outside of the classroom as a writer and editor with The Daily Princetonian. During her time at Princeton, she has also volunteered as a tutor at a New Jersey state correctional facility and advised high school juniors and seniors on the college application process. After taking the College Prep Genius program when she was in high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, she went on to earn a SuperScore of 2340 out of 2400 on her SAT. She looks forward to sharing CPG’s test-taking strategies with students and empowering them to achieve their own SAT and PSAT success! katie@collegeprepgenius.com

Kristen Gagnon

Kristen believes that knowledge brings power to people and enhances their lives. Learning and teaching is her life's passion. Serving humanity is important to me, and I feel teaching is one way I can be of service. Over the last 20 years, Kristen has taught kindergarten through college-level students in homeschooling environments, online classrooms and public school classrooms. Her enthusiasm for teaching has allowed her to unique curriculum according to the student's learning styles. Kristen is a Certified Hawaii/Florida Math Teacher with a Masters in Education.  She is Board President and Founder of Homeschooling Coop.  Kristen enjoys spending time with her two children.  She also loves playing polo and lacrosse, swimming, snorkeling, paddling, rugby, yoga, camping  and hiking.  kristen@collegeprepgenius.com

Michelle Damron

Before she came to us, Michele earned a BA in English and an MA in Technical Communication. She is a self-professed grammar geek and worked for over 10 years in the publishing field. In her local Classical Conversations homeschool group, Michele taught English grammar and composition to 4th to 6th graders for four years, and then taught 7th graders in the Challenge A program for 4 years. She continues to teach toddlers’ group in Sunday School at church, and leads her Ladies’ Bible Study group.


Michele’s other great loves are her husband and two sons. Married since 1994, she and Jonathan enjoy running (especially in the cooler months) and competing in 5- and 10K races. The family lives in Florida, where they are grateful for the sunshine and the warmer weather; they feel especially thankful in winter when the rest of the U.S. shivers in the cold. We’re as delighted to welcome Michele as she is excited to help students learn the strategies which will lead to their success on the SAT and ACT. micheled@collegeprepgenius.com

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