Our Staff
Richard Treff
Center Director
Born in Manteca California, Richard Treff has done it all. His previous jobs include working as an engineering manager at Apple Computer and at San Micro. He obtained his B.A. at Saint Mary’s and is the current Center Director for Sylvan. He believes Sylvan is the best at what they do and he enjoys helping parents help their kids. Other hobbies include cycling, fly fishing, and woodworking.
Beth Davis
Director of Education
Director of Education
Marie Owens
Director of Education
Raised locally in Brentwood, Marie has traveled far and wide to obtain her B.A., teaching credential and masters in Education (San Diego, Sydney and Boston). She enjoys working at Sylvan because it allows her the opportunity to work with students, parents and teachers to do whatever it takes to encourage student success. In her off hours she likes to travel, read, backpack and spend time with friends and family.
Matt Wahlman
Instructor
With his B.S. in economics, Matt is a personal trainer and P.E. Teacher. Matt grew up in Shingleton, CA and enjoys sports of all kinds and spending time with his family. He enjoys the environment and personalities of the people he meets at Sylvan and the experience of the near one-on-one education technique. His biggest joy in this job is seeing the “lightbulbs” come on when students understand new concepts and being able to be a positive influence in their lives. He is happily married and is expecting his first child in a few short months.
Marguerite Ann Fraga
Instructor
Marguerite is an caring teacher with a B.A. in Liberal studies/english, and an A.A. in Liberal studies. She grew up in Nebraska and England, finally settling in Northern California. Marguerite has taught English and special education for multiple grade levels over her teaching career. Additionally, she believes that working at Sylvan is uniquely rewarding and viewing student's increased confidence is an accomplishment in itself. Aside from teaching children for 25 years, Marguerite enjoys singing, writing, yoga, hiking, camping, and drawing.
Sarah Deaton
Instructor
Growing up locally in Antioch, Sarah now teaches, as well as substitutes, at middle and high schools. She obtained her B.S. from Multnomah University and her Masters in education as well as a multiple subject credential. Sylvan provides her the opportunity to watch growth in children and see the excitement they bring everyday. Any form of traveling is a much loved hobby of hers as well as cooking and youth activities.
Huong Voba
Instructor
Huong was born in Saigon, Vietnam and came to the United States in 1975. Huong obtained her B.A. in math, B.A. in french, and M.A. in french education from Purdue. What she enjoys most about Sylvan is the warm learning environment and the great behavior of the students. 22 years of her life was also spent as a Corporate Employee (working for 4 different companies: high tech, navigation, manufacturing, etc.) doing information technology work.
Connie Cembura
Instructor
Connie is a certified teacher with a secondary teaching credential on French and biology along with her B.A. which she received from U.C. Berkeley. Growing up in San Leandro, early on she found her love for working with students and embracing the successes they achieve. Along with her work at Sylvan, Connie has worked as a French/drama teacher at John Swett High School and as a SAT Trainer.
Jonah L. Maranz
Instructor
Jonah, who has taught all over the area, has a great love for being able to connect with the students he gets to work with at Sylvan. His various degrees include an A.A. from DVC, as well as a B.A. and an M.A. from Chapman. Jona's hobbies include playing guitar, going on trips, being outdoors, and spending time at the beach.
Julie Truesdell
Instructor
Julie is an enthusiastic teacher with a B.S. in Marine Biology from USC. She has previously worked as a marine biologist for Aquarium of the Bay and at Six Flags. When she realized she missed the connection she got from working with students, she returned to teaching health at Edna Hill Middle School. Her greatest joy is seeing the students “get it!” she has an array of hobbies including traveling, cooking, scuba diving, skating, and watching football.
Libbie Bronzan
Intern
Libbie had the opportunity of being the first graduating class of Heritage High School in 2008. Aside living in Turlock, Brentwood has always been her home. In the fall she will be attending CSU Chico with a major in Mathematics. Her future dreams include becoming a High School Mathematics teacher and she has enjoyed the experience she is currently getting at Sylvan to help prepare her for the world of education.
