Meet the team

Expert tutors. Human connections.

Our instructors combine subject expertise with the patience, personality, and strategy students need to grow.

Meet the Wizards

We pair students with educators whose experience and teaching style match their goals.

Vinny Madera wearing a blue wizard hat
Founder · Educator · Curriculum Developer

Vinny Madera

Vinny is a problem solver at heart. Whether he’s working through a question with a student, writing a lesson, or building software, he’s usually asking the same thing: is there a clearer, more effective way to do this?

He founded Test Prep Wizards in 2007 and spent eight years teaching at Fairfield University, first as an adjunct and later as a visiting professor. His courses included statistics, calculus, and upper-level mathematics. Throughout his teaching career, he has developed his own curriculum, including the instructional materials used at Test Prep Wizards.

That interest in creating better learning tools extends beyond his own classroom. Vinny is a partner at Study Spaces, where his primary focus is developing educational content. He also developed software used by more than 50 companies across the United States to process student results for the SAT, ACT, HSPT, and other standardized tests. A founding member of the National Test Prep Association, he has spoken at three test preparation conferences.

A self-described tinkerer, Vinny spends plenty of time thinking about how students learn, retain information, and put it into practice. Those questions shape both his lessons and his approach to solving problems before they become obstacles.

Outside of work, Vinny is a father of three and a longtime Little League baseball coach. He spends as much time as he can with his family and enjoys dystopian fiction and good science fiction.

Caitlin, Test Prep Wizards tutor
Biology · Pre-Med

Caitlin

Caitlin is a senior Biology major concentrating in Health and Human Biology, with minors in Health Studies, Psychology, and Modern Italian Language. She is in the Honors Program on the pre-med track at Fairfield University.

Outside of school, Caitlin works as a Certified Nursing Assistant and volunteers with New York Blood Center. Her interests include dance and traveling.

Nokware, Test Prep Wizards math and standardized test tutor
Math · Test Prep

Nokware

Nokware is a math and standardized test tutor with nearly ten years of experience in education. He has taught or supported students at the elementary, middle school, high school, and university levels in private schools, public schools, and supplementary programs.

He currently works in a high school resource center, assisting students with math, science, history, and theology.

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Chemistry · Math · Test Prep

Isabella

Isabella graduated from Bard College with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. She has tutored the SAT, ACT, and various levels of math and chemistry for the last five years. She is passionate about helping students achieve their academic goals.

Outside of tutoring, Isabella enjoys playing soccer, listening to jazz, and playing card games.

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Tutor

Gabby Sankowich

Gabby remains part of the Test Prep Wizards team. Her updated biography and photograph will be added shortly.

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Reading & Writing • College Essay Support

Lisa Tillman

Sometimes a student’s best story starts with a question they haven’t been asked yet. Lisa Tillman brings a journalist’s curiosity and a decade of experience helping students with test preparation and college essays to her work at Test Prep Wizards. She helps students build confidence, make connections, and express their ideas in their own voice.

Lisa holds a BFA from New York University and spent many years as a television news writer and producer, with experience at Court TV, the History Channel, and Inside Edition. She is also a published author and has written articles for magazines. After watching her own children navigate test preparation and college applications, she found a new way to put that experience to work: helping other students through the process.

Whether she’s teaching reading and writing or helping a student brainstorm a college essay, Lisa starts by getting to know their interests and figuring out how best to work together. She stays positive when something feels difficult, approaching a concept from a different angle until it starts to click. Her favorite part is seeing students make connections, understand something that once felt confusing, and experience success.

Outside of tutoring and writing, Lisa enjoys reading, movies, theater, and pickleball. She also loves watching baseball and tennis and spending time with her family and dog.