Leadership Team
Premier's leadership team has spent decades immersed in test prep and college admissions. Eric, Colin, and Shannon live and breathe this work, obsessing over every nuance of the SAT and ACT, tracking every update, and constantly refining the methods that move students forward. As an active member of the National Test Prep Association, Premier stays connected to the leading researchers and professionals in the field, which means our students benefit from the most current thinking on what actually works. Everything we do is built around one question: what does this student need to reach their potential?
Eric Hahn
Limited availability for tutoring. Pricing upon request.
Eric Hahn is the founder of Premier College Prep, a test prep service dedicated to bringing the highest-quality SAT and ACT instruction to the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. Since 2013, he has upheld an uncompromising standard for tutoring excellence, driven by a lifelong fascination with standardized tests and the college admissions process.
Eric has spent his career analyzing test forms, refining strategies, and obsessively following every shift in the SAT, ACT, and college admissions landscape. That passion drives Premier’s approach—from rigorous tutor selection and training to designing individualized prep plans that fit each family’s needs.
Before founding Premier, Eric attended Dartmouth College, taught in a Pacific Island village, and managed a team of Stanford tutors for a Silicon Valley education firm. He’s now a fixture in the local community, earning the trust of families year after year through word-of-mouth and results.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, College Essays, College Admissions
Colin Gotzon
Tutoring sessions held Mondays through Fridays. Hourly rate: $240/hr
Colin is the Director of Test Prep at Premier College Prep, where he leads the development of SAT and ACT curriculum and tutor training. He is committed to ensuring every Premier student receives a personalized, high-quality experience.
A graduate of Lehigh University, Colin studied math and played Division I baseball. Before joining Premier, he worked in finance, managed a baseball academy, and briefly played professional baseball. He now channels his energy into refining Premier’s test prep approach and leading a team of skilled tutors.
Colin is Premier’s most-requested tutor, known for his ability to build strong rapport with students while helping them achieve their best scores. His genuine care for each student's success, combined with his approachable and fun personality, sets him apart. Outside of test prep, he’s a devoted Philly sports fan who enjoys video games and board games.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, HSPT, ISEE, SSAT, Math through Pre-Calculus
Enrollment Coordinator
Shannon Yarbrough
Available Mondays through Fridays
Shannon is the Enrollment Director at Premier College Prep, where she consults with families about the services that will best fit their test prep, college essay, and college advising needs. She also leads the team of essay coaches, using proven methods to empower students to write about their authentic strengths and passions.
Since 2006, Shannon has taught writing around the world – from college writing centers to the Harpswell Foundation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Following her time as an admissions counselor for Agnes Scott College, she developed a specialty in college admissions essays, helping students gain admission and funding to undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Before joining Premier, she also led business development at a boutique marketing agency, traveled with high schoolers to Argentina, France, and Italy, and advised families on SAT/ACT prep plans at a large test prep company.
Based in Atlanta, she holds a BA in Studio Art from Agnes Scott College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College and State University.
Tutors, Instructors, and Coaches
Every member of the Premier team, whether a test prep tutor, class instructor, or essay coach, is here because they're exceptional at what they do. Our tutors and instructors have years of SAT and ACT experience and command the content at a level that lets them meet every student where they are. Our essay coaches are trained writers and educators, each holding an MFA or equivalent credentials, with a specialty in the college admissions essay specifically.
Both sides of our team operate collaboratively. Test prep tutors and instructors connect regularly with leadership to discuss students, refine methods, and stay current on every shift in the exams. Essay coaches work under the ongoing guidance of Shannon, who reviews essays throughout the process to weigh in on topic, structure, and approach. No matter what brings you to Premier, you benefit from the full team's experience.
Dalton V.
Tutoring sessions held Mondays through Fridays. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Dalton has been tutoring for over ten years, beginning with his peers in high school AP courses. He has since helped hundreds of students prepare for the SAT and ACT in the Philadelphia area. His experience includes tutoring professionally for several test prep services, as well as privately. He graduated in 2018 from Drexel University with a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Management. Dalton greatly enjoys helping to figure out what test-taking strategies and techniques work best for each student and help them to achieve their academic and testing goals.
Dalton has started a 3D printing business and co-founded a company that is developing strategic board games. In his free time, he enjoys doing trivia with friends, competing in board gaming tournaments and following the Philly sports teams.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, Math through AP Calculus, Physics, US History, World History, Geography
Mary T.
Sessions held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Mary holds a Professional Science Master’s in Applied Research and Evaluation from Temple University, where she focused on Educational Psychology. Her studies in motivation, development, and learning shaped her tutoring approach, drawing on Dweck’s Growth Mindset Theory and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development to help students stretch beyond their comfort zones.
Since 2014, Mary has logged over 1,400 hours tutoring all sections of the SAT and ACT, both one-on-one and in small groups, in person and online. She first joined Premier College Prep in 2019, contributing to curriculum design, analyzing the Digital SAT rollout, and teaching one of the first Digital SAT classes in March 2024. Known for her upbeat, encouraging style, she keeps students motivated while ensuring they are challenged to reach their goals. A lifelong learner herself, Mary enjoys studying vocabulary, revisiting advanced math, going to the gym, and practicing flow arts like juggling and fire poi.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, Math through Pre-Calculus, College Essays
Claire K.
Tutoring sessions held Sundays through Thursdays. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Claire began tutoring at Wesleyan University's math workshop while earning her undergraduate degrees in math and neuroscience. She has been tutoring and teaching ever since, with the exception of 2015-2017 when she took a break to earn her Master's of Public Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. She's happy lecturing or working in a classroom, but her passion is working one-on-one, where she can tailor her explanations and pinpoint areas for student improvement. Students who need more guidance benefit from her supportive, gentle style, while extremely prepared students should expect to delve deeply into specific topics and reach new heights of academic excellence. Claire has extensive experience across academic subjects from poetry to anatomy, but the plurality of her experience is in helping students prepare for the SAT and ACT -- and of course, she loves math most of all.
She interned in Washington DC for her MPA and still has a passion for activism and civil rights. She hopes to one day start her own nonprofit focusing on foster children and rescue animals.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, Math through Pre-Calculus
Jack M.
Flexible schedule. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Jack Mendelsohn has dedicated his early career to tutoring students in math, physics, and standardized test preparation, working with learners across a wide range of ages and academic backgrounds. He focuses on building strong conceptual understanding, confidence, and practical problem-solving strategies. Jack enjoys helping students identify what’s holding them back, develop effective approaches to challenging material, and build skills that carry over beyond any single class or test.
Jack earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Duke University, where he conducted research in high-energy particle physics and developed a strong analytical and problem-solving foundation. While at Duke, he volunteered with Jumpstart, working with preschool students at a local Title I school to support early literacy development—an experience that continues to shape his patient, encouraging teaching style.
In his free time, Jack enjoys cooking, comedy, and playing guitar. He brings curiosity, warmth, and humor into every session and is passionate about helping students grow to achieve mastery in their coursework and confidence in themselves.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections
Liza M.
Tutoring sessions held Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Liza Meiris has over twenty years of teaching experience across a wide range of subjects and learning environments, along with nearly a decade of helping students succeed on high school, college entrance, and graduate school exams. Endlessly curious and deeply passionate about education, she brings enthusiasm and encouragement to every tutoring session. Liza enjoys tackling challenges and sharing her genuine love of learning with students.
Liza is deeply committed to each student’s success, creating personalized success plans that challenge and support students as they work toward their goals. She is the kind of tutor who celebrates every win, stands by students through setbacks, and coaches them thoughtfully toward success.
In her free time, Liza is passionate about social justice, art, music, and books. She can be found drumming in parades or taking photos, going on adventures with her dog, enjoying urban culture or natural beauty. Liza is certified in English, math, and social studies and holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Education and Educational Leadership from Temple University.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections
Lauren F.
ONLINE ONLY. Flexible schedule. Hourly rate: $160/hr
Lauren has close to five years of experience preparing high school students for the SAT and ACT. She also has two years of experience preparing students for the AP Language and Composition, AP US History, and AP European History exams. One of her favorite aspects of tutoring is teaching the logic of the design of the SAT and ACT exams so that students can better allocate their time and answer each question with greater certainty.
Expertise: SAT All Sections, ACT All Sections, Math through Pre-Calculus, any level of English, AP US History, AP European History
Maggie S.
Flexible scheduling. All sessions online. Package pricing.
Maggie often jokes that, coming from a large family in the deep South, she was destined to be a writer whether she liked it or not. It’s this love for storytelling that she has brought to her work with Premier College Prep since 2021, and she continues to enter each session hoping to help students put their best foot forward by telling their stories.
Maggie is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where she received a degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing and a minor in Environmental Studies, and the University of Wyoming, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Nonfiction. Her work has been published in The Bitter Southerner, Autofocus Lit, Wig Wag Mag, and others. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her three-legged cat, Barry Hannah.
Expertise: College Essays
Jon L.
Flexible scheduling. All sessions online. Package pricing.
Jon graduated with a BA in English and a Secondary Education Certificate from Ursinus College in 2014. He also received his MA in Poetry, and MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University in 2021. Jon has been a high school English teacher for the past 10 years, where he has taught argumentative and analytical writing. Since 2018, Jon has been one of the directors of the Creative Writing program at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His poetry and reviews have been published in multiple literary journals, and he has spent the past decade focused on improving his students' formal and creative writing.
When he's not teaching, Jon enjoys skiing, writing, curating open mics in the Lehigh Valley, and camping.
Expertise: College Essays
Rodrigo D.
Flexible scheduling. All sessions online. Package pricing.
Rodrigo has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing Honors from The George Washington University as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from the University of Wyoming, where he also taught introductory composition courses. He has published fiction in Joyland Magazine and The Georgia Review, among other outlets. He was also a news writer at Newsy and an editorial fellow at AtlanticLIVE.
Expertise: College Essays
Lesley K.
Flexible scheduling. All sessions online. Package pricing.
Lesley came to teaching the way a lot of writers do, by spending years trying to tell stories himself and discovering he loved helping other people tell theirs even more. He brings the eye of a filmmaker and screenwriter to college essays, helping students find the one true moment in their lives that reveals who they are, then shape it into something an admissions reader will remember.
Lesley earned a BFA in Film and an MFA in Dramatic Writing, both from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught writing for more than fifteen years across the United States, South Korea, and Vietnam. His screenplays have placed in national competitions, and his documentary work has appeared on PBS and IFC.
When he is not writing or teaching, Lesley can be found painting, working in clay, or building custom watches by hand. He lives in Northern California.
Expertise: College Essays
Melanie F.
Flexible scheduling. All sessions online. Package pricing.
As a first generation college graduate, Melanie navigated the college application process alone. That experience continues to shape how she works with students today. She is committed to connecting with her students and empowering them to craft narratives that reflect who they really are. Melanie has been working with students on high-stakes applications for more than 5 years.
Since 2019, she has also been an English professor at Drexel University, and she holds an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts. Her poetry and prose has been published in literary journals such as the tiny, Blue World Literary Journal, and Entropy.
Expertise: College Essays
Emma B.
Reading Enhancement Instructor. Class Pricing
Emma Brown is the founder of EB Literacy, where she helps students become more confident, capable readers and writers. Through her Reading Enrichment classes, she focuses on vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and effective strategies to help students better engage with what they read while strengthening structured writing skills.
A Wilson Level 1 Certified instructor and Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner, Emma’s teaching is grounded in the Wilson Reading System and the principles of Structured Literacy. She holds a Master’s degree in Reading from La Salle University, is a certified Reading Specialist, and brings over a decade of classroom experience to her work. Her approach combines explicit instruction, consistent routines, and practical strategies that help students build skills, gain independence, and grow more confident in their learning.
Expertise: Reading