CONNECTIONS TEAM
A Team Who Cares
Our Leadership Team
Our team consists of highly educated, determined and dedicated female leaders. Our leadership team members, most of whom are former teachers, understand the importance of education and the work that is put in at home to achieve your child’s fullest potential. We are here to guide you in the right direction, no matter what you are looking for in terms of academic support.
Amanda Vaughn
Founder • Cincinnati
Amanda earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University, and she later earned a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Cincinnati. She taught in Indiana, Vermont, and Ohio before stepping out of the classroom after her second son was born. Amanda tutored independently, and in 2013 she founded Connections Academics. Whether in the classroom, supporting students 1:1, helping families find support, or leading the incredible team at Connections, Amanda's favorite element of her job is building relationships with people. Her role gives her challenges, excitement, and new experiences. Outside of Connections, you will find Amanda adventuring with her husband and two boys or hosting friends and family. She loves finding ways to be outside whether it's hiking, mountain biking, or just working in her yard.
Anna Tewell
Director of Academic Support • Chicago
Anna started our Chicago location in Spring of 2021, after teaching in the classroom for 8 years. A former Intervention Specialist, Anna specializes in reading intervention and instruction, as well as individualized instruction for diverse learners. She graduated from Miami University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Speech Language Pathology and later earned her Masters degree in Special Education at Marian University. Anna loves assisting clients in finding the perfect tutor for their student and working with families around the Chicago area. She considers her role at Connections her dream job! Anna lives in the city with her husband, daughter and fluffy Bernedoodle. In her free time, she loves walking through the city and along Lake Michigan with her family, reading and exploring new restaurants.
Ellie Lavigne
Director of Academic Support • St. Louis
Ellie, a St. Louis native, started our third location in 2023 in her beloved home city. Ellie spent many years in the classroom as an Intervention Specialist in both elementary and middle school classrooms, eventually settling in as a tutor and Little Book Club teacher for the Chicago team. In St. Louis, she works closely with families and schools to provide individualized academic support for students ages PreK through 8th grade. Ellie loves collaborating with administrators, teachers, and parents to create customized support plans for students. She has vast experience providing intervention during 1:1 tutoring sessions, supporting students in study skills and executive functioning, and teaching and planning a variety of literacy classes. Outside of Connections, she enjoys trying new coffee shops with her husband, spending time with her family and friends, and being outside as much as she can.
Joy Becker
Mentoring Coordinator and Little Book Club Cincy
Our Mentoring Coordinators’ primary role is to support our hiring and supervising of tutors. Joy is our first point of contact for all tutor applicants. She screens potential candidates, and eventually leads trainings for all our new team members. She provides our tutors with various opportunities for professional growth through on-going trainings and session observations. Joy is also the Director of Little Book Club Cincy, facilitating and leading our LBC around Cincinnati. In addition, Joy works as a Literacy Coach independently as well as provides additional parent and teacher consultation for Connections families and beyond. When she is not focused on Connections, you may find Joy teaching a Zumba class, working on her latest writing project, or cheering on her 3 kiddos. She and her husband Stephen love to cook and welcome others into their home.
Sara Garrison
Mentoring Coordinator
Sara began tutoring middle and high school mathematics students with Connections in 2013. Prior to that, she taught mathematics full time at a public high school in Cincinnati for seven years. She also spent her summers running a middle school mathematics camp and mentoring young mathematics teachers at a summer enrichment program. After tutoring for 9 years, Sara joined the leadership team at Connections as a Mentoring Coordinator in order to share her love of tutoring with other tutors. Sara has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Taylor University and her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Ohio Dominican University. Outside of work, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Besides mathematics, Sara’s interests include vegetable gardening, traveling, reading, cooking, and hiking.
Lindsay Persons
Business Operations Manager
Lindsay works to provide operations support to the Connections Academics leadership team. As an independent consultant, she helps to maintain organization of various Connections’ communication projects, events, and procedures while taking the lead on database and client management as well as data and reporting to the leadership team.
Erin Woebkenberg
Peterson Scholarship Coordinator
Erin spent 13 years in the classroom as an Intervention Specialist before joinging the Connections team in 2022. She has taught grades K-12 and has worked with students with a diverse group of needs. She has worked with learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, down syndrome ,and many others. She is passionate and knowledgeable about modifications, interventions, and additional support. Erin has a Bachelors in Special Education, graduate certificates in K-12 Reading Specialty and Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a Masters in Special Education with a focus on Assistive Technology. Erin is a mom of 2 young daughters and has been to her husband for 12 years. She loves going on walks and exploring new parks with her family. When she finds the time, crafting, home decor, party hosting, UC football games, and organizing make her heart skip a beat.
Keeley Carson
Social Media Manager
Keeley is a former Kindergarten and third grade teacher with experience in grades Pre-K through 3rd! She loves to work with all different students and enjoys teaching writing, math, and reading. She has worked with an extremely diverse population of students and families over the course of her career and greatly emphasizes the importance of differentiation, inclusion, equity, and diversity in learning. During her summers, she used to be an assistant children's librarian and absolutely LOVES books! Keeley went to Miami University in Ohio for undergrad to become a teacher and received a Master's Degree in Communications from Northwestern University in Chicago! She has earned her ESL certification and is Orton-Gillingham trained! Keeley lives in Lincoln Park and her family lives in Pittsburgh where she is from. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, hiking and being outdoors, traveling, learning, playing the piano, and dancing! Keeley will be tutoring and working with Connections Academics full time this year and cannot wait to work with so many amazing families!
Our Tutors
Our tutors have a wide range of expertise and come from diverse backgrounds. Many of our tutors are current or retired teachers, career professionals working in fields related to math and science, or are attending local universities and graduate programs. All of our team members participate in training throughout the year and strive to maintain the highest level of support and professionalism.
Our Students’ Stories
“Amanda and the team at Connections have been world class. They are highly responsive and their process is customized to learn about each student as an individual and match a tutor not just with the right subject matter experience, but with the right personality. This has made a huge difference in the success of the time our daughters have spent with the tutors! Any questions are addressed promptly and the billing process is transparent and predictable. We have used Amanda and the Connections team for math tutoring and ACT prep for our three daughters over several years. I highly recommend Connections Academics!”