WSEA Co-Founder Becky Bewersdorf Steps Down After 27 Years
The home-grown and highly successful Naperville tutoring firm West Suburban Educational Associates (WSEA) recently announced that co-founder and long-time Elementary Director Becky Bewersdorf will be stepping down in June of this year, after 27 years at the helm. Camille Jones, co-founder and Secondary Director since 1987, will take over full management of the business. WSEA has also brought on two new directors, Jennifer Bredberg and Diane Nelson, to help guide the company through upcoming program additions and overall growth.
Nelson, who currently works with elementary students at WSEA, is moving into the role of Elementary Director of grades K-5. Nelson holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a Master of Education in interdisciplinary studies in curriculum and instruction. She taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in nearby Wheaton before joining WSEA.
Bredberg now tutors middle and high school students at WSEA and will become the company's new Secondary Director for grades 6-12. Bredberg taught Language Arts for several years in middle school and has a BA in English and a Master of Education with a secondary certification in English and social science.
Jones, who will become the sole owner of WSEA pending Bewersdorf's retirement, will oversee both Nelson and Bredberg as she focuses on marketing and strategy for WSEA.
Plans for 2013 include the launch of several exciting summer half-day camps designed to engage the imagination of students even while reinforcing basic reading, writing and math skills. The new offerings range from Pirates and Princesses Camp, Weird School Camp, Chocolate Camp to Mysteries Camp and will complement WSEA's existing programs, such as Phonics Is Phun, Fraction Action, Cool Writing and the always popular Study Skills Workshops.
Indeed, this broad range of creative and effective programming has helped WSEA thrive through the toughest economic climate in recent memory, even as big-name national tutoring franchises have failed. The firm currently boasts a staff of nearly 30 certified, experienced teachers and experts in secondary education. As a testament to the company's accomplishments, WSEA was named a semi-finalist in their category for the Small Business of the Year Award in both 2010 and 2012. The honor is presented each year by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Jones commented, “We have touched the lives of hundreds of children and families as a result of good leadership, dedication, and showing a love and passion for working with children. We will miss Becky and wish her the best – but we're also excited to continue our mission to change students' lives in the years ahead.”
About West Suburban Educational Associates of Naperville, Inc. (WSEA)
For 27 years, WSEA has provided private and small-group academic tutoring for grades kindergarten through 12 and college. The company covers all subject areas, including tutoring in math, reading, language arts, phonics, study skills, science, social studies, and foreign languages. Students benefit from individualized homework support; proprietary programs such as Phonics Is Phun and Strategic Study Skills Workshop; and a customized approach to their ACT, SAT, PSAT prep, and private high school entrance exam prep programs.
For more information about WSEA, visit www.wseatutoring.com or call 630-922-8100.