We are committed to collaborative and reflective approaches to success
Our team
Sarah E. Ross, M.Ed.
Founder, Director, and Learning Specialist
Sarah is a coastal Maine-based educator and learning specialist with over twenty years of experience teaching and supporting students (middle through graduate school), faculty, and parents in New England schools and universities. She is an expert in supporting students as they build executive function skills, study and learning strategies, thinking skills, and social-emotional skills needed for school and career success. She finds great joy in helping her students embrace the values of critical thinking, creativity, and self-advocacy - toward joyful, lifelong learning.
Sarah has a B.A. in English, a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) in Reading and Writing, and completed training in 2017 with Dr. Peg Dawson to become a certified Executive Skills Coach. An active leader in her local and regional community, she serves on the Board of Directors at the Northeast Association of Learning Specialists. Sarah lives on the coast in York Harbor, Maine where she enjoys time on the beach, entertaining, a regular yoga practice, and lots of golf. She is also a published poet and writer who occasionally gives public readings of her work.
Allison Neeland, M.A.
Learning Specialist
For 22 years, Allison has empowered adolescent and adult learners of all backgrounds and abilities to reach their full potential and overcome any challenges they may face. With a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and a master's degree in teaching (MAT), as well as a certificate in data analytics, Allison is a passionate and skilled learning specialist who supports students, parents, and faculty to achieve academic excellence. She has taught in schools in 6 states and in Singapore, leading workshops, coaching students, facilitating faculty development, and collaborating with various stakeholders to improve the quality and effectiveness of learning and teaching. When she’s not teaching, you will likely find her outside. She loves sailing, hiking, camping, and skiing with her husband, three kids, and their rambunctious dog.
Joanne Thompson, Ph.D.
Learning Specialist
With over twenty-five years of experience in education, Joanne has worked extensively with students (secondary and post-secondary levels) as a learning specialist, executive function coach, tutor, and professor. She brings a deep love of both teaching and learning to all that she does, supporting students as they acquire the tools and habits of mind to reach their academic goals and become strong, independent thinkers. Joanne values collaboration with parents and fellow educators to ensure the best possible outcomes for the students in her care. She also remains committed to her own professional development as a teacher and lifelong learner.
Joanne holds a B.A. in Art History and Romance Languages from Bowdoin College, and an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Art History from Yale University. She is an expert in the art and archaeology of classical antiquity and spent two magical years living and learning in Italy while a graduate student. A New Englander by birth, Joanne currently resides along the coast of southern Maine. She enjoys figure skating, horseback riding, visiting museums, and reading across many genres.