Our Story
Growing from one student to hundreds, without losing our compass.
W&OD Trail in Virginia
From Loudoun County Virginia…
Founder Vinay Bhawnani was enjoying a demanding career as a technical consultant when he began moonlighting as a math tutor to his nephews. They were so pleased with their outcomes that they began referring friends to Vinay.
Having earned perfect scores on the math sections of the PSAT and SAT, as well as the Math Level II Subject Test, he began teaching his own innovative approaches to breaking down problems with his students.
The overwhelming number of referrals eventually led Vinay to leave his day job and pursue tutoring full time in his hometown of Ashburn, Virginia in Loudoun County. He has hand-selected his SAT prep tutors and academic tutors and trained them in his teaching techniques. His company, Loudoun Test Prep, has won Best of Loudoun County awards for seven consecutive years…and Vinay and his staff have logged over 50,000 hours of tutoring.
Today, over 78% of their students continue to come via word-of-mouth.
Meet Our Talented Team
Vinay Bhawnani
Founder
SAT/ACT Math Instructor
A lifelong mathematician with strong communications skills, Vinay Bhawnani has tutored since 2007 and has worked with more than 5,000 students in middle school, high school, college and beyond. His all-inclusive expertise ranges from algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to precalculus, calculus, and SAT prep. Vinay presents math in an innovative and engaging fashion that most students simply are not exposed to in a traditional classroom setting. Rather than distributing handouts or lecturing from a textbook, he strives to make his lessons both interesting and applicable to the real world. Indeed, for many of his students, math becomes “fun” for the first time.
A 1999 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Vinay majored in bioengineering and minored in chemistry and mathematics. He also took classes at the prestigious Wharton School of Business. In high school, he achieved a perfect score on the math sections of the PSAT and SAT, as well as the Math Level II Subject Test.
His career has included technical consulting work in New York City and an eight-year position with AOL where he managed billing systems. Locally, he worked as the Technical Director for a startup company and until early 2015, was Director of Product Management and the Research and Development head for a local software development company. Since then, Vinay has dedicated his time at Loudoun Test Prep to helping students and families succeed. In his “spare” time, he does MORE math and is a huge fan of exotic cars!
Stephen Sklarew
Chief Technology Officer
Stephen started his career at Ernst & Young LLP and has over 20 years experience as a management consultant and technology product leader at startups and public companies. He built and managed globally distributed teams, created productive partnerships, and led tech due-diligence for numerous technology acquisitions. He sold and delivered services and products to companies in technology, healthcare, financial services, entertainment, automotive and education industries. Most recently, Stephen was CTO / VP of Product at three innovative SaaS-based product companies using big data, machine learning, mobile and cloud technologies. Check out synaptiq.ai to learn more about another of Stephen’s recent endeavors.
Stephen has a B.S. from Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking with his dogs, and fly fishing.
Julie Farrell
Senior Strategic Advisor
Julie has worked with Loudoun Test Prep over the last four years in various strategic capacities. Beyond professional insight, she contributes personal insight from her two sons’ college test prep experiences, as well as from her work as a public school board trustee.
She is the founder of PlanHero®, a popular web-app platform for group organizing. Prior to PlanHero®, Julie led product, marketing, and engineering teams in the aerospace and industrial laser industries.
Julie holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She loves travel and has bungee-jumped in New Zealand and Oregon, crawled under Egypt’s pyramids, been lifted in an elephant’s trunk in Thailand, and ridden in the L’Etape du Tour in France.
Cali Moorman
Director of Operations & Communications
Cali Moorman has been our director of communications and operations since 2017 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice at Pensacola Christian College. She creates and maintains all channels of communication between parents, students, tutors, administrative staff, and professional affiliates. She leads the teams responsible for marketing, outreach, and recruitment. Personally invested in the success of each student, each team member, and our purpose as a whole, Cali has a hand in every aspect of Loudoun Test Prep.
Outside of managing our behind-the-scenes operations, Cali enjoys entertaining, fashion, crime show drama, and caring for her fur baby, Mushu the cat.
Giovanni Basso
SAT/ACT Math Instructor
Math Tutor (Geometry – Calculus BC)
Gio has been with Loudoun Test Prep since its inception. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he majored in mathematics with a concentration in scientific computation. Gio was a National Merit Scholar, and in high school, he earned a perfect score on the ACT and the math section of the SAT, received a 5 on eleven different AP exams, and had extensive experience with many types of standardized testing. Gio also competed for his high school at the Illinois State Math Finals at the University of Illinois during both his junior and his senior years.
Mary Masi
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor +
Dual Enrollment/English 9-12 & College Essay Writing
Mary teaches Dual Enrollment, English 12 Academic, and English 10 Honors classes at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn. She holds a Virginia Postgraduate Professional teaching license with an endorsement in English, and she is an adjunct instructor of English at Northern Virginia Community College. She earned a perfect GPA of 4.0 throughout her entire graduate education while teaching Freshman Composition at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in English.
Before her teaching career, Mary worked in the editorial divisions of John Wiley & Sons and LearningExpress publishing companies in New York City as both an editor and writer. She has written and published four books, including The Culinary Arts Career Starter and How to Pass the U.S. Citizenship Exam.
Mary’s educational philosophy centers around the importance of discovering and nurturing each student’s path to learning success, so each student may then reach his or her full potential. She enjoys getting to know the students she teaches and helping them achieve and surpass their educational goals.
Kate LeFort
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor
Kate has always had a passion for English. In high school, she competed in extemporaneous essay writing competitions and began college level grammar and composition classes two years early. In college, Kate pursued a degree in professional writing to further her passion. During this time, she discovered her love for not only technical writing, but also poetry. She has been published in a book of local compilations titled “The Fountain”. Kate began tutoring elementary school students in 2012, eventually tutoring high school students and college students in later years. She has hosted essay writing sessions for college students throughout her college career that continued through graduation.
Jon Savage
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor
Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Jon is a writer and teacher who has worked in education and publishing since 2013. After earning his undergraduate degrees (BA-English & BA-history) from the University of North Texas, Jon was the recipient of a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Arts Award, a fellowship worth $150,000 for graduate studies in the Arts. With this award, Jon moved to New York City and attended the MFA program for Fiction Writing at NYU. Throughout these experiences, he has worked as a writing tutor, research assistant, editor, copywriter, and middle/high school teacher. When not teaching or writing, Jon enjoys time in the sun, Lydia Davis’s flash fiction, and cold coffees year round. He listens to Beethoven at the same volume he listens to Parliament-Funkadelic and maintains a healthy obsession with the NBA (go Mavs!).
Gabi Hernandez
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor
Raised in Loudoun County, Gabi has been with Loudoun Test Prep since high school working as a proctor and tutor. Since graduating from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, her enthusiasm for learning and tutoring has only grown. With plans to attend medical school, Gabi has experience in biology and chemistry at the undergraduate level and loves to help others find a passion for the sciences. After graduating a semester early, Gabi stayed in Williamsburg to work full-time as a nursing assistant in a local hospital before returning to Loudoun County to work on her application for medical school. When she isn’t studying or tutoring, Gabi spends her time creating multimedia collage art, sipping on chai tea lattes, and enjoying live music with friends.
Wade Taliancich
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor
Growing up immersed in the South’s rich culture and arts, Wade Taliancich became fascinated with the power of writing. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in digital journalism and minor in English, he moved to Virginia to pursue that love further.
Since being with Loudoun Test Prep, he has discovered a passion for teaching the intricacies of the English language to the next generation. Wade knows that the smallest details can prove to be the most important, so every step of the learning process is treated with care.
Olivia Bruns
Proctor
A 2023 graduate of Tuscarora High School with top 10% honors, Olivia was born and raised in Loudoun County. She played softball for 12 years and was also a two sport athlete in high school (softball and swimming). Though she loves sports, she decided to pursue different interests in college. Olivia is currently a student at the University of Delaware studying Kinesiology and aspires to obtain her DPT. Olivia has been with Loudoun Test Prep for over a year working as a proctor. When she isn’t at school or working, Olivia likes to spend her free time at the gym, fueling up on any form of caffeine, or spending time with family and friends.
Jake Boucher
SAT/ACT Reading and Writing Instructor
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Jake moved to the DMV in 2019 after living in Boston for seven years. Jake attended Boston University, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature and International Relations. Jake worked for three years working as a licensed real estate and insurance agent before pursuing his passion for food and drink. Jake spent five years in the restaurant industry creating bartending, creating cocktail menus, and managing beverage programs in both Boston and Washington, DC. Jake is also the founder and president of the Mark Boucher Memorial Fund, a scholarship fund in his father’s honor that has raised over $500,000 for student athletes in Massachusetts. When he’s not tutoring, Jake spends his time cooking, playing disc golf, and reading science fiction and fantasy.
Meghan Boylan
Lead Proctor
Meghan has been an invaluable member of the Loudoun Test Prep team since 2019, where she serves in the capacity of Lead Proctor. Her academic journey culminated in the attainment of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania, a testament to her dedication to excellence. Currently, Meghan applies her extensive healthcare expertise as an emergency room nurse in Loudoun County, VA, showcasing her commitment to making a positive impact on the well-being of others.
Outside the realm of academia and healthcare, Meghan’s passions extend into various aspects of a vibrant and fulfilling life. A fitness enthusiast, she dedicates her free time to engaging in invigorating pilates sessions, ensuring a holistic approach to her well-being. Her culinary pursuits align with a conscientious lifestyle, as she takes pleasure in crafting delicious vegan meals that contribute to both her health and the environment.
Beyond her professional and wellness endeavors, Meghan is a devoted caregiver to her feline companion, adding a touch of warmth and companionship to her daily life. Additionally, she indulges in the leisurely activity of window shopping for cardio, demonstrating a keen eye for fashion and an appreciation for the simple pleasures that life has to offer.
Michelle Kim
SAT/ACT Math Instructor
Michelle started her teaching journey in her freshman year of college at William and Mary when she picked up tutoring as a side gig while studying psychology and data science full time. She continued tutoring math online for the next five years, in math subjects ranging form elementary math to precalculus, along with the SAT, ACT, and SSAT. Before joining LTP, Michelle worked as a director of education at Mathnasium and a program director at a nonprofit organization. She hope to build her career in education and eventually become a curriculum designer for an edtech company. When she’s not solving math problems, Michelle like to read vintage comics, go thrifting, and make her own coffee table books.