Meet the Team
Jennifer Doerr
My name is Jennifer Doerr and I am the founder, owner, and operator of Wise Owl Tutoring. I am a certified K-6 teacher with 12 years of teaching experience. I obtained my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Elementary Education from East Carolina University. Go Pirates! My greatest pride and joy is my family. I am married to the love of my life, Scott. Together we have three beautiful children: Tucker, Adelaide, and Madsen. Wise Owl began as a way to keep my love of teaching alive while staying home to raise my family, and has blossomed into my dream come true with the creation of the Tutoring Center in September of 2018. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved learning. My goal in life is to share that joy with every child that walks through the doors, and I hope to do that for many years to come!
Melissa Papp
Born and raised in California, Melissa’s parents moved her and her family to North Carolina in 2003. Spending the second part of my life in North Carolina has been the best experience that I could have ever imagined. Since arriving in North Carolina, I have met and married my husband and high school sweetheart of 9 years and welcomed our sweet son Hudson in August of 2018. I received my Bachelors Degree in Psychology with a K-6 Licensure from Meredith College, and received my Masters Degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from George Washington University. I love working with children and have experience working with grades 1-6, through various teaching and tutoring experiences. I am very excited to start this journey with Wise Owl Tutoring!
Alicia Raphael
My name is Alicia Raphael and I am so excited to join the Wise Owl Tutoring Team! I am originally from New Jersey and decided to come down to North Carolina for college. I received my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education with a K-6 licensure from East Carolina University. After graduating, I taught for a year in New Jersey and then decided to move to Raleigh where I taught at Cardinal Charter Academy for a little over 2 years. I am currently a 3rd grade teacher at Banks Road Elementary in Wake County and have taught 3rd grade for the past three years. I have experience with Pre-K through 4th grade in classroom and small group settings. Although I enjoy teaching a whole class, I prefer working in one-on-one and small group settings in order to meet the needs of individual children. I am looking forward to working with you and your child!
Judy Sgammato
I’m Judy Sgammato and I am extremely excited to be joining the outstanding Wise Owl Tutoring team! During the 20 years I've been in the classroom, I have taught Pre-K through Third Grade, in New Jersey, Texas and North Carolina. I am a Third Grade teacher at Triangle Math and Science Academy in Cary. With knowledge and support I acquired while teaching in Texas, I am now working toward achieving my goal of becoming a Dyslexia Clinician in North Carolina through Orton-Gillingham. My husband, Frank and I have been married since 1981, we have three grown children, a son-in-law, and our first grand baby will be arriving in September, 2019
Caitlin McCommons
My name is Caitlin McCommons, and I am currently a 3rd grade teacher in Wake County Public Schools. I have 20 years of teaching experience in the K-3 setting. I am a certified K-5 teacher with National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. I also have my Master’s degree in Reading Education for grades K-12. I obtained my undergraduate degree from Longwood College in Farmville, VA and my Master’s degree from NC State! Go Pack! I am originally from Northern Virginia (Falls Church), but I have called Raleigh my home since 2005. I come from a long line of educators, and truly love working with children to help them reach their full potential. I look forward to helping your child do the same!
Shelby Swanner
My name is Shelby Swanner and I am very excited to be joining the Wise Owl Tutoring team this year. I am a born and raised North Carolinian. I went to East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) for my undergraduate degree and North Carolina State University for my graduate degree. I have been teaching 5th grade with WCPSS for the last 4 years and will be moving on to 6th grade for the upcoming school year. I am certified in Elementary Education K-6 and Middle School Mathematics 6-9. I am looking forward to working with you and your child!
Hannah Green
My name is Hannah Green and I am so excited to be joining Wise Owl! I grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Elon University. While at Elon, I earned a double major in Special and Elementary Education and became licensed in Special Education (General Curriculum) K-12 and Elementary Education K-5. After graduation, I knew I loved North Carolina so decided to make Raleigh home. 5 years later, I still love it and have gotten to teach 3rd, 1st and 4th grade in Wake County. K-2 has called me back and I am very excited to begin in CCR this upcoming school year. Outside of school I enjoy spending time reading, exploring new restaurants and exercising! I am looking forward to an adventurous 2020-2021 school year!
Heather Concepcion
Hi, my name is Heather Concepcion; I’m excited to be joining the Wise Owl Tutoring team. I'm originally from Connecticut (and have lived in 5 states), but I moved to North Carolina from Florida. I’m happy to call Cary, NC my home since 2018. I truly love the weather here in North Carolina...having the four seasons again is amazing after the years spent in the blazing hot sun of Florida. I have a 13-year-old daughter, Olivia, who is studying to be a professional ballerina here in North Carolina which is the reason for our move to the area. I have been teaching for 10 years now, mostly as a first and second grade teacher; however, I have also taught sixth grade ELA. I am currently teaching third grade at Triangle Math and Science Academy in Cary. I have a Bachelor of Social Work degree as well as a degree in Elementary Education (both earned at Florida Atlantic University) and am certified/licensed to teach K-6. I look forward to working with students, either one-on-one or in a small group setting, to help them meet, and challenge them to exceed, their academic potential.
Emily Harrison
My name is Emily Harrison and I am excited to join the Wise Owl Tutoring team! I am currently a teacher for Wake County Public Schools at Carroll Magnet Middle School. I have 6 years of teaching experience in upper elementary and am starting my 7th year this year with a move to middle school. I have experience across multiple subjects; ELA, Math and Science. I graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. This is my 5th year living in Raleigh, originally from a small town in western North Carolina. This summer I got engaged to my best friend Ryne, whom I met in college at App State! We have two adorable furry children (Jaxx our dog and Bubba our new kitten addition) and they take up lots of my free time with walks and snuggles. I look forward to working with your child and helping them reach their academic goals!
Katherine Pierce
Hi, my name is Katherine Pierce and I am excited to be joining the Wise Owl Tutoring team this year! I graduated this past summer from N.C. State with my Bachelors in Elementary Education and have begun my teaching career in Wake County. I am currently a fourth-grade teacher, but I have experience teaching students as young as kindergarteners! In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as taking long shopping trips to Target. I have always had a passion for working with children and take it as an honor to be a part of their learning experience. I look forward to meeting you and teaming up with you to further your student's success!
Voter's Choice Award
Wise Owl was selected as runner-up in WRAL's 2019 Voter's Choice Awards for Best Tutoring Center.