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Our Team

Our approach is powered by our dedicated team.

Meet the Team

Executive Team

Matthew Pietrafetta

Founder & CEO

Meet Matthew

Brad Kessler

Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel

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Amanda Aisen

Chief Education Officer

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Erica Porter Walton

Vice President of Finance

Meet Erica

Carla Pedersen

Executive Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

Meet Carla

1-on-1 Team

Denise Alagna

Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

Meet Denise

Nora Rossbach

Associate Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

Meet Nora

Max Spitz

Associate Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

Meet Max

Allison Sherry

North Shore Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

Meet Allison
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Yin Schneider

Winnetka Associate Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

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Sneha Shrivastav

Client Communication Coordinator

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Department of Education

TJ Sassorossi

Director of Curriculum

Meet TJ

Hayley Notter

Director of Curriculum and Content Development

Meet Hayley
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Jaycie Ryrholm

Director of Research and Digital Education

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Jeremy Palmer

Director of Instructional Management

Meet Jeremy

Katie Hammen

Director of Instructional Management

Meet Katie
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Connor Hanna

Associate Director of Curriculum

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Marketing

Andrew Ferguson

Director of Business Development

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Kyle Benjamin

Director of Client Development

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Human Resources & Technology

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Eric McConville

Lead Software Developer

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James Kriegsmann

Data Developer and Architect

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Ivan Heemskerk

Software Developer

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Operations

Brian McAuliffe

Director of Operations

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Finance

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Areeba Gadar

Senior Accountant

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Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | Blue logo for Chicago Public Schools featuring silhouettes of two children and a graduate in a cap and gown inside a circle, with the text "Chicago Public Schools" to the right.

Major Changes to Chicago Public School Testing

CPS Moves to PreACT 9 Secure for Selective Enrollment Testing THIS FALL. 

  • CPS has formally announced that Selective Enrollment testing will move from the HSAT exam to the PreACT 9 Exam.
  • The test will be a full-length PreACT 9 Secure (2.5 hours), much longer than the HSAT, which was only 1 hour.
  • The reasons for the change seem to be based on the more meaningful academic information the test will provide families and administrators.

If you want to learn more about these changes and how Academic Approach can help, CLICK HERE

ACT Scoring Error:
School Day Testers Impacted

Read More Now

2026–27 ACT Registration Is Open

Popular ACT testing sites fill quickly.

Start with a free ACT diagnostic and personalized consultation from Academic Approach to build the right testing timeline and prep plan for your student.

Sign Up Now

FREE WEBINAR

Enhanced ACT:
What Families Need to Know

With Matthew Pietrafetta, CEO & Founder
DATE
June 10
TIME
7PM CST
FORMAT
Live on Zoom
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Whether your student took the PreACT as a sophomore, the ACT as a junior, or is preparing to test soon, this session will help you navigate the new test with confidence.

Save My Spot
Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send the recording.

Hey — we've seen you around.

That tells us you’re serious about your student’s future.

So are we. Let’s stop circling and start a real conversation.

(888) 394-5060

Chicago Public High School Applications open now!

Learn More at CPS.edu