Meet Our Tutors

In tenth grade, Jody Steinglass began tutoring three middle school students in their advanced science class and discovered a passion and flair for teaching. Upon graduating and matriculating to Yale University, where he studied pre-medicine and earned a BA in Economics, Jody continued tutoring students in math and science. While pursuing his master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications in 2002 at New York University, Jody began Empire Edge as a way to stay engaged with education. Upon graduating, he hired two of his adjunct professors to work at Empire Edge and never looked back. 

As president of Empire Edge, Jody oversees every aspect of the company — from recruiting, hiring, and training his staff to matching students with their ideal tutor. He continues to tutor a small number of students because, after all of these years, he still finds it to be the most rewarding part of his work day.

In his spare time, Jody and his wife and two sons enjoy the outdoors — swimming, hiking, sailing, and skiing/snowboarding.

Phoebe spent four years as Assistant Director of Admission at Sarah Lawrence College and has worked as a college adviser with Empire Edge for three years. She has traveled all over the world giving workshops and presentations on college admission, essay writing, and the application process—including CIS, IACAC, and NACAC conferences. While working on the college side, she was in charge of reading, evaluating, and decisioning thousands of college applications, and she maintains close relationships with college representatives, deans, and faculty all over the country. With Empire Edge, she’s committed to demystifying selective college admission and works closely with each family to tailor an individualized, student-centered approach to the application process.

She holds a B.A. in writing and literature from Sarah Lawrence College and has extensive professional experience in copywriting and editing.

Rich graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 2005 with a BS in physics and mathematics. He continued his studies and research at Georgetown University where he earned his MS in physics in 2011 and PhD in physics with distinction in 2013. He is the Director of STEM Programs at Empire Edge and has been with the company since 2014. He has had a history of success preparing students for a variety of standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, and AP exams in math and physics. In addition, he tutors a myriad of academic subjects, including pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and physics. Rich provides a professional and energetic approach to tutoring and he challenges students to raise their academic expectations. Rich enjoys playing strategy-based board games and is a self-taught guitar player. He is originally from Garden City, NY.

Zachery received his BA cum laude from Davidson College and MFA from the University of Georgia, primarily focusing on Shakespeare. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and recipient of two theatre fellowships. He received an Outstanding Teaching award from UGA. His specialties include SAT/ACT/ISEE/SSAT/SHSAT/HSPT math and verbal sections, with additional expertise in writing and drama. He believes standardized test tutoring helps students build a foundation of discipline and self-awareness that will support them throughout their academic careers. He enjoys offering students organizational tools and creative exercises that jump-start their studying and writing processes and allow them to take ownership over their education. He is also the former state champion in Magic: the Gathering for North Carolina.

After getting her BA in Mathematics from Smith College, Frances took off to the other side of the world. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Ghana and has also taught at a private, international school in Palestine. Teaching from middle school math up through AP Calculus, Frances fell in love with helping students reach their “aha” moment in math. She believes all math is learnable and wants to help her students conquer fear of math. When she isn’t with students, she is cooking up a storm and crocheting some new project.

Benjamin earned his A.B. in Mathematics & Physics from Brown University, his M.S. in Physics from the University of Washington, and his M.S. in Physics Education from CUNY-Lehman College.  He taught both algebra-based and calculus-based Physics at Bard High School Early College – Manhattan for over ten years before joining the team at Empire Edge.  Benjamin loves helping students make connections between the science they’re learning in class and the real world, and teaching students how to confidently analyze and solve really challenging physics problems.  In his free time, Benjamin plays all kinds of games and studies foreign languages such as German and Japanese.

With a background in coding and publishing, Matt currently teaches freshman composition at the City University of New York. He graduated summa cum laude from the College of William & Mary and holds an M.F.A. in poetry from Brooklyn College. Matt tutors in SAT/ACT verbal, writing, history, algebra, pre-algebra, and executive functioning. He is all about rigorous, creative approaches to problem solving and the moments when students know they’ve internalized a new strategy. Matt is from Virginia inside the D.C. beltway and loves tea.

Joe graduated summa cum laude from Moravian College before earning his MA at Lehigh University. Joe tutors the SAT and ACT, as well as a variety of high school and middle school entrance exams (including the ISEE, SSAT, and HSPT). He loves tutoring because he loves working with kids and showing them that preparing for standardized tests needn’t be stressful or boring. Joe plays guitar and produces and mixes music in his spare time. He is originally from Bethlehem, PA.

Adam graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University, where he received the Goddard Rhetorical Prize in Acting, and completed an MFA in poetry from Brooklyn College, where he received the Himan Brown Creative Writing Award. He tutors students on the Reading and Writing sections of the SAT and ACT, the SSAT and ISEE, and also does some general academic advising. Adam’s favorite part of the tutoring process is seeing students begin to trust their own decision-making and gain a sense of autonomy. Adam is an actor who has appeared in many productions across NYC and a writer who has published poetry and satire in various magazines. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the English Department at Brooklyn College.

Pat Macdonald graduated magna cum laude from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in English. During his senior year, he received top honors on the English departmental exam and was awarded a thesis prize for his critique of depictions of mental illness in literature and film. Pat is a passionate tutor with experience working with high school and college students alike. His tutoring philosophy holds that each student is unique, and instruction must adapt to fit the student—not vice versa. Growing up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Pat developed a passion for reading and writing. Now, he specializes in simplifying and demystifying the English language. In his free time, Pat watches movies, writes screenplays, and golfs

Matthew graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT with double majors in Mathematics and Theater, in addition to a Film Studies minor. He tutors a full range of mathematical disciplines, from elementary to college-level, and excels in helping students develop a lifelong love of mathematics. Seeing a student overcome a difficult problem by their own ability is one of his favorite things, and he enjoys empowering students to reach their personal academic goals. Besides Empire Edge, Matthew enjoys playing guitar and acting.

Eli received his PhD in Mathematics from the CUNY Graduate Center, after studying mathematics and economics as an undergraduate and being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He tutors mathematics from elementary school up through advanced undergraduate coursework in the subject. Eli also prepares students for the mathematics sections of many standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, SHSAT, and NYS Regents. In addition, he has worked with high school students on chemistry, physics, and German. Although he has many years of experience as a tutor and an educator, Eli continues to enjoy coming up with innovative ways to get students to understand mathematics and never takes a “one size fits all” approach. When he is not communicating mathematics or developing curricula, you can likely find him in a movie theater or talking about movies, especially those made by Alfred Hitchcock. He is originally from Brooklyn, NY.

Gibson Grimm graduated summa cum laude from Middlebury College in Vermont. During his time in school, he was fortunate enough to work as a fiction reader for the prestigious New England Review as well as perform Off-Broadway, and he is grateful for his liberal arts education and its approach toward forging an appreciation for all disciplines of study. The son of a poet (and a student of the written word), he tutors English, Writing, History and the verbal sections of the ACT/SAT, and loves most the unique perspective every student brings to these fields. When not teaching or learning, Gibson can be found cheering on his hometown Florida team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Elena graduated from Duke University with dual concentrations in Spanish and Psychology, and from NYU with a master’s in International Relations. She tutors Spanish at all levels, from beginner through advanced college-level. Elena loves working with students and never gets tired of the “aha moments” when things begin to click and what seemed impossible suddenly becomes doable. Elena is an enthusiastic amateur violinist who founded and directs a string orchestra for beginning adults. She is also a member of the United Nations Symphony Orchestra. Elena has lived in several cities and considers herself an East Coaster.

Peter graduated from Yale University with a Bachelors of Science Intensive in Molecular,
Cellular and Developmental Biology. Working with the Yale School of Medicine, Peter has
co-authored in peer-reviewed scientific journals studying autophagy – the process of how the cell
consumes itself. Peter has also studied abroad at the University of Oxford. He is a huge cycling
enthusiast and loves playing the guitar. Most importantly, Peter is fervently interested in helping
students learn and succeed in their academic endeavors.