Karen DeCrescenzo Lavery Ph.D.

In addition to a career as a professor and academic editor, Karen became a test-preparation tutor and teacher in 2009.

Karen has a knack for identifying the areas where a student might be struggling, so she’s able to design a program for each student that is focused, efficient, and effective. Her ability to read students well also applies to both academic and nonacademic traits: Are they overconfident? Under-confident? Do they give up easily or do they think they should answer every question, even when the best thing is to move on? Do they second-guess themselves? Struggle with test anxiety? These are all things that play a significant role in a student’s success, and Karen’s ability to recognize them early means her students have more time to learn more productive ways to approach these exams.

Karen was raised in New York and went to Duke for her undergraduate degree. After college she moved to New England and, among other things like raising three kids, earned two more degrees: a master’s from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Harvard. Karen is an avid reader and a lifelong learner. She has been playing sports her whole life; she still plays, but these days mostly soccer.