Faculty Profiles
Marc Wharton is the Coordinator of the FAU Test Prep department and teaches both the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GRE, GMAT, and SAT, as well as the Verbal Reasoning component of the MCAT test preparation courses. He has developed test prep programs and taught courses at both the graduate and high school levels in South Florida for over 5 years. His courses balance a solid grounding in the core English, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning material tested, combined with specific test taking strategies and techniques. Marc received his B.S. in Marketing/Management from Cornell University.
Suzanne Sheber teaches the General Knowledge Math Review and the GRE/GMAT Math Fundamentals test preparations courses. Ms. Sheber has taught standardized test preparation and basic skills courses at Florida Atlantic University and Lynn University for over 15 years. She teaches both math and verbal skills along with test taking strategies and approaches. Students find her classroom teaching style to be uplifting and supportive. She graduated from FAU with a B.A. in Humanities and received the Kenneth R. Williams Leadership Award. She studied graduate level coursework in business and in education.
Inga Chira teaches GMAT and SAT test preparation classes at FAU. A current PhD student in Finance at Florida Atlantic University, Inga has taught finance full time at Jacksonville University for two years. In addition, she has extensive experience with teaching GMAT, GRE and SAT courses, especially the math portion.
Tina De La Fe
teaches the Quantitative, Verbal and Writing portions of the GRE, SAT and GMAT. She holds a Masters Degree in Education from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelors in English and Journalism from Averett College in Virginia. Also a Reading Specialist at a Palm Beach County high school, her teaching style elicits a high level of student involvement and input, enabling her to adjust the pace and coverage of each class to the particular needs of the group. Tina's teaching philosophy regarding test preparation involves a balance of both strategy and content, ensuring students know not only what to do, but how to do it well.
Diana Ballou
teaches the GRE and GMAT Test Preparation courses. She is a practicing attorney and an experienced teacher who has taught Test Prep at Florida Atlantic University and at Kaplan. She displays a passion for teaching, and students have described her teaching style as enthusiastic, engaging, and effective. Ms. Ballou earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1998 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her Juris Doctor in 2001 from the University of Miami.
Lisa Byard teaches the GRE and SAT verbal sections. She is currently a graduate student in the Higher Education Leadership program at Florida Atlantic University.
She previously worked as an instructor in northern California.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stony Brook University and her Masters in Higher Education from Loyola University in Chicago.
Lisa has a passion for teaching and engaging students.
Kenneth B. Dion, Esq. teaches the LSAT course. He is a sole practitioner in West Palm Beach. He was formerly with the Palm Beach County Office of the Public Defender as an Assistant Public Defender. He is currently a sole practitioner representing clients in Criminal Law, Traffic Law, Contract Law, and Corporate Law.
He earned his J.D from Suffolk University Law School, and Bachelor of Arts from Boston College. He also teaches for Palm Beach Community College and for the legal assistants program here at FAU.
Keith Vinson teaches the Quantitative portions of the GRE, GMAT, and SAT Test Preparation classes at FAU, both in Boca Raton and Davie. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Miami. He has taught Math and Business classes at local universities for 20 years. His classroom delivery style assures student involvement in the class. He firmly believes that the actively involved student will receive more benefit from his class than will the passive uninvolved one.
Garrett Smith
teaches GMAT test preparation classes at FAU. A current PhD. student in Finance at Florida Atlantic University, Garrett also teaches finance at the undergraduate level. He received his undergraduate degree in BioMedical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and M.B.A. in Finance from Hofstra University. He is approachable and has a strong desire for all individuals in the class to achieve their personal goals.
