Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.

Michael K. Smith received a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1984.  He is a national expert on standardized testing.  He founded Testprep Experts in 1984 to help students prepare for college admissions tests, such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT, and graduate school admissions tests, such as the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT.  He is the author of several video training courses for these tests including The ACT Video Course, The SAT Video Course, and The PSAT Video Course. These courses are used by hundreds of high schools throughout the nation. 

Jill Kovalchik

A former valedictorian of Ludington High School in Ludington, Michigan, Jill Kovalchik received a B.S. in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in May 2005.  She attended the Mason-Lake-Oceana Math & Science Center throughout her high school years and began taking college classes, including Calculus I and II, during her junior year of high school.  She was a National Merit Finalist and received numerous scholarships and awards throughout her college career.  She has worked with Testprep Experts since July 2004.

Shannon Noble

A native of Illinois, Shannon Noble graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.A. in History in 1999.  She continued her education at Rutgers University - School of Law where she graduated with a J.D. in 2002.  After two years in a corporate environment, she returned to school and graduated from the University of Tennessee in May 2006 with a Masters of Science in Information Science.  She has worked with Testprep Experts since January 2005.

Newton Jennings

Newton Jennings earned a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in December 2006.  He graduated from Webb School - Bell Buckle and received a National Merit Scholarship to attend Washington & Lee University, where he completed his first year of undergraduate study.  Mr. Jennings is currently completing the necessary examinations to become a certified actuary.  He has worked with Testprep Experts since August 2005.

Emily Cope

Emily Cope earned a B.A. in Theology from Moody Bible Institute in 2004.  She currently attends the University of Tennessee, where she received an received an Incoming Graduate Assistant John C. Hodges Award.  She will be awarded a Masters in American Literature in 2008.  She has been with Testprep Experts since March 2006.

Mitchell Ronningen

Mitchell Ronningen is a College Scholar at the University of Tennessee and will receive a B.A. with an emphasis in Cultural Studies in May 2008.  He is a 2004 graduate of Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He attended the Tennessee Governor’s School for Humanities in 2003 and took classes at Middle Tennessee State University during his senior year of high school.  He tutored peers throughout high school in classical Latin and for the Excalibur national science honor society.  Mr. Ronningen is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the UT Opera Company.  He plans to attend law school after his UT graduation.

Taylor Tipton

Taylor Tipton will receive a B.A. in History from the University of Tennessee in May 2008.  He graduated with honors from Maryville High School in 2004 and scored a perfect 800 on the verbal section of his SAT.  Taylor has been actively involved with the UT honors program and studied in both Europe and Central Asia.  A past student of Testprep Experts, Mr. Tipton took the LSAT in June 2007 and plans to attend law school after graduation from UT.

Ben Davis

Ben Davis is pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.  He has tutored peers in math, chemistry, and physics since high school and mentors incoming freshman engineering students through Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity.  He holds a coop position in process engineering with Shaw Flooring and is also involved with research groups on campus.  In his spare time, Mr. Davis plays rugby with the UT Rugby Football Club.

Renee Stancliffe

Renee Stancliffe graduated from Occidental College in 2005 with a B.A. in Biology.  She taught middle school math and science at KIPP: LA Prep, a charter school in East Los Angeles, California, where she implemented a math remediation program to help struggling students.  She next taught biology at Bishop Alemany High School and supervised a student-run tutoring program.  In 2007, Ms. Stancliffe returned to school as a student at the University of Tennessee, where she is studying nutrition and public health.