231. Test Prep Profile: Susan Powers

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Susan Powers, the founder and CEO of Woodlands Test Prep, a tutoring company based in the Houston area that improves students' scores, supports students' academic success, and helps families navigate the college admissions testing process with much less stress. Susan started teaching SAT and GMAT classes for Kaplan in 1994 as a hobby while an executive for a large oil and gas equipment company, doing strategy and acquisitions. The arrival of children put hobbies on hiatus, and she was able to return to tutoring in 2011, founding Woodlands Test Prep. The company has grown from a solopreneur to a larger company with multiple tutors. Susan delights in all aspects of the business from tutoring to curriculum and resource development to process improvement to hiring those few rare gems and teaching them how to help students too! Susan was a National Merit Scholar and has a B.A. in French and a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing in entrepreneurship. She lives in the country with her partner, Joe, and three dogs, a cat, and a parrot named Monkey. Her two children now live adventurous lives in the mountainous West. She loves to travel around the world, play day-long board games, sing, write poetry, garden, and read a couple of books at a time. Find Susan at www.woodlandstestprep.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.