Our Founders

TutorPlus was founded by husband and wife, Bill and Karen Simms who have dedicated their careers to educating students.

Bill Simms

Bill earned his BA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 1990. He then went on to receive his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in public administration in 1997.

Bill spent the next 26 years as both a teacher and administrator in public education. His dedication has made him widely recognized as an expert in developing and implementing high quality educational solutions for all students.

This includes implementing robust academic interventions, expanding access and support for high rigor programming as well as utilizing innovative solutions to reach and teach struggling learners.

Karen Simms

Karen earned her BA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 1992 and then went on to receive her master’s degree from the same university in special education in 1997.

She has spent her entire teaching career in Northville Public Schools, where she taught students in mathematics and social studies. Karen is widely recognized as an expert math tutor and academic coach, as her students routinely achieve at the highest levels.

Her work in customizing instructional methods and developing effective solutions based on each student’s unique needs has changed the lives of countless kids.

Our Team

Lauren Chenevert

Lauren is a graduate of Springfield College (BA) and Cambridge College (M.Ed) where she graduated with a major in English/Secondary Education and a minor in Sports Management and Movement therapy.

After receiving her Masters in Educational Administration, Lauren worked in several aspects of the educational field including Literacy and Professional Development Coach, College Counselor, AVID Coordinator, and Testing Specialist. In 2005, she began working independently as a college consultant providing specialized consulting in executive functioning, college recruitment for athletes, test prep, writing support, secondary school placement, and life coaching.

Lauren has also been in the sports world since playing D1 collegiate field hockey and coaching and owning field hockey and lacrosse clubs. She is married with 3 teenage boys.

Steven DeVellis

Steven is a current graduate student at UMass Amherst studying Chinese language and culture. Steven earned his Minor in Chinese at Colgate University after studying the language in school since 7th grade.

While in college, Steven also took introductory classes in Cantonese in addition to his Mandarin schedule. In the past, Steven attended several Chinese language camps, including two summers at Middlebury Monterey Language Academy, a full Chinese language immersion program. Steven has been to China twice, once to Beijing and once to Hong Kong, and hopes to make it back someday. Steven brings a wealth of experiences when working with students, families, and organizations in learning Chinese language and culture.

Alexandra Fry

Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she received a BS in Mathematics with Chemistry and Spanish minors in 2015 and an MD in 2020.

She began tutoring Mathematics, Spanish, and Chemistry in 2011, with standardized testing prep (ACT/SAT/GRE/GED/MCAT) along with a variety of other subjects in 2015. She was a paid professional tutor by the University of Alabama at Birmingham for 4 years, tutoring individually and teaching Math and Chemistry classes. She enjoys tutoring students of all ages with extensive experience with children including those with special needs.

Alexandra currently works as a physician and remains incredibly passionate about mentoring and tutoring. In her free time, she also enjoys salsa dancing and acroyoga.

Sarah Bullington

Sarah is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she received a BS in Chemistry and a Bachelors in Education.  Sarah earned her Masters degree in Administration from Madonna University in 2017.

Sarah has been tutoring middle school, high school, and college students in Mathematics, Chemistry, Social Studies, and ELA since 2009. Sarah also serves as an academic advisor to families with students requiring learning plans for student athletes and others involved in other comprehensive activities. Sarah is also an expert in working with students who utilize online or remote instruction for their coursework.

Sarah currently works as a Learning Coach in Brighton Area Schools and is an Academic Coordinator for a national provider of academics for aspiring elite athletes. In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading and spending time with her family.