
ABOUT US
How It All Started
In 2020, LTG CEO and Founder, Johna Toomey, was mom on a mission trying to find the right tutor for her 4th grader as she juggled her career and pandemic learning. However, she couldn't find the type of expert, tailored, in-home service that she was looking for.
Johna was no stranger to educational services, she had previously been Founder and CEO of Learn to Learn Educational Services in San Francisco, CA. Since she couldn't find the level of tutoring that she knew could be delivered, she decided to be the change she sought. She started Learn Thrive Grow Academic Support to help her and other families not just survive pandemic learning, but thrive!
Learn Thrive Grow is more than a business, our mission is to be a true academic partner to the families we serve. We are passionate about unlocking the learning potential of each of our individual students.
Towards this goal, we bring to bear an outstanding team of tutors, the latest research and educational techniques, and a friendly, dedicated staff to ensure that your experience with us exceeds your expectations.
But don’t take our word for it—try us out today and find out how we can help your student!
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Our Office Staff
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JOHNA TOOMEY
CEO
Johna is the Founder and CEO of Learn Thrive Grow Academic Support and a certified Educational Therapist.
She owned and operated LTL Educational Services, a San Francisco tutoring company, from 1998 to 2004 and served as its President until 2014. During this period, Johna also worked as a learning specialist in private practice.
In this capacity, she administered and analyzed psycho-educational testing, advised parents on school IEP’s, and utilized multi-sensory techniques to remediate students, including Lindamood-bell reading and math, Orton-Gillingham based reading, and Making Math Real.
In addition to her education experience, Johna has more than a decade of experience working for the federal government and in business. As a mom, professional, and native of the DMV, Johna has personal experience with the challenges area families face and a passion for building customized programs to support their goals.
Johna has a B.A. in International Relations from Mt. Vernon College at George Washington University, a J.D. from George Mason School of Law, and is a certified Educational Therapist through the University of California Berkeley. Johna is a member of the Maryland bar. She lives in McLean, VA with her husband, daughter and two Siamese cats.
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APRIL MCCARTHY
Deputy Director
April is a creative educator and administrator who has a deep understanding of the learning process. She spent five years as an elementary classroom teacher, two years as a substitute teacher in Stafford County public schools, and more than five years tutoring. In this capacity, she specialized in helping students cultivate their interests and connect with academic material.
April also served for five years as an Operations Intelligence Instructor for the United States Air Force, where she created innovative training and instructional materials, mentored 20 students for 6 months at a time as a class advisor, and spearheaded numerous organizational innovations at the program.
April is a prolific volunteer, lending her skills to programs including: Meals on Wheels Companion Program, Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, and the SONRISAS Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program.
April has an M.A. in Education and Special Education from George Mason University. She is a certified teacher in the State of Virginia. She lives near the water with her husband, 3 children, 2 cats, and dog.
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SAMARA SHANKER
Associate Director
Samara is an educator, author, and former entrepreneur with over a decade of tutoring experience working with students of all ages on a variety of subjects. Over the years, she has worked with individuals with ADHD, Autism, TBI, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Executive Functioning Challenges.
As the founder of Homeschool Heroes LLC, which she operated until June 2022, Samara is a practiced hand at tutoring company operations and home-based education.
She also served as a Student Therapist for school-aged children at the Community Health Awareness Council and the Gronowski Psychology Clinic, both in California. There she provided school-based therapy services and in-classroom social-emotional learning curricula as well as conducted neuropsychological and personality assessments, gaining expertise in emotional development, cognition, and learning.
She also has experience in college admissions as a Dartmouth College Admissions Ambassador, and is a published author of middle grade novels.
Samara has a B.S. in Psychology from Dartmouth College, an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Stanford, and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University. She lives in Arlington with her rescue pup, Jack Kirby, and spends as much time as she can spoiling her niece and nephew.
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LESLIE ARAKELIAN
Social Media Outreach Manager
Leslie is a consultant, educator, and entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience across a range of fields supporting professional moms and parents. She is currently the owner of Rooted in Beauty Photography and founder of Becoming More Than Mom Coaching. Through both of these enterprises, Leslie finds joy in listening to people, helping them see themselves with a different perspective, and supporting them in exploring change that might be otherwise too daunting to undertake.
In addition to her consulting and photography work, Leslie is a substitute teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools. She is also multi-passionate creative, diving into photography, crochet, painting, sewing, and jewelry design.
Leslie has a B.S. in Communication / Journalism Print Media from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and an Associates Degree in Fine Arts Photography from Harrisburg Area Community College. She lives in Alexandria, is the mother of a rising kindergartener and wife of a retired Army Captain.
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Our Tutors and Educational Specialists

