Our Staff
TestTakers is not a massive bureaucracy filled with middle managers; our Site Directors are each principals within the company and are all energetic, passionate SAT masters with the experience to answer any conceivable SAT question. We strive to get to know each student and what he or she needs to do to reach the next scoring level. We honestly care—just give us a call and you can talk to one of us personally! We'll take the time to answer any questions you have before, during, and after the course.
Below you'll find an introduction to each of our Site Directors and a very small sampling of our teachers. Although this list is nowhere near exhaustive, it should begin to illustrate the personality and quality present at every TestTakers course.
Brian Corridan
Brian Corridan graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a degree in psychology, focusing primarily on adolescents. While at Columbia, Brian spent four years as one of TestTakers' highest-rated teachers and two years as a Resident Advisor for freshmen. Upon graduation, Brian was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and since then has become famous not only as Director of the Long Island Academy and Bronx Science courses, but also as a contestant on CBS's Survivor: Guatemala. Brian balances his encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture with an encyclopedic knowledge of the SAT, having never missed a math question on a standardized test, including the SAT.
Jeremy Freed
Jeremy Freed graduated from Columbia University with honored degrees in English and Creative Writing, and membership in the Order of Omega Honors Society. A past recipient of the Ohio State Senate Award for Oratorical Excellence, and long-time color commentator for the Columbia Athletics radio network, Jeremy is renowned amongst TestTakers instructors for his captivating classes and unsurpassed eloquence. When not directing the Garden City or Staten Island (or periodic Roslyn) courses, he can be found lamenting the failures of Cleveland sports franchises and writing poetry.
Stephen Minakyan
A native of Manhasset, NY, Stephen Minakyan graduated from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Accounting. A teacher at TestTakers since 2012 and Assistant Site Director since 2014, Stephen helps students increase their scores with his inventive methods and clear explanations. Stephen’s main interests outside of class are baseball and his pets, a cat and a Miniature Australian Shepherd, who periodically appear in our students’ practice questions.
Andrew Nanayakkara
Andrew Nanayakkara, known as "Naka" to his students, graduated from Garden City High School and has been a part of the TestTakers family since 2006. He attended Stony Brook University, where he majored in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, minored in Leadership Development, and joined many student advocacy organizations. As one of TestTakers' most popular instructors, Andrew routinely receives stellar ratings from his students, who have described him as "the most enthusiastic, energetic, and skilled teacher” who “mixes learning with just the right amount of humor and stress relief.” He directs the Great Neck and Roslyn courses, and in his spare time, Andrew (a proud Eagle Scout) enjoys hiking, practicing Muay Thai, and honing his stand-up comedy.
Alan Reed
Alan Reed grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ, and was in the top 10% of his class at Cherry Hill East High School. He graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 2006 with degrees in Finance and International Business. After college, Alan worked in the finance industry as a hedge fund investment analyst, with global funds located in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Russia. An avid sports fan, he can and will talk your ear off about all things sports, especially anything Philadelphia related. In addition to the SAT, his interests include, cooking (but mostly eating), playing sports, and watching movies and TV.
Frank Pomilla
Frank Pomilla is the president and founder of TestTakers. After graduating as valedictorian of Elmont Memorial High School, he received his bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton in 1983. Immediately upon graduation, Frank founded TestTakers. He has personally instructed nearly one thousand students and has served as Site Director for three thousand more. Along the way, Frank has achieved perfect scores on the SAT over 30 times. Frank has been honored by the STAR (Success Through Academic Readiness) program and "Let's Get Ready!" for his contributions to underprivileged students in the field of SAT preparation. He remains steadfastly committed to his students, even well after they complete the TestTakers program—and, as testament, he has attended the weddings of almost twenty former students.