Susan Valverde: Sylvan Brand President’s Journey From Franchisee to Leadership

Sometimes, the most significant career decisions come from unexpected moments. For Susan Valverde, brand president of Sylvan Learning, that moment occurred in a Prometric Testing Center housed within a Sylvan location.

What started as a simple drive to accompany her husband to a certification exam turned into a 15-year journey as a successful franchisee, followed by an ascent through corporate leadership positions. Now, as she takes the helm during an exciting period of transformation under Unleashed Brands' ownership, Valverde shares her unique perspective on Sylvan's evolution and its mission to shape the future of educational enrichment.

Susan Valverde: I was traveling a lot and itching to start a business, but I didn't know what kind. Then, I saw an ad for Sylvan. It was a television ad with a little girl reading. It caught my interest, and I called to inquire. At this time, you still had to get a physical package in the mail. So I waited for that, and when it came, I drove around with it in my passenger seat for a while.

One day, my husband, who was a financial advisor, needed to take a certification test. He asked me to drive him to the nearest testing center, which was two hours away. I took my Sylvan package with me, planning to read through it while I waited on him. When we pulled up to the address, it was a Prometric Testing Center located inside a Sylvan center. It was a cool coincidence, and I took the opportunity to learn more about Sylvan.

While he took his test, I got to meet the franchisees and see instruction firsthand. I was in love. I saw kids running in wanting to learn and saw a little boy start to read on his own. That was the fastest decision I think I've ever made. I contacted our business partners and the journey began!

Valverde: I was a franchisee for 15 years. In 2016, my partners and I sold our business. I was looking at buying more Sylvan centers in Phoenix, but the deal fell through. Then, I got a call from John McAuliffe, the then-CEO, and he asked if I wanted to do some consulting work. I started as a consultant in Toronto. I was there for a few months before I joined the corporate office. I was a consultant, vice president of operations and chief franchise operations officer before stepping into the brand president role in early 2024.

Valverde: From a small business perspective, you are pursuing your American dream. You are creating jobs, generating revenues in your community and impacting the local economy. From an educational standpoint, you are helping kids on their journey and helping solve problems for parents who have big dreams for their kids. You are an ally and supporter of the schools.

We don't compete with the schools; we're there to advance their goals. All of the impact is positive.

Valverde: We were recently acquired by a youth enrichment platform company that has the resources and dedication to take us to the next level. Because of that, there has been a lot of change throughout the system as we implement new strategies and tools our parent company has available to us. It’s exciting because we continue to increase the number of children we serve and broaden our impact year-over-year.

Valverde: Being a part of a company that is specifically focused on kids unlocks a new layer of resources for us, and it will make it even easier for us all to serve even more kids. There are things that we wish we could’ve done differently in the past, and we’ve not been able to due to competing priorities. Now, with the support of Unleashed Brands, we can implement these changes to create an even brighter future for Sylvan.