Led by Rachael Barron, the Effective Students team is a group of successful professionals, educators, counselors, and graduate students imparting skills to a younger generation of students with a focus on building academic grit. Each coach brings a unique set of study tools for students, leveraging their personal experience and The Effective Student™ Method. Students practice study skills online with their coach for specific assessments so they can measure the impact of their efforts right away and be encouraged to persevere.
Learn More About Our Trusted Academic Coaches in Charlotte
Rachael Barron
Founder, Principal Executive Function Coach & Author of The Effective Student™ Curriculum
Effective StudentsMeet Rachael. A graduate of Emory University, Rachael has spent her professional career coaching and solving complex educational problems. From applying problem solving and vision casting skills in the business environment through applying these principles to the education realm, she excels at helping individual students and families find educational success. Prior to founding Effective Students, Rachael solved complex educational problems in her role as an educational advocate mastering the maze of finding solutions for families within Georgia’s public and private schools, helping the most difficult learners find success.
Rachael now spends all of her time working with children, young adults, and families who are focused on achieving success in their school environment and acquiring a set of self-management skills that last a lifetime.
Leighann Mattson
Academic Coach
Effective StudentsMeet Leighann. Leighann is originally from Indianapolis, IN and comes to Effective Students with 9 years of education experience. Education and athletics have been an important part of her life from an early age. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ball State University, where she was also a Division 1 swimmer.
Following her bachelor’s degree, Leighann earned her master’s degree in elementary education from Johns Hopkins University. Throughout her teaching career, she has moved to a few different places, due to her passion for travel and new experiences. She has lived and taught in New Orleans, LA, Bangkok, Thailand, and Memphis, TN. While working as an educator, she also founded a swim team at a school she was teaching at, where she took on the role as head coach. Leighann is happy to now be in Charlotte, NC and is excited to be on the Effective Students team. She is passionate about teaching the whole child and wants to set students up with valuable skills that can help them in school and beyond.
In her free time, Leighann enjoys working out, trying new restaurants, and traveling.
Maureen Carlomagno
Academic Coach
Effective StudentsMeet Maureen.
A creative and compassionate educator with 20 years of coaching expertise, Maureen Carlomagno provides educational experiences with an empathy-led approach to individual growth.
With a belief that everyone deserves to be supported and connected, Maureen enjoys collaborating with students to implement strategies that are rooted in best practices. She also integrates both academic and self-care principles in her work with students.
Maureen is a Master-level Certified Intrinsic Coach, Certified Health Education Specialist, and National Board Certified Health Coach. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Spanish from Salem College, a Masters in Public Health from Boston University, and a Certificate in Program Management from Boston University.
While she is delivering coaching with Effective Students techniques, her approach can be summarized by the following Stephen Spielberg quote,
“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
When she is not coaching, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying new recipes or working in her garden, and volunteering in her community.
“Maureen has been a very big help with my son’s college courses. My son has a tendency to start off doing well then loses his momentum and focus mid way through the semester. Maureen has a way of knowing how to connect with him. Her approach is calm, caring, straightforward, and effective in knowing how to strategically help plan for what tasks to help in achieving his goals. She has been a great asset for him and his adapted way of learning since his injury. ”
Nathalie Thandiwe
Executive Function Coach
Effective StudentsMeet Natalie:
Nathalie has over 20 years experience as a coach, executive trainer and adult education instructor. As a certified executive function coach, her specialty is coaching adults and students to help them develop time management, professional workload/project management and study skills. She’s experienced in working with clients with ADHD, Autism, and Twice Exceptional (2e) learners who have disabilities or developmental challenges along with areas of high abilities or giftedness. She enjoys helping students ‘learn how to learn’, in ways that are effective for them to succeed.
Executive Function challenges affect many aspects of life and relationships- Nathalie is dedicated to helping clients gain confidence and overcome these challenges, by experiencing related improvements and wins as they master life-long executive function skills. She has a Masters in Public Health Policy and Management from Columbia University. Her policy focus is the intersections of disability support needs, healthcare, education and transition services, and ways to integrate these silos in a person-centered approach to improve care, systems and policies across the lifespan. Her passions include traditional plant medicine and healing, art and reading. She enjoys medieval historical drama, literary fantasy fiction, dance, nature film and wildlife photography. She loves spending time with friends, exploring the world with her family and walking greenway trails with her dogs. She believes in mysteries, miracles, and kindness.
Questions about Charlotte-based academic coaching for your student?