Dr. Susan J. Sylvia is an educator, instructional leader, teacher coach, and consultant with more than two decades of experience in secondary and postsecondary education. She has served in leadership roles including English Department Head, English Learner (ELL) Supervisor, Summer School Director, and Instructional Support Coach, and has taught in urban high schools, community colleges, universities, and professional development settings. Throughout her career, she has mentored and coached educators across academic and vocational-technical disciplines, supporting instructional practice, curriculum development, assessment, classroom management, licensure, and professional growth. Dr. Sylvia serves as an adjunct faculty member and curriculum developer in education and ESL programs, teaches Massachusetts-approved Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement courses for educators and administrators, and teaches pedagogy courses for vocational technical educators through Fitchburg State University. She has also served as a Subject Matter Expert in the ESL program at Grand Canyon University and previously co-taught in the English Department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Sylvia earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a specialization in Educational Leadership from Lesley University, where her dissertation examined the transition of skilled tradespeople into vocational technical teaching and continues to inform her work with career-changing educators.

Dr. Sylvia’s professional interests include teacher development, mentoring, instructional coaching, educator induction, English learner education, and supporting professionals entering the teaching profession as a second career. Through her work with Idioma Education and Consulting, she was contracted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop the Teacher Induction and Mentoring Program Handbook, a statewide resource supporting educator induction programs. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences on mentoring, educator induction, teacher development, and second-career educators, including presentations for MASC, MASS, Educators Rising, and the Society for the Study of Narrative Literature in Birmingham, England. Her publications include scholarly and reference works on vocational technical teacher transitions, mentoring, literature, graphic novels, and folklore, including contributions to Salem Press publications and the article “Individualized Transitional Support for Career-Change Employees” in All About Mentoring. Her contributions to education and community service have been recognized through the Bristol Community College Outstanding Service Award and a Citation from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.