Raven Wilson joined the HRDC team as a general academic tutor in the summer of 2023. Raven earned her bachelor’s degree in education from The Virginia Commonwealth University (Go, Rams!). After graduating, Raven put her passion and skills to use teaching grades 1-3 for 7 years both in Newport News Schools and York County School Division. Seeing and experiencing firsthand some of the challenges students and teachers face, Raven made the difficult decision to leave the classroom. Focused and committed to improving teacher efficacy and student outcomes in underserved and underrepresented communities, Raven joined the team of Ellevation Education, whose mission is to improve the educational achievement of multi-language learners. Raven enjoys spending time outside with her beautiful family, prioritizing her physical and mental health, losing herself in good books, and beach days with the people she loves.

Rick Hartung retired from Hampton City Schools in 2017, having taught Algebra and Geometry for more than 20 years. Prior to beginning his teaching career, he served 20 years in the USAF working both as a Communications Officer and an Electronic Maintenance Technician. Rick graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Vocational Education and also from the George Washington University with a Master’s degree in Adult Education.

Ms. Costa joins the HRDC team with 33 years of experience in education! Ms. Costa began her career as a general education teacher (21 years) before she transitioned from the classroom to follow her passion and focus on literacy as a reading interventionist.

Ms. Costa’s formal education began when she graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. She then went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Reading, Language, and Literacy with an endorsement as a Reading Specialist from The College of William & Mary (Go, Tribe!).

Ms. Costa currently works as a reading interventionist in Newport News Schools. She loves working with children to provide explicit and systematic instruction to strengthen their reading skills in the areas of decoding, encoding, and fluency.

In her free time, Deborah enjoys spending time boating, traveling, and having fun with her family, especially at Lake Gaston and on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Tammy Castillo joined the HRDC family as a tutor when her family settled in the Hampton Roads area after moving around with the Air Force for 22 years. Tammy comes to us with a breadth of tutoring ability – she studied math through Calculus, Business Calculus, and Statistics as part of her Business Minor while earning her BA in Journalism from Texas A&M University in 2000. She later earned an M.A. Advertising and Marketing from Leeds University Business School in Leeds, UK. She worked in the private sector in advertising and marketing for years before deciding to step out of the workforce for a season to raise her two boys. Tammy developed a heart for education and tutoring after watching her son’s reading ability grow exponentially at HRDC. She is also an Academic Coach in the Educational Enrichment Department at Summit Christian Academy in Yorktown, VA. In her free time, Tammy loves to spend time outdoors with her three boys (including her husband Matt of 22 years), travel, read and watercolor paint.

Gervais Baptist brings thirty years of education experience to HRDC. She began with a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood education from the University of Richmond. After teaching for ten years in Richmond City Public Schools and Chesterfield County Public Schools, she switched roles to become an Army wife and mother of four. She worked with Army children as a volunteer in Germany, California, South Carolina, New York, and Hawaii. She most enjoys working with kids one-on-one and relishes the opportunity to help elementary students strengthen their math and reading skills. In her spare time, she reads fiction, sings in a choir, and runs.

Ariel Walton joins the HRDC team with a wide range of experiences and education. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University, Ariel became a special education teacher in York County, VA. During her tenure at YCSD, Ariel primarily worked with students on an adaptive curriculum path. Working with students who had significant learning challenges as well as behavioral needs ignited her passion to learn more. Ariel went on to earn her Master’s degree in Education and Curriculum Design. Mrs. Walton currently works as a Behavioral Support Coach for Newport News Public Schools where she coaches teachers how to implement evidence-based practices in the classroom.

Information coming soon

Information coming soon