Our Philosophy

SEC’s goal is to have every student become the best that they can be academically... whether that means graduation from high school…attending ASU, NAU or U of A… attending an out of state university….or acceptance to an Ivy League school.  We provide a cadre of services to help our students reach their goals and highest potential including help maintaining the highest possible GPA, outstanding SAT/ACT/PSAT scores, developing a leadership profile, college admissions application assistance, scholarship application help or developing an overall academic strategy from elementary school through high school. We use our over 200 years of teaching experience to create individualized programs for each student dependent on their needs and learning styles.  We have special classes for key transitional learning times ….as students transition from elementary school to middle school….middle school to high school….high school to college. They are a part of our “Getting Ready to Succeed” series and College Admissions Made Easy class. We have a strong study skills building program that is focused on the specific needs of each student and helps them develop organizational skills that help them in life as well as school.  We believe in providing skills that can be applied to many different academic areas, giving them true learning skills. Finally, in addition to academics, we provide a mentoring component for students who need help and strength in getting through school. 

Owners

Kim Duckworth- SEC co-owner and CEO since 2007 is responsible for Marketing, Human Relations and heavily involved with College Coaching at the Center. She has 7 years of successful entrepreneurial experience. and has helped grow SEC by 50% over the past 2 years. She had a highly successful Executive Sales and Marketing Career with IBM for over 10 years in Silicon Valley and New York. She graduated from Stanford University ’78 with a BA in Communications Journalism and a second major in International Relations. Her success with College coaching includes not only placement at all Arizona in-state universities, but also Stanford, Columbia, USC, SMU, George Washington, University of Texas, BYU, etc. She volunteers time with DMHS Swim and Dive, Scottsdale Aquatic Club, the American Cancer Society and local children’s community theater arts groups.

 

David Duckworth - President and co-owner of SEC since 2007, is responsible for GeneralOperations and Financial Management. He has had a background as an entrepreneur in Scottsdale since 2003. Prior to that David worked for such firms as IBM, HP, and Sybase in Northern California. For over 16 years he was involved in executive management for businesses throughout California, Minnesota and Arizona He is a graduate of Stanford University ‘79 with a BS in Information Systems. Married for over 23 years, Dave has three daughters with his wife and co-owner, Kim and is an avid runner and Master’s swimmer. Scottsdale resident for 12 years.