Vanessa Iarocci
CPA, CAB.Com | CPA, CA | Certificate in Innovation, Stanford Graduate School of Business | Executive-in-Residence, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Subject: Math / Leadership
What will my child walk away with? My students leave with sharper analytical thinking and the ability to construct and defend an argument — skills I built over two decades in executive roles at institutions like PwC and TD Bank, and now bring directly into the classroom. I care about teaching students how to think through complexity, not just how to produce a correct answer.
What can families expect? Expect a classroom that takes your child seriously. I set high standards because I know what capable students can actually do, and I push them toward it with warmth and genuine investment in their growth. I also stay closely connected to families throughout the process.
What does class actually feel like? My classes are energetic and intellectually demanding in the best way. Students are asked real questions, expected to take real positions, and given real feedback. I model the curiosity I want from them.
How do you challenge a curious mind? Bright students need resistance, not just affirmation. I design problems that have no obvious answer and ask students to reason out loud, defend their thinking, and then reconsider it. That discomfort is productive, and students come to enjoy it.
Credentials and Experience B.Com, CPA designation, post-graduate certificate in Innovation from Stanford GSB. Executive-in-Residence and former Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Over 20 years in senior executive roles including PwC and TD Bank. Former CEO of a national school apparel company.
Why Vanessa? Why Brain Power?
Brain Power exists because the standard model of education asks students to absorb information. I built this program around a different question: what happens when we teach students how to think instead? Every hiring decision I make, every classroom I walk into, and every student conversation I have comes back to that principle. I am not a behind-the-scenes executive. I am here because this work matters, and because I believe the most important thing we can give a bright young person is the confidence to trust their own mind.