All course instructors, including MEC leaders Ruth Parker, Patty Lofgren, and Debbie Olson, are dedicated to making MEC’s vision and mission a reality. They each have years of successful experience as classroom teachers and extensive experience working with adults. Their knowledge of mathematics, how children learn mathematics, and pedagogical content knowledge enrich MEC sessions and materials development.

 

Cathy Humphreys

MEC Consultant and High School Mathematics Teacher

Cathy has 30 years of experience as a teacher of grades 2-11. She has been active in professional development for teachers throughout her career, both as an in-service leader at the local, state, and national levels, as an instructor for pre-service secondary mathematics teachers in the Stanford Teacher Education Program, and as a middle school mathematics coach. She is the co-author of four books: A Collection of Math Lessons for Grades 6-8, with Marilyn Burns (1990); Connecting Mathematical Ideas: Middle School Video cases of Teaching and Learning, with Jo Boaler (2005); Making Number Talks Matter: Developing Mathematical Practices and Deepening Understanding, Grades 4-10, with Ruth Parker (2015); and, most recently Digging Deeper: Making Number Talks Matter Even More, Grades 3-10, with Ruth Parker (2018). Cathy recently completed her PhD in mathematics education at Stanford University.

 

Lisa Mesple

MEC Consultant, Elementary Teacher, Math Specialist, and Math Consultant

Lisa has 25 years experience teaching kindergarten through fifth grades in Boulder, Colorado as well as providing professional development for teachers. After retiring from Boulder in 2008, Lisa worked on staff for MEC and for the Math Recovery Council. She is currently teaching mathematics for pre-service teachers at the Center for Urban Education through the University of Northern Colorado. Lisa has been a leader at both the district and state levels. She is a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Fellowship from the American Association of University Women and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science. Lisa has taught MEC courses since 2001.

 

Kyla Gellerson

MEC Consultant, Instructional Facilitator, and Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Kyla has 20 years of experience teaching mathematics to middle school and high school students in Washington State. Currently, she serves as an instructional facilitator and co-teacher, providing professional development and instructional support for teachers at a Spokane middle school. Kyla has participated in numerous state grants that allowed her to contribute to the Smarter Balanced Digital Library, review open educational resources, and join the Washington State MEC MSP. Since the MSP project, she has continued to implement MEC’s vision in her classroom and with collaborating teachers. Kyla is a National Board Certified Teacher and serves as a Washington State Math Fellow.

 

Nish Puri

MEC Consultant and Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Nish has been teaching mathematics to middle school students in both rural and city locations in Washington State since 2009. Currently, they teach middle school and provide professional development in Lacey. Nish has participated in a variety of leadership roles including serving as a Washington State Math Fellow and as a MEC MSP Regional Math Support Teacher. In an effort to continue the work of the MSP project, Nish teaches MEC-designed workshopsRatios and ProportionsRational Numbers, and Expressions and Equations, to fellow educators each summer in Olympia and Lacey.

 

Jana Dean

MEC Consultant and Middle School Mathematics Teacher

Jana Dean teaches middle and high school mathematics in Olympia, Washington. She also facilitates professional development which recently has included MEC-developed workshops and a popular Math Happy Hour.  She keeps a blog at Math Between Us (www.mathbetweenus.org) and writes columns for the Dutch math educators’ magazine Euclides and the Washington Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A recipient of a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching (2019) and the  Presidential Award for Excellence in Math Teaching (2016) Jana’s research interest is the role of language in learning mathematics.

 

Hailey Gilmore

MEC Consultant and K-5 Math Specialist

Hailey has been a teacher in North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, WA since 2001. She served as a classroom teacher for 13 years before moving into the Learning Assistance Program as a Math Interventionist for grades K-5. Hailey currently works as an Elementary Math Instructional Specialist for NTPS. Through this role, Hailey provides curricular support, mentors and coaches teachers, and leads professional development within the district. Hailey is a National Board Certified Teacher with an emphasis in Early Childhood development. She has been facilitating Number Talks in K-5 classrooms since 2015.