About AATM

 Suzi Mast is a proud Arizona certified teacher and administrator for over 30 years.  Suzi recently retired (for a hot second) from the Arizona Department of Education where she was the Director of K-12 Mathematics and Educational Technology for over nine years. Suzi has also been a middle school and high school teacher in Arizona, worked in the private sector in educational technology, and an administrator for a K-8 district leading math and science curriculum, instruction and assessment.  Suzi specialists in Formative Assessment, MTSS and social and emotional learning in math with a focus on equity for all students.  Suzi is also on the Board for AATM.  Suzi is currently consulting and presenting in Arizona and on the national level. 

  Kelly currently works as a math education specialist for Pinal County Education Service Agency. He has been with Pinal County since 2013. Kelly spent 9 years teaching math in the classroom in middle school and high school as well as an exceptional student teacher. He began his career in education in Minnesota, moving to Arizona in the summer of 2007. Kelly has served on the AATM Board of Directors as the NCTM Representative since 2019.  

 Ed began his service as a board member of the Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics (AATM) in 1992. He first served as the State Coordinator for the State High School Math Contest and is currently the treasurer.  In 2006, Ed co-authored, “AIMS-Math” Barron’s Test Preparation Series, a study guide to prepare students taking the Arizona AIMS Math Test.  Ed is currently teaching at Hamilton High School in Chandler.  Ed enjoys finding new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.    During the last several years, he recruited and trained teachers throughout the East Valley in the use of the WebWork homework system. 

 Rob Hilliker is a Math Program Specialist for the Arizona Department of Education in Exceptional Student Services. Rob served eleven years as a math educator and four years in leadership positions as a math coach, new teacher induction coach, technology integration coach, and district math specialist. He has provided mathematics professional learning to special and general education teachers at a site and district level as well as through the University of Arizona’s Center for Recruitment and Retention Mathematics Teacher Workshops. He also has five years of co-teaching experience and has provided professional learning to teachers so that students with disabilities could effectively engage in grade-level standards. 

Leigh has served on the AATM Board as the Membership Chair since October 2020. She has been in the education field for over 17 years and has a wide range of experiences in K-8 education. As an Army spouse, she has taught in schools across the country, including a variety of districts in Arizona. Since 2019, she has been working with the Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers at the University of Arizona, facilitating math content development workshops. Currently, she serves as the Math Specialist for an elementary school.

 Chryste Berda serves on the AATM Board as the Regional Vice President for Maricopa. She has taught elementary, middle, and high school students, worked as a mathematics curriculum coordinator and instructional coach and led professional development workshops for administrators, teachers and parents throughout Oregon and Arizona. Her work with mathematics has been presented at National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics (AATM), and other educational seminars and conferences. 

Carrie Burdon presently holds the position of Program Manager of Professional Development at the Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, AZ. With over 16 years of teaching experience, she brings a wealth of expertise to her current role. Simultaneously, she collaborates with the Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers at the University of Arizona, actively contributing to teacher leadership development and facilitating content development workshops. 

Carrie is a proud alumna of the University of Arizona, where she earned her Bachelor's degree, and she holds a Master's in Teaching Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College. Her unwavering belief that all individuals can excel in mathematics serves as a guiding principle in her educational endeavors. Furthermore, she took on the role of AATM VP of Southern AZ in 2019, demonstrating her commitment to advancing mathematics education and fostering professional development within her community. 

 Anna A. Fermanis serves on the AATM Board as the Regional Vice President for the Western Counties. She has worked in education for more than 20 years.  She is currently the Instructional Services Director for Somerton School District, K-8 district in Somerton, Arizona, in charge of the development and implementation of mathematics and language arts curriculum and instruction.  Anna coordinates and instructs professional development activities for teachers and administrators on understanding and implementing Arizona’s standards.  She also develops benchmark assessments and oversees the district’s instructional calendar for both math and language arts.  Additionally, she is active in numerous curriculum and professional development organizations and serves as a member on different boards throughout the state. 

 Christina is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Northern Arizona University.  She joined the board in 2019. 

 As a highly-decorated professional developer, curriculum director, math coach/specialist and classroom teacher, Kim brings over 3 decades of experience to the K-12 education field. Throughout the years, her passion for great mathematics teaching and learning has been evidenced in over 100 of Arizona’s urban and rural school districts as well as in her role as Chief Learning Officer of KP Mathematics. Kim achieved National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Mathematics, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and was named Alumna of the Year at Grand Canyon University. 

Laurel Cherry is an enthusiastic and creative mathematics educator who believes that all students can be successful in learning mathematics at high levels.  She is passionate about working with educators to share best practices for the math classroom to maximize student success and learning.  She is collaborative and thrives while working in a team to help the collective group achieve goals and demonstrate growth.  Laurel has worked in education for 23 years and has served in a variety of roles as a teacher, department chair, coach and currently a K-12 Math Specialist with the Arizona Department of Education.  Laurel earned her Bachelor's degree from Chapman University and her Master of Arts in Education from National University.  She has created and presented professional development sessions around the United States.  Laurel has presented multiple times at both national and regional NCTM conferences, AATM, CMC-South, as well as schools and districts.

 Eboney McKinney is the Director of Mathematics and Educational Technology for the Arizona Department of Education. She spent 11 years in the Sierra Vista Public School District as a Teacher, Teacher Leader, and education advocate. She facilitated math professional development with the IMPACTS program at the University of Arizona Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers from 2016-2019, as an IMPACTS Teacher Leader. She is an active member of the following math organizations: ASSM, AATM, NCTM AML, and NCSM. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Prescott College and her graduate degree in Mathematics Teaching and a certificate in Professional Development and Coaching at Mount Holyoke College. 

 Lavon Sierra currently serves as the English Language Development Specialist, for students in 1st-6th grade, at Gary A. Knox Elementary School, in Yuma, AZ. Prior to this, she has spent the past 10 years teaching at the elementary level in kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade. Throughout her years of teaching, she has served on the Crane School District math leadership team, where she worked on developing the district’s math curriculum. She serves on the Magic Squad for the Get Your Teach On Conference, as they travel around the U.S. providing professional development, aka an educational experience, for K-8 educators and administrators. She is extremely passionate about providing memorable experiences through engaging and rigorous learning opportunities, and enjoys providing professional development to support other educators to do the same. 

 Tara Fulton currently serves as the K-8 Mathematics Coordinator for Crane School District in Yuma, AZ.  She has spent over 15 years as an educator having taught at both the elementary and middle school levels.  With her deep passion for mathematics education, she currently works to provide professional development and support to district leadership and teachers across the state.  She has served on state standard and assessment committees and was the project director for multiple federally funded MSP grants.  She is the current board secretary for Arizona Mathematics Leaders and serves as a program committee member for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Centennial Annual Conference.  She cares deeply about the learning and teaching of mathematics and has been able to proudly serve as a representative for math educators across the state. 

 Jane Gaun currently serves as the K-12 Mathematics Coordinator for the Flagstaff Unified School District. She oversees the development and implementation of mathematics curriculum and instruction and also coordinates and instructs professional development activities for teachers and administrators designed to strengthen mathematics teaching and learning. Jane facilitates the newly formed Secondary to Post-Secondary Mathematics Collaborative between mathematics instructors from FUSD, Coconino Community College, and Northern Arizona University. She has worked for the Coconino County Educational Services Agency providing learning opportunities for teachers throughout Northern Arizona and is the President of the Arizona Mathematics Leaders, an NCSM affiliate. She is the AML representative on the AATM board. 

 Jaclyn Wood is a Master Teacher at Skyline Ranch K-8 school in the Florence Unified School District. She recently joined the AATM board and was Program Chair for the AATM Annual Conference in 2017 and 2018.