Meet the Team at Mathnasium of South Tulsa

Katie McInnis

Katie holds a Master's Degree in Communications from Northeastern State University. During her postgraduate studies, she assumed the role of speech tutoring coordinator in the communication department, mentoring numerous students in the art of speech writing and presentation. It was during this experience that she discovered her true love and passion for tutoring. While her educational background primarily centers around communication, Katie has harbored a lifelong fondness for geometry, trigonometry, and numerical puzzles. Her combination of hands-on experience with students and her enthusiasm for learning equips her to excel at Mathnasium. Beyond her tutoring role, Katie finds joy in watching baseball (go Cubs!), indulging in video games, and embarking on adventures to national parks with her husband, aiming to explore them all one day.

Teri

Teri graduated from high school in St. Louis and attended and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a major in elementary education and a minor in Math. She taught 4th grade for 30 years in Broken Arrow. Teri incorporated a lot of games and activities into her math instruction so her students could see how much fun math could be. She has been an instructor at Mathnasium for two years. She has enjoyed getting to know the students and continues to enjoy the 'light bulb' moments.

David

David graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2012. After several years as an aerodynamic simulation engineer at FlightSafety International in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, he attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and earned his Master of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering (with a specialty in Astrodynamics). He followed this up with a move to Houston, Texas to work in the Human Spaceflight Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center. A move back to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in 2019 brought him closer to family and back to flight simulation engineering at FlightSafety International. From there, he eventually transitioned to becoming an equity trader so he could spend more time with his wife, two kids, and two golden retrievers. David has always loved collaborating with and learning from others, especially when math or science is involved and wants to help the students at Mathnasium grow that same passion.

Drew

Drew is originally from New Jersey and moved to Tulsa in November 2020. He has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Brandeis University. He enjoys hockey, number puzzles, and brain teasers.

Gail

Gail earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). Her first job was Quality Engineer for IBM in Tucson. She then landed a position as a Research Engineer for Dowell, an oil well services company that was a division of Dow Chemical located here in Tulsa. A downturn in the oil industry led to a move to Dallas where Gail again worked as a Certified Quality Engineer. She and her team of engineers were responsible for implementing Statistical Process Control (SPC) in the manufacture of night vision equipment, and also designed and taught an SPC course to the Manufacturing department. It was a very successful and rewarding experience. Gail took a 20-year break from engineering to be a stay-at-home mom. Now that her two Holland Hall graduates are pursuing their college degrees, Gail is an empty-nester that has joined the Mathnasium team, and has found the teaching experience once again very satisfying and rewarding. Gardening is a passion of hers, along with cooking.

Kim

Kim is a math teacher at the Union Freshman Academy. She has been teaching for 5 years and loves every minute of it. Math was always her favorite subject in school finding it comforting that 2+2 always equals 4. She has a BA in Marketing from Alverno College. Kim is a wife of 24 years and a mother to 4 kids and 3 cats.

Mustafa

Mustafa is a student at Jenks High School and really enjoys working with kids and helping them to enjoy math. He enjoys playing Tennis and is the captain of his schools Debate and Mock Trial teams.

Reeya

Reeya is a freshman at Purdue University where she is majoring in Cybersecurity and minoring in Forensic Science. She graduated from Union High School. She enjoys building friendships with students while immersing them in the wonderful world of math. Reeya has experience all the way through Differential Equations and aspires to continue broadening her math knowledge. In her free time, Reeya loves to dance, play tennis, watch movies, and work with various non-profit organizations.

Timothy

Timothy is a senior at Jenks High School. He plans to major in mathematics upon graduation. He helps coach the Jenks Middle School MathCounts team. In his free time he plays with his two dogs (a pug and a great dane) and enjoys basketball. He also likes to play video games online.

Ty

Ty graduated from the University of Tulsa with a master's degree in applied mathematics. He aspires to become a math professor, and enjoys keeping his skills fresh at all levels teaching at Mathnasium. Among several random hobbies, his favorite is music. He plays and writes music on guitar, bass, drums, and piano.

Cin Bawi

Bawi is a student at Oral Roberts University majoring in Mathematics - Pre-Actuary. His favorite restaurant in Tulsa is Thai Village, where he enjoys their fried rice and papaya salad. He plays guitar and enjoys watching anime TV Shows.

Akshitha Vemula

Erik Knatvold

Erik is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with degrees in Spanish and Environmental Science. He spent 2 and a half years working at the Mathnasium of Edmond as an Instructor and Assistant Center Director. Currently, he works for the United States Geological Survey as a hydrologic technician focusing mostly on water quality in Northeastern Oklahoma. He has a passion for math and helping others.

Isha Aryal

Isha is a student at Booker T. Washington High School. She enjoys helping kids learn to love math. Outside of math, she is heavily involved in her school's Speech and Debate team and organizations like Youth Philanthropy Initiative. In her free time, she plays the piano and loves being outdoors.

Ryan Lee

Ryan is originally from South Korea, where he was born and raised until he was 10 years old. He is planning to attend University of Tulsa to pursue his passion for math. During middle school, he placed top 15 in the regional MathCounts competition and qualified to the State competition. He also scored on a perfect 36 on the ACT math section. In 9th grade, Ryan became the state taekwondo champion for his division and went on to achieve the national champion title and qualified to the world championship! Currently during his free time, he loves going to the gym and eating loads of food, especially street tacos.

Alex Rossow

Alex is currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tulsa. When he's not immersed in academics, Alex enjoys a range of hobbies. He is an avid badminton player, a fitness enthusiast with a passion for weight training and exercise, and his love for the outdoors is evident in his interest in hiking and rock climbing.

Rex Schoolcraft

Rex is a dynamic educator and versatile leader whose journey through diverse fields has culminated in a passion for mathematics education. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Secondary Education, both through the University of Wyoming. While he started in education as a high school math teacher, Rex was drawn to Mathnasium because our curriculum gives him the words that match the way he thinks about mathematics, and he thrives in an environment that is able to help thousands of kids each and every day. Outside of the center, Rex loves to read, pick at the guitar, and play simulation games on the computer. He also has a dog who he spoils relentlessly!

Nicki Atwood

Nicki hails from Baltimore and studied Physics and Chemistry at University of Richmond. While working with students in college, she noticed that many times students are held back because of a gap in their educational foundation and that drew her to Mathnasium’s unique approach. When not at Mathnasium, Nicki loves to visit different cities and hang out with her cat. In fact, she loves pets of all shapes and sizes, and has had many different types of pets, including a dog, a mouse, a rabbit, and even a hedgehog!

James Temple

James developed a passion for and proficiency with Mathematics during his middle and high school years. In 2000, James graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Mathematics and a love for solving all types of problems. He took those skills into the United States Air Force where he served for 7 years as an aircraft maintenance officer. It was during these years that James had the opportunity to tutor home schooled children and really started to appreciate the frustration that many kids feel towards Mathematics. James left the Air Force in 2007 to go back to the University of Virginia where he received his Master's of Business Administration degree from the Darden School of Business.