Our Team

Donnavon had spent 17 years in the restaurant/retail business before coming to Mathnasium, during which time he was continually shocked at the lack of math skills displayed by people of all ages. The desire to open a business of his own, coupled with a life-long love of math and first-hand knowledge of the struggles people have with math; made Mathnasium a great fit. “The joy of a student’s eyes lighting up and him/her saying ‘a-ha’, is worth all the hard-work we’ve put into opening Mathnasium. I love math and I love opening ‘math doors’ for students. Mathnasium is the perfect fit.” Donnavon is married to Linda with three children and 6 grandchildren.

Trevor Huseman received a B.S. in Computer Science and Math from Missouri Western State University. Trevor works as an actuary for an insurance company designing and pricing life insurance products and annuities. Trevor enjoys working with and helping kids understand math. His strong math background makes Mathnasium, kids, and Trevor a perfect fit. Trevor has been married to his wife Sheila since 2004. In addition to tutoring, Trevor is a big sports fan and enjoys playing basketball, golf, and dabbling in the stock market.

Brittany is a student at the University of Kansas, working toward a B.S. in physics. She is also in the UKan Teach program for science and math majors interested in education. She has had a lot of experience teaching and working with kids, and she always loved math. Brittany has a younger brother and a younger sister. She spends her spare time wakeboarding, waterskiing, working with Habitat for Humanity, training for triathlons, singing, and playing the piano. Math and kids are both passions of Brittany’s and she’s very excited to be a part of such a great program.

Jordan grew up in West Texas. He attended and graduated from Vanderbilt University on a football scholarship. He is married and has two children, 3 year old Jacob and 1 month old Harrison. Jordan is studying to become a high school math teacher. He is currently employed as a teaching aide in the Shawnee Mission School District. He is attending Johnson County Community College and has been accepted to the Kansas Teaching Fellows program at Pittsburgh State University.

Brian has always had an interest in math and the learning process. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton, and his Masters from BGSU. As a high school student, Brian placed very highly in various math contests, both regional and national. Brian looks forward to sharing his knowledge and love of math with our Mathnasium students.

Mallory, a St. Louis native, recently moved to Kansas City to pursue her professional dance career. Mallory graduated from Webster University St. Louis in May 2010 with a BFA in dance, emphasis in ballet. She also earned a BA in mathematics while receiving department honors. Mallory is utilizing her dance degree with Kacico Contemporary Dance Company and is excited to start using her math degree by tutoring students at Mathnasium.

Rachel has a degree in Food, Agricultural, & Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University. After working as a Research Engineer for 3 years, Rachel and her husband moved to Germany. There, she was a full time substitute teacher at an elementary school for 3 years. She also obtained her Master’s in Education while in Germany and completed her student teaching in a fourth grade classroom. More recently, she taught pre-algebra, Algebra I, and 4th grade math games at a home school co-op in Nashville, TN. Rachel had been an instructor at a Mathnasium in Nashville, Tennessee for the 18 months prior to moving to Kansas City. Her family relocated to Kansas City in January. Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter. Rachel is passionate about math, teaching, and helping children achieve their goals.

Daniel, and his three younger brothers, was born and raised in Kansas City. He enjoys volunteering his time at Camp Quality, a summer camp for childhood cancer patients. He has spent the last ten years tutoring algebra at the college level. Daniel has a lifelong love of mathematics and a passion for helping students to understand it.

I graduated from the University of Kansas in 2005 with a BS in Journalism: Strategic Communications. After working in marketing for a couple years, I started tutoring mathematics at the middle school where my sister taught. I tutored at the middle school level for 2 years before substituting full time. I knew I wanted a full time career in education, and I am now working as a 3rd grade paraprofessional and loving every minute of it. Some day, I would love to be a math teacher or maybe an elementary school teacher. I have found a passion for helping students achieve success in all subjects, but especially mathematics. It was my favorite subject in middle and high school after all! A little more about me, I have been married to my best friend Jeffery since June 2009. I studied abroad in Newcastle, Australia in fall 2004 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I am definitely a die-hard KU fan, especially when it comes to KU basketball! ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

Wanda is a retired Shawnee Mission School District teacher. She taught mathematics for 18 years. Wanda received both her BS and ME from Park University. Wanda has a minor in mathematics, a major in Elementary Education, and a master’s concentration in Educational Law. Wanda and her husband live within walking distance of the Overland Park Mathnasium Learning Center. Their two children also live in the Kansas City area. They have 3 grandchildren (2 girls and a boy) that have Wanda twisted around their little fingers!

My name is Jake Priddy. I attend Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, where I am enrolled in a variety of honors and advanced placement classes. I plan to continue my education when I graduate from high school by going to college and majoring in some form of environmental engineering. Needless to say, math will be a very important tool for me if I plan on succeeding in my desired major. At my high school, I participate in two academic teams, Categories and Academic Decathlon. I am also part of the cross country team, the marching band, the symphonic band, and the jazz band. Alto saxophone is my main instrument, but I also play clarinet. My favorite hobby is fishing, and I fish about four to five times a week during the summer. I have recently picked up disc golf and it has become my favorite activity to do when I am not fishing. My favorite quote is “Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.”

Ashwini has a degree in Electronics Engineering and was working in India before moving to the United States in May of 2010. Her favorite subject is math and it gives her immense pleasure to teach kids. She has been tutoring children for about the last 6 months. Ashwini plans to complete her degree in elementary education next year. She also loves to paint and spend time with her two children.