Our Team

Our specially trained math instructors will teach your child how to understand math in an individual setting; our unique approach enables us to explain concepts really well and lend a helping hand to every student. Our tutors foster a caring, encouraging environment that helps kids thrive and learn! Read below to learn more about our talented team:

Jeff Rucker, Owner & Center Director

Jeff LOVES forecasting success for your child's future!  Before opening the first area Mathnasium (in 2011), Jeff was the Chief Meteorologist at NBC Augusta for 12 years. His decision to bring Mathnasium to the CSRA is a logical follow-on to all his previous work as a Navy and broadcast meteorologist. Jeff often jokes that meteorology is 70% math, 20% science and 10% art. “I think I took more math classes in college and grad school than I did weather classes.” Since beginning his broadcast meteorology career back in 1996, Jeff has made school visits and weather education outreach a top priority. From pre-K to high school, Jeff has spoken to hundreds of classrooms all over the CSRA. Anyone who has ever seen one of Jeff’s weather talks (or weathercasts) knows that Jeff loves to teach. Besides making regular visits to area classrooms, Jeff teaches elementary kids at his church, Stevens Creek, and college students at Augusta State.  Mathnasium affords Jeff the wonderful opportunity to expand his gift of teaching. “Now I can be in my own classroom all day!”   Jeff also believes that math and science expos and fairs are critical to helping all kids understand how important and fun math can be. Jeff has played critical roles in the Middle School State Science Olympiad, SRS Technology Days, and Science Education and Enrichment Day at USC Aiken. “If kids can learn how to think, they will gain confidence to solve problems. Mathnasium is all about building a rock-solid mathematical foundation – we call it number-sense – that leads to confidence and accomplishment in all areas of life, not just in math!” Jeff holds a B.S. in Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.S. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Jeff’s love for math started early! He even earned his high school varsity letter on the math team!  
 

Marsha Cantrell, Education Director 

My name is Marsha Cantrell & I hope to see you soon at Mathnasium.  I love teaching numbers.  I have taught students from grades 4 through college.  Although I have taught for over 35 years, math is always interesting & I learn something new everyday.  I would love to help you develop strong math skills and improve confidence in math.  Come join us and see how numbers can work for you!
 

Colleen Salazar, Assistant Director

Hello! My name is Colleen Salazar, and I am a graduate from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics. I recently moved to Georgia from California, and am very excited to help teach math at Mathnasium over here! Math has always made sense to me, and I hope to help others understand it as well. The highlight of my day is seeing the light in a student's eyes when they grasp a new concept, or make a connection that they hadn't seen before. I can't wait to help foster these moments at Mathnasium, and I know we are going to have a great time learning together!     

Christine Rucker, Owner & Marketing Director

Christine, Jeff's wife, is his biggest cheerleader and is so excited to be involved with MATHNASIUM here in the CSRA!  She is the behind-the-scenes staple that keeps it all together. 

Christine holds a B.S. in Communications from Old Dominion University. She has worked as a news producer at NBC and CBS in Norfolk VA and at NBC here in Augusta. Her experience line producing local news helps her juggle all the ins and outs of the Centers.

As a mother to two high schoolers, Christine knows how to make kids feel comfortable, encouraged and welcomed! She's excited about seeing you at the center very soon.  

 

Lindsey Siegel, Training Director

I taught math at Jefferson County High School for 5 years.  Friends, family and even strangers cannot believe that anybody would actually want to teach math, especially to high-schoolers, but I think that is because they remember not doing well in math themselves. Even the most difficult problem can be broken down to a simple problem if you look at the core meaning; and that works for anything, not just for math. I believe anybody at any age can learn the skills of thinking that come with knowing how to "do math", but each person does that at their own pace. I am thrilled I get to help students make math make sense at MATHNASIUM!