Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Cy-Fair

John Labuda

John graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a B.A. in Mathematics and a Master's in Mathematics Education. After two years of teaching mathematics, John decided to apply his math skills to business and obtained an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the State University of New York at Buffalo's Graduate School of Business. John found the problem-solving and analytical skills he developed through his math education to be the foundation for his success. He worked as a CPA with public accounting firm Price Waterhouse and has worked in senior financial positions in the pharmaceutical, oil field service, and chemical industries. John is actively involved in the community by serving as Trustee for the CyFair Education Foundation and has served as Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. Cathy and John are proud owners of four Mathnasium Centers serving the Cy-Fair and Tomball areas for the past 10 years.

Larry Martinek

Larry has spent his entire career finding a better way to teach math. From inner-city public schools, to acclaimed magnet schools, to leading private and parochial schools, Larry has served as both a classroom teacher and as an educational consultant. He has designed curriculum, teaching strategies, and teaching materials to help students and teachers learn math more effectively. He has trained teachers in the art and science of boosting students' ability to “do” math, thereby increasing students' math scores and feeling of self-worth. Larry is the developer of Mathnasium’s educational program – one of the most comprehensive and innovative curriculas ever produced for teaching math. While Larry is not an Instructor at our Center, he is a valuable asset we can call on to ask about specific students' scenarios for guidance and advice. This has helped to make visits more productive and enjoyable for many of our students.

Krista George

Krista has a lifelong love of math. She started her education at the University of Oklahoma and then earned a Bachelors in Education, with a math concentration, at the University of Central Oklahoma. Krista has been an educator in the Cy-Fair district for 20 years. She has also taught in HISD and Tomball ISD. Krista has been married to Jeff for 25 years and has two wonderful children. Jordan is a graduate of NMSU (where she played volleyball) and Jacob is currently studying at Baylor. Krista relates everything to numbers. She has two favorite numbers, 14, and 18 which are the dates her children were born. She is very excited to be at Mathnasium and loves seeing the kids smiling faces every day.

Jason Byun

Jason is a Mathematics student at the University of Houston Downtown. His goal is to be a high-school teacher. When he has time, Jason enjoys reading and writing, as well as watching sports. Favorite Number: 17. It’s the first prime number we tend to skip. 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11 are all studied in multiplication, and 13 has a reputation as an “unlucky” number. We can’t forget about the other numbers beyond! Favorite Math Joke: Did you hear the one about the statistician? Probably. In five years, I will be teaching math at a high school. I love Mathnasium because Teaching is so rewarding. Seeing a student have a breakthrough and nail a topic that was previously confusing is really special.

Tom Stiff

Tom Stiff is a computer programmer with over 35 years of experience. He has a degree in Chemistry from Miami University. He’s a natural-born Hoosier, an erstwhile Clevelander, and a nearly native Houstonian. His son Daniel is Assistant Director of Student Life at San Marcos Academy. His daughter Caroline is a senior at the University of Texas. In his free time, he enjoys creating websites. Favorite Number: 15. My birthday falls on the 15th. An interesting fact about me: I was born in Indianapolis. I love Mathnasium because It’s great fun to watch children’s mathematical abilities grow.

John Telles

John is a transplant to Houston. 10 years ago, he came from New Mexico where he studied at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and earned his Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Master's in Mathematics Education. He started as a tutor as an undergrad and while he was a graduate student, he began teaching at Doña Ana Community College - NMSU. He has seen mathematics from the points of view of a student, tutor, and teacher. This is his 21st year of teaching. He teaches full-time at Lone Star College and part-time at UH. He loves to ride his motorcycle and travel with his wife. He likes puzzles and learning different ways of approaching a problem. On the weekends, he and his wife go and do many things around the Houston area. His favorite number is 6. It is a perfect number. The factors of 6, (1,2,3) add to 6 and he is the oldest of six.

Betty Vogtman

Betty is a retired teacher, having taught 36 years in a private school, HISD, and CFISD. Her favorite subjects have always been math and science. She also tutors science during the school year. She is a mother of two grown children and her favorite number is 3, as it’s in all of her family’s birthdays, as well as her address and phone numbers (current and previous). Favorite math joke: Did you hear about the mathematician who is afraid of negative numbers? He will stop at nothing to avoid them. An interesting fact about me: I am a native Houstonian. “I love Mathnasium because the strategies taught are so sensible and helpful, and I enjoy seeing the students’ success in math.”

Courtney Lo

Courtney graduated from the University of Houston in Spring of 2022, where she received a Bachelor of Education. She hopes to finish her certification exams to become a full-time elementary teacher next year. Working at Mathnasium has given her so many insights into how important a math foundation is for children and she is excited to see the effects it has on kids! Her favorite number is 6 because it’s a perfect number in that 1+2+3 equals 6.