Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Novato

Kevin Cavanaugh

Kevin grew up in Massachusetts but has lived in Novato for more than 15 years. He graduated from the US Coast Guard Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA with degrees in Applied Math and Operations Research. Recently, he retired from the Coast Guard and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Kevin loves the logic and consistency of mathematics. He enjoys solving problems and helping others find joy in increasing their understanding of math. Kevin is married with two grown children and one granddaughter.

Ann Balliet

Ann graduated from Stanford University with a degree in the Humanities. She started out as a meeting planner but decided to begin a career in education helping kids with mild to moderate learning issues. Ann appreciates how Mathnasium has developed ways to teach number sense as a foundation for higher math skills. She has raised 2 children and has lived in Marin County for 35+ years. In addition to working with students, Ann owns 5 dogs and is an accomplished dog trainer.

Sita Venkataramani

Sita has four decades of experience as a Software Engineer working in various sectors of the industry. He graduated from the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology in New Delhi, India from where he received his two degrees, a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Management & Systems. Mathematics has been his favorite subject for as long as he can remember. He sees Mathnasium as a medium to pass on his passion for mathematics to the upcoming generation. He and his wife are longtime residents of Marin, and together they love to read, go on long hikes, and travel the world.

Vanessa Diaz

Vanessa graduated from San Marin HS and is currently enrolled as an accounting major at Sonoma State University. She has always enjoyed math and loves helping students understand why math works the way it does. Vanessa developed a passion for teaching math when she had to help out her classmates as well as her siblings. During her free time, she likes to spend time with family and friends watching shows or playing video games such as Minecraft as well as listening to music.

Stella Hatch

Stella is a senior at San Marin HS. Math is her favorite subject, and she is currently in an advanced math class. Stella developed an interest in tutoring when she helped her 9-year-old sister with her math homework. She enjoys teaching at Mathnasium because it is so much fun to see her students learn. Stella also enjoys traveling, swimming, and reading.

Disha Divakar

Disha is a senior at San Marin HS in the biotech program. She is passionate about teaching and helping others. Disha believes in the Mathnasium Method of teaching and is invested in helping students bloom. She loves the outdoors, music, movies and spending time with people!

Giselle Shih

Giselle is a senior at San Marin HS. She participated in Mathletes and peer coaching for 3 years at Sinaloa. Giselle loves helping others and working with kids. She believes that every child should have the opportunity to learning especially if it is hard to learn in the classroom. Because Mathnasium helps students do exactly that, she is thrilled to be part of the team!

Nathan Beaudette

Nathan is currently a student at San Marin HS and is in the STEM Marin Engineering Program. He enjoys his accelerated classes and takes math courses over the summer as well. His love for math combined with his fondness for teaching makes his job at Mathnasium fun! Besides his passion for math, he is in a San Rafael A Capella group, the San Marin theatre program, and on the San Marin varsity swim team.

Teju Kancharla

Teju is a senior at San Marin HS in the biotech program. She is passionate about helping people learn. She believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn math. She loves being a part of the Mathnasium team and watching students succeed. Outside of school, Teju enjoys reading, music, and traveling.

Sienna Frazier

Sienna is a senior at Marin Catholic High School. She loves being with kids and has much experience working at camps teaching kids basketball as well as babysitting. Sienna loves to play basketball and listen to music. Math is her favorite subject in school. Sienna works at Mathnasium because it combines two things she loves, math and helping people.

Nicoo Tabrizi

Nicoo is a junior at Novato High School and has a passion for math. She is also in the Marin School of Arts program and specializes in digital animation and product design. Nicoo believes that every kid has the capability to understand math, and that Mathnasium helps kids reach this goal.

Ayla Tabrizi

Ayla has lived in Novato her entire life. She is a junior at Novato HS and enrolled in the Marin School Of Arts program where she studies Performing Arts. She was a student at Mathnasium for two years before deciding to become an instructor. She chose to work at Mathnasium because it helped her understand math to a great extent, and she hopes that she can help other people excel in math as well.