Our Team at Mathnasium of Raleigh Hills

Nadine Ferguson

Nadine joined Mathnasium in early 2022 while pursuing her degree in Mathematics from Portland State University. In December 2024, she completed her degree after publishing a thesis on reforming math education—an area she's deeply passionate about. 

She loves working with students of all ages and believes the best part of Mathnasium is watching students discover a love for math. Nadine is dedicated to helping students feel successful, capable, and confident in their learning.

Sophia Kremer

Sophia started working at Mathnasim in April of 2024. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Portland State University and acquired her Associate of General Studies in August of 2024. Sophia has had a connection with math her entire life and enjoys being able to share such passion and knowledge with others. She enjoys interacting and connecting with all of the students that attend Mathnasium and hopes to contribute to their confidence and self-assuredness both in and out of the classroom. 

Gillian Rutten

Gillian started working at Mathnasium in October of 2025 after obtaining her Bachelors in Mathematics at Lewis and Clark College. Gillian loves seeing the life changing impact that Mathnasium has on each and every student. She knows the importance of a good teacher - especially in Mathematics - and is thrilled to see each student gain confidence in math.

Zach Valentine

Zach’s passion for teaching began in college, where he served as a teaching assistant all four years while earning his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University. After eight years in project engineering, Zach joined the Mathnasium of Raleigh Hills team in winter 2023. 

He finds working at Mathnasium more fulfilling than any other position he's held. For Zach, nothing compares to the moment when math "clicks" for a student—it’s why he shows up every day ready to make a difference.

Ben Liefeld

Ben started working at Mathnasium in February of 2024 in order to get first hand experience with teaching math to others. He has always found the subject both fascinating and rewarding, and loves being able to share it with others. During his senior year at Beaverton High School he took both AP Calculus and AP Statistics which continued to fuel his connection to mathematics. Throughout high school he found that he enjoyed being able to help his peers to understand and progress through their math classes. This sparked his desire to become an actual high school math teacher, which is still his career plan. He attends the University of Oregon and is working towards a degree in Mathematics.

Daniel Siebenaler

Daniel has had a lifelong passion for math, and acquired a BS in Mathematics at Oregon State University before coming to work at Mathnasium. Joining the Raleigh Hills team in August of 2024, Daniel found Mathnasium to be a perfect place for him to share his love of math with others. At Mathnasium, Daniel enjoys both watching students learn to love math and continue to love math as they learn.

Evan Bohart

Evan joined Mathnasium in 2025 in order to help students better understand math. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Portland State University and has loved math from a young age. Recognizing that everyone can find success in math with the right support, he wants to be a part of that process for students and loves seeing the moment when something clicks for students. In his free time, he loves to ski and spend time outdoors.

Alaska Rosenfeld

Alaska joined the Mathnasium team in October of 2025. Fascinated by math from her earliest childhood experiences, she has continued to develop her skills and enjoyment of math and is currently working towards her IB Diploma at the International School of Beaverton. At Mathnasium, Alaska aims to share her love of math to help students develop their own appreciation, confidence and positive outlook on this beautiful subject!

Jocelyn Hylton

Jocelyn was born in Anacortes, Washington, a small town north of Seattle. She was always interested in math and loves helping others progress in their understanding of numbers. She began teaching at Mathnasium in 2023 while living in San Antonio, Texas and is very excited to join the team here in Portland! She is currently pursuing an associate’s degree through Skagit Valley College along with continuing her professional ballet training at Oregon Ballet Theatre’s school. 

Jade Hodges

Jade started working at Mathnasium in March of 2026. They earned their B.S. in Physics at Willamette University in 2023. Since then, they worked as a Research Assistant at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester and the Environmental Fluid Dynamics lab at the University of New Hampshire. Jade has always had a passion for learning and is excited to share their excitement with your students. Math is the language of the universe and Jade hopes to help your students fall in love with it just like they did.

Naima Jaitla

Lucas Pinard

Lucas joined Mathnasium in August 2026. He graduated from Linfield University in 2025 with degrees in both Mathematics and Physics. He is passionate for both learning and discussing mathematical and physical concepts with others and is excited about the experiences he is gaining through teaching at Mathnasium. His favorite part of teaching is seeing the moment when a concept a student has been struggling with suddenly clicks. That feeling of understanding is timeless and something that connects learners of all ages. Lucas is currently pursuing a PhD in Physics at Portland State University and plans to continue teaching throughout his continued education.

Bruce Withycombe

By owning a Mathnasium franchise, Bruce has come full circle back to the joy of mathematics and problem solving that lead him to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Lewis & Clark College. In addition to studying Math while in college, Bruce played Varsity Football, earned extra money as a Math Tutor and was involved with student politics. After graduation he studied Actuarial Science at Georgia State University and began a career in the Pension and Retirement Plans Industry, working with consulting firms and insurance companies in that capacity. An opportunity to work in healthcare consulting moved Bruce into the Health Services Industry, where he most recently worked with WebMD Health Services as National Account Manager. Outside of Mathnasium, Bruce has 3 school aged children, which keeps things very busy with school, music, and athletic events. Bruce has spent many seasons as a youth basketball coach, and in his spare time works as a musician, playing in multiple bands in the Portland area including Ural Thomas & The Pain (uralthomasandthepain.com) , Jujuba (jujuba.org), the Goodfoot All-Stars and the WayDowns (thewaydowns.net). Bruce is a member of The Portland Horns, who have played with national touring acts such as The Decemberists, The Violent Femmes, Spoon, Bobby Bare Jr, The Next Waltz and many others. His discography includes credits with Ural Thomas and The Pain, Jujuba, The Decemberists, Kathy Walker Band, NRVS LVRS, Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons, Casey Neil & the Norway Rats, Point Juncture WA, Kory Quinn and a host of others. Bruce is very excited to be opening mathematical doors using the Mathnasium method of developing number sense. He feels strongly that math skills are not only important from a technical standpoint, but also as a solid foundation of logic and problem solving skills that is not only relevant, but crucial to success in many disciplines.

Eddy Crouser

Born and raised in Portland, Eddy graduated from Portland State University with a Masters of Science in Mathematics in 2021. After graduation, Eddy started working at Mathnasium in order to help students better understand the underlying workings of math. From computer science to physics, Eddy loves to learn and share how math works behind the scenes in every facet of life. In addition to tutoring, Eddy is studying to become a designated member of the Society of Actuaries.