Board of Directors

Laurel Cherry | President

Laurel Cherry has been working in math education for 23 years. She has served in a variety of roles as a teacher, department chair, She is currently a K-12 Math Specialist with the Arizona Department of Education. She spent 15 years as a high school math teacher in Arizona and Southern California. Laurel earned her Bachelor's degree from Chapman University and her Master of Arts in Education from National University. She has developed and presented professional development at NCTM nationally and regionally, AATM, CMC-South, as well as schools and districts all over the country. Laurel is passionate about working with teachers to share best practices for the math classroom to maximize student success and learning.

Kris Cunningham | Past-President

Kris Cunningham currently serves as the Mathematics Content Specialist for the Phoenix Union High School District in Phoenix, AZ. She has spent over two decades as an educator having taught at both the elementary and high school levels. With her deep passion for mathematics education, she currently works to advocate and provide support to district leadership and teachers across the state. She has also served as a board member for NCSM.

Amber Strang | Secretary

Amber Strang has been an educator in the Paradise Valley Unified School District since 2000, teaching high school mathematics and serving as a department chair. She currently supports middle and high school teachers as the district’s Secondary Math Curriculum Specialist. Amber holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics and a master’s degree in Educational Technology from Arizona State University, as well as a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Being a native of Arizona, she is enthusiastic about contributing to the AML board and actively engaging in initiatives for positive change.

Kimberly May | Southern Region VP

Kimberly May, NBCT is a distinguished educator with 28 years of experience in this noble career. With her lifelong mission of teaching and learning, coaching and mentoring, she recently led mathematics instruction as a K-8 Math Curriculum Specialist from 2022-2024. She currently serves as the Principal of Magma Ranch Elementary School with Florence Unified School District. 

Her core values of authenticity, growth and excellence can be visibly seen and experienced locally, statewide, and nationwide as she engages with others as a professional learner, presenter and inspirational speaker. No matter the years behind her, she looks at every year as a new opportunity to learn in community with others towards a better person and teacher leader. 

Throughout her career in Indiana and Arizona, she has served in many capacities as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and district administrator. She believes in the importance of equitable teaching and mathematical practices in order for every leader, teacher, scholar and family to believe they can be doers, thinkers and contributors in mathematics.

Suzi Mast | Central Region VP

Suzi Mast is a proud Arizona certified teacher and administrator for over 30 years.  Suzi recently retired (for a hot second) from the Arizona Department of Education where she was the Director of K-12 Mathematics and Educational Technology for over nine years. Suzi has also been a middle school and high school teacher in Arizona, worked in the private sector in educational technology, and an administrator for a K-8 district leading math and science curriculum, instruction and assessment.  Suzi specialists in Formative Assessment, MTSS and social and emotional learning in math with a focus on equity for all students.  Suzi is also on the Board for AATM.  Suzi is currently consulting and presenting in Arizona and on the national level.

Kelsey Secor | Northern Region VP

Kelsey Secor has been a member of the Prescott Unified School District since 2008 and currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. With a rich background in education, Kelsey has held various roles, including middle school math teacher, elementary teacher, instructional coach, middle school assistant principal, and elementary principal. Her passion lies in teacher development, where she is committed to empowering educators with effective tools and strategies that create dynamic, student-centered learning environments. Kelsey focuses on helping teachers deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts while fostering critical thinking and a growth mindset in students. Her work aims to transform math education into an engaging and thoughtful process that inspires both teachers and learners alike.

Jeanette Scott | Treasurer

Jeanette Scott has been in education for 20 years. She has served as a high school and community college teacher and is currently CTE Math Integration Specialist for Phoenix Union High School District.  She is serving as the Webmaster for AML and is active in several organizations, including AATM, TODOS, NCSM, and NCTM. In 2013, she was selected as Chicanos Por La Causa Esperanza Award winner, honoring Latino teachers who inspire students of all backgrounds, play an active role in the school, and demonstrate a true commitment to the community. 

Rachel Leatham | Awards/Nominations Chair

Rachel Leatham currently serves as the 6-12 Mathematics Instructional Coach in the Higley Unified School District. With over a decade of experience in mathematics education, Rachel leads the math teachers in her district with knowledge and understanding. As an instructional coach, Rachel works with math teachers across her district to implement effective teaching practices that promote student learning. She also develops and facilitates professional learning for teachers. As an educator, Rachel is constantly looking for ways to grow and continually learn. Rachel has served on Arizona Department of Education committees for both curriculum and assessment to support Arizona students and educators.

Felissa Dixon | Professional Development Co-Chair

Felissa Dixon has been working in math education for almost 20 years. She earned both her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Master’s of Arts in Education from Colorado College. After teaching high school math in both Colorado and Arizona, she is currently an Instructional Coach at Tempe Union High School District. As an Instructional Coach, she works with teachers new to the profession to provide support, feedback, and teaching strategies to help both the teachers and students find success. Felissa is passionate about helping teachers create student-centered classes and provides professional development to help support this shift in teaching pedagogy.

Christel Bruno | Professional Development Co-Chair

Christel, an instructional coach with over two decades of experience teaching secondary mathematics, is excited to serve as co-chair for Professional Development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Natural Science from Arizona State University and is an ISTE Certified Educator and Next Generation Science Facilitator.

For the past decade, Christel has led professional development, including workshops with the American Modeling Teachers Association on STEM integration. She recently co-created a workshop series on Modeling for Middle School Mathematics and collaborated with the Department of Education on the Connections for Success initiative. Her sessions focus on practical STEM integration, enhancing instruction, and deepening student engagement.

Passionate about making math more accessible for all, Christel looks forward to supporting Arizona educators to inspire the next generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers.

Dr. Amy McCarthy | Communications Chair

Dr. Amy McCarthy has been an educator with the Chandler Unified School District since 2001. Before moving into administration, she has taught junior high and high school mathematics and served the district’s secondary math specialist. Amy is currently Assistant Principal at Casteel High School. In addition, she is faculty associate at Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University and a reviewer at EdReports. Amy joined the AML board in 2019.

Ron Noval | NCSM Representative Sponsor Chair

Ron Noval is the Secondary Math Content Specialist for the largest school district in Arizona. With a diverse teaching background, he has worked internationally, from the Philippines to Dubai, and taught math across grades 4 through 12 and at the university level. Ron is completing a master's in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment, further strengthening his expertise in educational practices and data-driven decision-making.

Rozz Williams | Membership Chair

Rozz Williams has been working in mathematics education for over a decade. She is currently the K-8 Mathematics Coordinator for Yuma Elementary School District. After nine years as a middle school math teacher, she earned master's degrees in Curriculum and Instruction: Mathematics and Educational Leadership before transitioning into coaching and leadership roles. Rozz is committed to supporting teachers in effective math instruction and creating engaging learning opportunities for students. She is passionate about helping others develop a love for mathematics, believing that everyone is a math person. Through professional development, she collaborates with educators to enhance instruction and improve student success.

Marisa Tualla | Social Media Chair

Marisa Tualla is a K12 Math Specialist for the Arizona Department of Education. Previously she worked as a Math Instructional Specialist for the Washington Elementary School District working with curriculum, assessment, data, professional development, and classroom coaching. She has ten years of teaching experience in elementary, middle school, and high school in Arizona and overseas with the International Baccalaureate program. Marisa earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from University of Arizona, and master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University. Marisa is passionate about math education and the belief that all students can learn.

Angela Marquez | Mathematics Outreach and Engagement Specialist

Yá'át'ééh! Shí éí Angela Marquez yíníshyé'. Táchii’nii nishłį́, Tł’ááshchí’í ’éí bá shíshchíín. Kinyaa’áanii ’éí dashicheii áádóó Tábąąhí ’éí dashinálí. Angela Marquez is Diné, Indigenous to Leupp, AZ on the Navajo Nation. Angela works at the University of Arizona Data Sciences Academy (DSA), serving Arizona K-14 educators in the emerging field of data science. Previous to this work, Angela has worked as a secondary math educator with a passion for equity and access to quality education that reflects and honors where the students come from. Although mathematics is not data science directly, mathematicians are uniquely positioned to learn how we, as a global and increasingly digital society, are using data to answer our questions. "What data stories do we care about?" and "What skills are needed to use data to answer our most pressing issues?" are a few questions we answer through our work with educators throughout the year. Empowering today's students in Mathematics allows for a natural connection to other STEM fields including data science and computer science as the fundamental building blocks to student-led exploratory education.

Aric Bilas | Webmaster

Aric Bilas currently serves as the Staff Development Specialist for Phoenix Union High School District. In his previous role, Aric served as a district Technology Integration Educator after teaching high school math for 12 years. As a staff development specialist, Aric works with all Certified staff to plan and facilitate quality professional development to improve instruction and increase student achievement.