Meet the MFM Team

Multisensory Math Specialists

Math Specialist

Amy Anderson

Curator of chocolate and math books

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Math Specialist

Bethany Howell

Escape Room Enthusiast: All about the strategy

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Math Specialist

Brittany Sawyer

Never descrimates against sweets of any kind

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Math Specialist

Cassie Gibson

Calculating number of books left to read.

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Lead Trainer & Math Specialist

Erin Evans

Aspiring Cat Lady. Believes math is meow-gical!

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Math Specialist

Gerald McGaughey

Wishing dogs had thumbs for video games.

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Math Specialist

Jack Sundsten

Windsurfing: Likes to “seas” the day.

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Math Specialist

Kayla Garvais

Nipponsei (Made in Japan)

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Math Specialist

Rebecca Zilberstein

Eat. Sleep. Beach. Teach. Repeat.

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Math Specialist

Sam Malmberg

Is perfecting the art of fly fishing.

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Math Specialist

Tracey Sorenson

Always up for a quest with grandkids.

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Customer Service

Lead Customer Service

Alycia Thompson

Dresses up her family in 80’s gear on Friday nights

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Billing/Inventory

Heather Young

Loves the chocolately things of life

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Operations & Outreach

Founder & CEO

Adrianne Meldrum

Loves eating her lunch poolside

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Operations Assistant & Math Specialist

Brailee Saunders

The road to her heart is filled with animals

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Operations Manager

Heather Brand

Strong Game Board Contender

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Social Media Assistant

Jennie Miller

Concert and everything bagel enthusiast.

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Amy Anderson

Math Specialist

is a certified teacher with a Masters in Education and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington, Tacoma. Amy spent a decade laughing and learning alongside fifth graders as a full time teacher of math and science. After classroom teaching, Amy transitioned to tutoring students with her own tutoring business and working for Math for Middles.

Amy is passionate about helping kids self-advocate, set goals, and continuously challenge themselves.

When Amy is not working with students online, you can find her photographing beautiful Pacific Northwest landscapes, walking her dog, scaling the walls at her local indoor rock climbing gym, or searching for humpback whales.

Bethany Howell

Multisensory Math Specialist

Bethany Howell is a certified teacher with 28 years of experience working with students in kindergarten through 8th grade. In addition to many years as a classroom teacher, she also served students and teachers as a Math Specialist/Interventionist. Bethany received a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University.

In her spare time, Bethany enjoys movie watching, book reading, dog walking and relaxing in the Hill Country of Texas where she lives. With the help of her husband and children, Bethany has successfully completed over two dozen escape rooms.

Bethany is a big believer in the idea that everyone can be a successful mathematician with the right tools and guidance. It is her goal to help students build their math confidence and reach their goals while having fun along the way.

Brittany Sawyer

Math Specialist

is a certified educator with over 12 years of experience in teaching mathematics. She has a bachelors degree in education from the University of Texas, and she is GT and ELL certified. She has spent her career working in Title 1 schools where students often were multiple grade levels behind, and she prides herself in her ability to boost her students’ confidence and ability through hands-on and engaging learning techniques.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two young daughters. She is an avid sports fan and enjoys attending sporting events at her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin. Hook ‘em Horns!

Her goal is to make math meaningful, challenging, accessible, and most of all FUN for all of her students. She believes all students are capable of learning mathematics and it is her mission to use multisensory math to help all students succeed.

Cassie Gibson

Math Specialist

is a book-loving, knowledge-hungry, fun-seeking teacher who just wants to share the joys of learning with each and every student she has the privilege to meet! She is a wife and mother of 3 extraordinary boys. Being a boy-mom means lots of cheering at sporting events, adventuring outdoors, LEGO-building, and general mess-containing – all of which Cassie enjoys to the fullest. When she is not hanging with the boys, you will find Cassie reading a good book, cooking a delicious meal, or enjoying the outdoors.

Cassie is a certified elementary teacher. She spent the last nine years sharing a love for learning with third and fourth graders in a classroom setting, including one year in an online classroom. During this time, Cassie learned the secret ingredients that consistently make students successful… confidence, creativity, and a sprinkle of fun!

Armed with a passion for finding creative approaches to learning and the belief that students thrive when provided learning opportunities that are fun and meaningful, Cassie’s goal is to support each learner as they grow in skill and confidence. She strives to help every child recognize their own unique learning potential!

Erin Evans

Lead Trainer & Math Specialist

Erin is a licensed kindergarten through eighth-grade teacher. Between her time in a brick-and-mortar classroom and online teaching, she has over 9 years of experience teaching elementary-age students. Who knew this is where she'd end up after being accepted to college on a percussion scholarship?

Some of Erin's favorite things include adventurous camping trips, evening walks with her family, long naps with her cats, board game parties with snacks, and all things music.

It's Erin's goal to help students take pride in their educational accomplishments to foster an enthusiasm for learning. She has witnessed many students use this as a springboard to reach new heights. While this doesn't come without challenges along the way, Erin will be there to help students strap on their thinking caps, chinch up their tool belts, and face obstacles head-on.

Gerald McGaughey

Math Specialist

is a certified Elementary school teacher with 9 years of teaching experience, including teaching math across grade levels K-5. He comes from a family of educators with both of his grandmothers being former teachers.

When Gerald is not educating you can probably find him walking his dog Sega, playing video games, or attending a Dallas Cowboys football game. He also loves spending time with his family ESPECIALLY his two lovely nieces.

Gerald believes that the combination of joy and confidence is key to success in education. His goal is to help students find those tools within themselves.

Jack Sundsten

Math Specialist

grew up in the Pacific Northwest and developed a great love for the outdoors as a child. He loves to spend time in the mountains, the forest, and near a body of water. Throughout his childhood, Jack was fascinated by astronomy, physics, and philosophy. In high school, he discovered a love for math and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Throughout his education, Jack has tutored students ranging from 7th grade to college-level math. He believes that every student learns in their own unique way, and every student is capable of success when the individual’s needs are properly met. Jack has practiced one-on-one teaching in both a private setting and at a tutoring center for the University of Washington. In his free time, you’ll find him windsurfing on Hood Canal or fine-tuning his woodworking skills. As somebody who loves to learn, he also spends hours practicing piano every day.

Jack is passionate about teaching students in a way that is approachable and intuitive. He loves to see students thrive where they have previously struggled, and he seeks to make learning an adventure, not an obstacle.

Kayla Garvais

Math Specialist

is a rockstar-explorer-astronaut. Well, she wanted to be, but her six-year-old self was shattered when she learned that was a touch too ambitious, so she picked the closest career to that and became a rockstar-explorer-teacher. Kayla received her undergraduate degree in molecular, cell, and developmental biology from UC Santa Cruz, and is currently pursuing her master’s in literacy education from Arizona State University. Kayla has served as a classroom intern, after-school teacher, academic specialist, and dyslexia specialist in her spare time. For the last five years, Kayla has focused on working one-on-one with struggling students on a variety of topics, but her love of teaching math earned her the title “Common Core Ninja”.

Kayla lives in Mesa, Arizona with her boyfriend who owns the local reptile shop. She shares her home and yard with emus, rattlesnakes, goats, scorpions, tortoises, centipedes, her dog, and her Amazon parrot. She enjoys searching for reptiles and invertebrates out in the desert and going to her local library to pour through the books. Her go-to fun fact is that she was born in Yokosuka, Japan!

Rebecca Zilberstein

Multisensory Math Specialist

is a licensed Elementary school teacher with over 8 years of classroom experience teaching math, science, and special education intervention. Most of her teaching experience has been at a bilingual school in the Dominican Republic which has helped her become fluent in Spanish.

When she is not teaching, she loves cooking, eating delicious food, painting, enjoying warm weather, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. She also loves spending time at the beach with her husband and her two-footed chihuahua named Peanut.

Rebecca believes that all children can succeed in math (or any subject) when they are taught in a way that works for them. She loves working with kids and helping them feel successful in math and beyond.

Sam Malmberg

Math Specialist

grew up on the mean gravel roads of eastern Nebraska, where he got really good at fixing fences and driving tractors. Though a farm-kid by blood, sports were more his thing. From running to fishing to shooting hoops, he spent most of his time outside. In school, he loved math, P.E., and lunch, but struggled to sit still long enough to make his teachers happy.

Now older, Sam still loves the same things. Though he might not run as fast as he once could, he enjoys moving slowly through the mountains on single-track trails. He can be found most days in the backcountry fly-fishing for brook trout in cold mountain streams. Though catching big ones may not be his forte, he sure seems to catch a lot of little ones.

Sam’s main passion is convincing people they are better than they think they are. Whether that is working with someone to figure out a hard math problem or helping a friend run 100 miles, he is most happy helping others succeed. With fifteen years of classroom teaching experience and a mind that doesn’t work like most, he finds math a good medium to share his way of thinking and love for numbers and logic.

Tracey Sorenson

Math Specialist

is a certified teacher with a master's degree in natural science (with an emphasis in middle-school math) from the University of Wyoming. Tracey spent 26 years teaching 3rd-8th graders and running various afterschool programs. Tracey has also helped many students in math by tutoring online and in person over the years.

Tracey enjoys helping all children learn and be able to use what they are learning in real-life situations.

When Tracey isn't teaching, she is spending time with her family (especially her grandchildren), going on walks, and reading historical fiction books.

Alycia Thompson

Lead Customer Service

has 12 years of teaching experience in the public school setting as a general education classroom teacher in grades 1-3. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary education with a Reading Endorsement from Boise State University. She’s “Mom” to five girls and has had the privilege of staying home for the past five years following the birth of her twin girls. Being an at home mom has given Alycia a new appreciation and understanding for families and parents.

In her spare time, She enjoys running, reading, cooking, gardening, and being outside with her family.

Her goals with Made for Math is to build math connections and overall confidence in students and parents who may feel discouraged. Alycia finds it exciting to learn strategies that are beneficial to all of us. She is learning right along with you!

Heather Young

Billing/Inventory

Born and raised in a small farming community in Utah taught Heather hard work, and gave her the love of the outdoors. She attended Utah State for awhile, then received her Dental Assisting Certificate.

After starting her family, she has been a stay at home mom. She is a wife of the best firefighter and the mother of 4 beautiful girls. When she isn't supporting them in concerts and sporting events, she likes to organize, cook, decorate and make crafts for her home. She enjoys fun outings with her family and loves to serve others through her church and community.

Adrianne Meldrum

Founder & CEO

is the Founder and CEO of MFM. She is a certified teacher with over a decade of experience tutoring middle and high school students in math. She received training from ASDEC.org in Multisensory Math 1 & 2.

With her many years as a tutor and owner of MFM, Adrianne has seen up close how using multisensory math techniques with students leads to more confidence, higher grades, but also a rooted understanding of how math works.

Adrianne’s goal is to bring multisensory math to as many students as possible. To help those who learn differently to have success in the classroom and in life.

Brailee Saunders

Operations Assistant & Math Specialist

is a licensed science teacher for 6th-8th grade integrated science and Earth Science. She taught for 4 years in public schools before seeking a Masters degree. Brailee loves learning, and now, with her schooling behind her, she seeks to help others learn and grow too.

Brailee enjoys hiking, riding ATV’s, snowmobiling, video games, and is an avid reader of fantasy and mystery novels. Brailee’s life goal is to save all the animals, and volunteers/fosters for her local rescue groups while caring for her own miniature zoo. Although Brailee loves four legged creatures, she loves helping growing humans learn and reach new heights. She loves bringing joy to those around her and teaching is one way she spreads the love. Brailee celebrates each mistake as an opportunity to learn and looks forward to helping her students face the challenges that come their way.

Heather Brand

Operations Manager

is a licensed educator with a bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She first trained as a reading interventionist to better reach students with dyslexia. Heather then went looking for training on multi-sensory techniques for math and found MFM and fell in love.

Heather has worked in a variety of educational settings with students from K – 12. She has a passion for teaching students who learn differently, especially for twice exceptional students. Their giftedness and areas of disability make for very unique learning needs.

Heather’s goal is to teach students foundational skills that allow them to understand math processes and become more efficient mathematicians. Heather’s students learn that mistakes are part of the learning process. But most of all, she wants her students to love and appreciate math.

Jennie Miller

Social Media Assistant

grew up on the Colorado River in Arizona and has been in love with the water ever since. From swim team to boating–living in the sun has always been a huge part of her life. She attended Arizona State University and graduated with honors in Psychology and Communication in 2020.

Jennie’s passion for learning and reading has allowed her to travel to England, Norway, and France, and earned her an English minor. She is always open to the next adventure and continuously searching for meaningful connections! Her boyfriend and their English Pointer are her two best friends. When she isn't scaling the side of a mountain you can find her at the nearest Twenty One Pilots concert.