Sarah DiMaria is a secondary math teacher and founding staff member at Cedars International Next Gen High School in Austin, TX. She leads campus-wide professional development and instructional coaching, also serving as the district's PBL coordinator.

Sarah earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics and secondary math and science education certification from Michigan State University. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum with a focus on Administration from MSU. Notably, Sarah contributed to rewriting the NAEP Mathematics exam panel in Washington DC in 2019.

A fellow of the Knowles Teaching Initiative, Hollyhock Program, & Teach Plus TX, Sarah remains dedicated to enhancing her teaching expertise. She was honored with the National Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for 2021 and recognized as the Outstanding TX Educator 2022 by the Texas Academy of Sciences.

Co-founder of ProgressED Pathways LLC and a trainer for Advanced Reasoning in Education, Sarah channels her vast experience into coaching and professional development for educators. She specializes in supporting project-based learning, STEM education, female participation in STEM fields, and social-emotional learning, offering tailored coaching and systemic strategies.

Carlee Madis is a curriculum developer for Desmos Amplify, a problem-based math curriculum utilized in classrooms across the USA. She works with a team to develop and celebrate student thinking by tapping into students’ natural curiosity and to develop opportunities for joy while learning mathematics.

Carlee earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics with a secondary education emphasis from Grand Valley State University.  Upon graduation, Carlee was awarded both the outstanding math department senior award and the Knowles Teacher Initiative fellowship. She holds a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education from Western Michigan University with coursework focused on equitable and accessible instruction. 

A high school teacher for six years at High Tech High in North County San Diego, an untracked project-based environment, Carlee devoted herself to the goal of inspiring students to become civic leaders through real-world, authentic learning experiences. Carlee has since served as a Program Fellow at Knowles Teacher Initiative, where she considered sustainable support for teacher inquiry and professional learning. In a statewide role with the MiSTEM Network, Carlee pushed for specific strategies to connect project-, problem-, placed-based learning with community partnerships and has developed strategies to grow progressive education through a systems approach.

As a Co-founder of ProgressED Pathways LLC, Carlee leverages her passion and prior experiences to advocate for deep learning for both students and teachers.  She specializes in STEM education, systems-level strategic planning and continuous improvement plans, coaching plans centered on educator inquiry, and collaborative classrooms and spaces.

Sheila Orr seeks to create experiences where every student feels they can be successful in the mathematics classroom. As a high school mathematics teacher, she used a combination of project-based learning, complex instruction, and teaching math for social justice to design math projects which drew on students’ communities. Currently, Sheila is a mathematics teacher educator and researcher where she draws on her almost decade-long experience as a high school math teacher and her experiences as a mentor teacher in teacher preparation. Her work centers on the ways mathematics teacher educators engage in antiracist, justice-oriented pedagogies.

Sheila earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education with a focus on mathematics education. Additionally, she has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum, also from Michigan State University. 

As a Co-founder of ProgressED Pathways LLC, Sheila leverages her commitments and experiences to advocate for equitable mathematics experiences. She specializes in STEM education, project-based learning, equitable mathematics instruction, designing community-based activities, and supporting teacher inquiry and teacher learning.