About Us

Rebecca Maxcy is the Director and Co-Principal Investigator for the Magnetar Capital UChicago Financial Education Initiative at UChicago STEM Education. In addition, she is one of the authors of Everyday Mathematics and led a team that developed the fourth edition and Common Core State Standards edition. She was part of a team that developed the Everyday Mathematics third edition and various state specific editions. Maxcy provides professional development and consultation to support the implementation of Everyday Mathematics. Prior to joining UChicago STEM Education, Maxcy taught in Chicago Public Schools, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and Poland Springs, Maine. Maxcy trained resident teachers at the Chicago Academy, in addition to being adjunct faculty at National Louis University. Maxcy earned a Master’s in Education from Lesley University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College.

Andy Isaacs received a BA in classical Greek from Northwestern University in 1974, an MST in elementary education from the University of Chicago in 1977, and a DA in mathematics (with concentrations in abstract algebra and theoretical computer science) from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 1994. From 1977 until 1985, Isaacs taught fourth and fifth grades in Chicago-area public schools. In 1985, he joined the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at UIC as a lecturer in mathematics education. Beginning in 1986, Isaacs worked on the NSF-funded Teaching Integrated Mathematics and Science Project (TIMS) at UIC, which was directed by Philip Wagreich and Howard Goldberg. In 1989 and 1990, he worked with Wagreich and David Page on UIC's Maneuvers with Mathematics Project, another NSF-funded curriculum development effort. From 1990 to 1995, he was a full time writer for Math Trailblazers, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5 based on TIMS and funded by NSF.

In 1995, Isaacs joined the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project to work on the Bridges to Classroom Mathematics Project, which was directed by Sheila Sconiers. Isaacs was an author on the second edition of Everyday Mathematics (© 2000 and 2001). Since the late 1990s, Isaacs has directed a series of teacher development projects funded by grants and contracts from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Chicago Public Schools, and school districts across the nation. He has also led the development of all recent editions of Everyday Mathematics, including the third edition (© 2007), the California and Texas editions (© 2008), and the Common Core State Standards edition (© 2012). He is co-director of UChicago STEM Education at the University of Chicago and a Senior Research Associate in the University's Physical Sciences Division.

Dr. Meg Bates is an educational psychologist who works on developing and researching educational innovations at UChicago STEM Education. She has led the development of several digital tools for STEM teacher learning, including the widely-used Everyday Mathematics Virtual Learning Community; an online financial literacy course for teachers; and an adaptive digital planning tool for teachers called CurriculumKit. She has published numerous articles on how teachers use and learn from online tools and co-edited a volume on digital curricula in school mathematics. Bates previously served as a writer for the Everyday Mathematics curriculum. She holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in educational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. in English secondary education from Millikin University.

Amy L. Dillard received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. She taught elementary school for four years at Hoffman School in Glenview, Illinois. In 1994, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics Education from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Ms. Dillard worked as a Teacher-in-Residence with the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) from 1994 to 1997. She was involved in the development of the commercial publication of the first edition of Fourth Grade Everyday Mathematics, as well as the field testing and commercial publication of the first editions of Fifth Grade Everyday Mathematics and Sixth Grade Everyday Mathematics. Ms. Dillard worked from 1997 to 2001 as one of the authors of the second editions of Everyday Mathematics K–6 and then served as the Associate Director of Everyday Mathematics, Third Edition. She recently completed work on the fourth edition of Fourth Grade Everyday Mathematics. Ms. Dillard is currently a Curriculum Developer for the Magnetar Capital UChicago Financial Education Initiative.

Kristin Fitzgerald-Hill is a curriculum developer for the Magnetar Capital UChicago Financial Education Initiative at UChicago STEM Education. She also provides professional development on financial education for Chicagoland high school teachers. Previously, she was a writer for the Everyday Mathematics fourth edition. Before coming to the University of Chicago, Fitzgerald-Hill was a teacher in Southern California, where she also served as a mathematics teacher on special assignment. Kristin earned a Master’s in Education from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM.

Jenn Hockema is a project manager for the Magnetar Capital UChicago Financial Education Initiative and has worked on the project since 2014. Jenn leads teacher and school recruitment, program enactment, support and coordinates special events. Jenn has a wide range of experiences leading youth development and experiential education programs including after school activities, leadership conferences, camps, treatment centers and community events. Jenn earned a Master’s in Non-Profit Management from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Science in Youth, Adult and Family Services from Purdue University.

Denise Porter is currently the Director of School Support Services at UChicago STEM Education. Denise started her work in education as a classroom teacher and a mathematics specialists. She has been working with the Everyday Mathematics curriculum since 1993 when she was hired as a Teacher in Residence. She was involved in the writing of the first edition of Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grade Everyday Mathematics. She has also worked on various state editions and most recently was the fifth grade team leader for the Common Core Edition.

Denise leads the School Support Services team in developing and providing professional development to administrators, teachers, and parents in a wide variety of school districts, regarding the best practices of Everyday Mathematics. Denise also provides coaching to support teachers with their implementation of Everyday Mathematics.

Denise has a Masters of Education degree from the University of Houston and a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University.

Alison Whittington is a member of UChicago STEM Education School Support Services team and works to develop and provide professional development to schools and districts. She joined UChicago STEM Education with more than ten years experience as a bilingual teacher, mathematics specialist, and district mathematics facilitator with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). She has provided mathematics professional development to teachers, parents, and administrators in a variety of contexts. Alison was a teacher on loan at UChicago STEM Education in 2006-2007, working with the CPS Restructuring Schools Project. Alison holds an EdD in educational leadership from National-Louis University, an MEd in instructional leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a BA in mathematics and elementary education from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Margaret leads the development of web applications and designs the information architecture, user interface, and visual design. She also designs the center's flyers, brochures, papers, and collaborates with the Tool Development and Research and Evaluation teams to realize their visions for UChicago STEM Education’s online work environments, such as the Everyday Mathematics website and the Virtual Learning Community. In addition, Margaret runs a math center for elementary-age children living at the SOS Children’s Village in Chicago. Before coming to Chicago, Margaret developed and managed web applications for AutoDesk, and taught high school math to at-risk students in San Francisco. She has a B.S. in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Michigan.