The IM Story

Bill McCallum has dedicated his life to helping teachers, educators, mathematicians, and policymakers show fidelity to both mathematical coherence and student learning.

He is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at The University of Arizona, where he researches number theory and arithmetical algebraic geometry, authors textbooks, and advises researchers and policymakers. Bill’s work as a lead writer of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics earned him the Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Mathematical Society and the Dolciani Award from the Mathematical Association of America.

As CEO and co-founder of Illustrative Mathematics, he chairs the Board of Directors where he helps craft the strategic direction of the organization and contributes to the curricula; he also represents IM to funders, at speaking events, and in workshops.

Cam Valentine Braxton, MPA, HCS focuses her practice on high-impact learning, executive coaching, and human capital systems that use people-centered solutions for today’s multigenerational workforce. An industry-recognized subject matter expert in areas of human resources and talent management, Cam has worked for several prominent education organizations such as TNTP and New Leaders and has consulted with Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Peer Health Exchange, and UP Education among many others. She has been a regular corporate trainer for small to mid-sized businesses nationally and in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex since 2017, offering three distinct learning programs.

Cam has an MPA in Organizational Leadership & Emotional Intelligence, a certificate as a Human Capital Strategist by the Human Capital Institute of New York, and is currently studying for a master’s certification in executive coaching.

Throughout his career, Karl has been devoted to delivering high-quality educational materials to students, teachers, and districts across the country.

Prior to joining IM, he served as COO for Open Up Resources where he directed product development and new technology implementations. As Director of Digital Learning for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington state, he created Washington’s K–12 OER project and served as the state lead for the K–12 OER Collaborative, a multi-state effort to develop open educational resources. He was also the lead policymaker for digital education, developing, and implementing online systems and providing technical support to districts.

Now the Chief Information Officer for IM, he is responsible for the organization’s engineering, systems, customer success, and evaluation work.

Kris has a deeply rooted passion and appreciation for high-quality education and learning, and a relentless commitment to listen to partners and customers while constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of the classroom.

At Discovery, she served as CFO for both Discovery Channel and Science Channel; and as Senior Vice President, Global Content Operations, she was responsible for producing and broadcasting programs across 32 networks and 220 countries. In 2013 she was honored with a “Women Leading Women” award from the University of Maryland. In 2011 she was named a “Person to Watch” by The Financial Manager, the magazine of the Media Financial Management Association.

As CFO and VP Enterprise Management for IM, Kris oversees finance, accounting, legal, human resources, and administration. She believes that IM’s impact and success are dependent on its ability to support and leverage its own diverse talent and expertise.

As the President of Highlights Education, which includes Zaner-Bloser and Stenhouse, Lisa Carmona is active in professional communities related to educational research, literacy, and digital learning, including the Westerville Library Foundation Board and NSF research grant advisory boards.

A high-energy leader with more than two decades of success in educational publishing and technology, she has served in senior leadership roles at McGraw-Hill Education, Frank Schaffer Publications, and School Zone Publishing.

Lisa holds an MBA from Ohio University and a BA from Central Michigan University.

Barbara Chow serves as the Director of the Education program at the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Her early years of service were spent working with the Clinton Administration, where she was Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council; Associate Director for Education, Income Maintenance, and Labor programs at the Office of Management and Budget; Special Assistant to the President for White House Legislative Affairs.  She worked for the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the Senate Budget Committee prior to her service at the White House.

Chow then went on to serve as Policy Director of the House Budget Committee and the Executive Director of the National Geographic Education Foundation.

She spent the next eight years as the Director of the Education program for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Chow holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in Government from Pomona College.

In addition to serving on the board of Illustrative Mathematics, Chow is also a board member of the Learning Policy Institute, the National Public Education Support Fund, and PBLWorks.

Gregg Levin is President and Chief Operating Officer of K12 Insight.

A management executive with over 20 years experience in sales, marketing, product development, government relations, and operations, he has served in senior leadership roles at Fuel Education (a division of K12, Inc), KC Distance Learning, Sylvan Learning, and Bright Horizons where he specialized in creating strategies to hone the mission, grow the client base, and scale the business.

He holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a BS from the University of Rochester.

Paul Palmer is a leader in targeted marketing, partnership development, and DEI with 30 years of experience in industry and higher education. A professor of marketing at the Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, he teaches courses in consumer behavior, advertising & promotions, and modern trends in marketing. He also led IU’s DEI efforts for the MBA Program and has won numerous teaching awards, including IU Trustees Teaching Award, Student Choice Award, and the IU Access the World through Education Award.

Prior to IU, Paul achieved 20 years of business and management success, including P&G, Hasbro Toys and American Greetings. Paul is a member of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Board of Trustees, the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, and the NAACP.

Kristin Umland believes that by coordinating the expertise of teachers, mathematicians, mathematics educators, and business professionals, we can help all students realize their mathematical potential.

Before joining the IM team, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New Mexico (UNM). After joining UNM with a Ph.D. in Mathematics, she carried out research in mathematics education, taught pre-service and in-service elementary and secondary teachers, and conducted education outreach at the local, state, and national levels. A recipient of both the Louise Hay Award and the AMS Impact Award, Kristin’s goal has always been to improve the mathematical and pedagogical quality of children’s learning experiences.

Kristin is co-founder and President of IM.

George Zettler is a mathematician and financial manager. He is a co-founder and managing member of Flowing Shape Advisers, LLC, a consulting group specializing in mathematical analysis.

Prior to Flowing Shape, Zettler co-founded Ellington Management Group LLC and held a position at Kidder Peabody.

He also served as Professor of Mathematics at Columbia University for nine years, where he conducted original research in representation theory and algebraic geometry.

He holds a Ph.D. and an AB in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and Harvard University.

As a mathematics education consultant and Chair of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Diane works to increase math knowledge around the world. She’s also Chair of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences and was formerly president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.

Diane was a senior developer/research associate on the NSF-funded Intensified Algebra Project and Mathematics Director for Pittsburgh Public Schools. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, M.S., and B.S. in Mathematics from Northwestern University, and did postdoctoral study in the Psychology Department of Carnegie-Mellon University.

Dr. Bobby T. Dillard was born and raised in Chicago as the son of first generation college students and educators in Chicago Public Schools. He earned bachelor degrees in Mathematics and History from Fisk University, a masters degree in Mathematics Education from DePaul University, a Master Degree in Educational Leadership from Roosevelt University and a Doctorate in School Leadership in Educational Leadership from National Louis University.  His research centered on Leadership Competency models that K–12 districts can use to build capacity for all levels of leadership in a school system.

Dr. Dillard spent the first ten years of his career as a High School Mathematics Teacher, Department Chair, Instructional Coach, and School Leader in the Chicagoland area. Bobby spent the next ten years working as a leadership coach in over 30 school districts throughout the nation, specializing in school transformation and turnaround.

Dr. Dillard served as a Regional Assistant Director with the Illinois State Board of Education’s Center for School Improvement, providing support to district leaders on improving equitable outcomes in school’s that demonstrated the highest need. Bobby has worked with school and district leaders to implement: (1) Standards based curriculum adoptions, coaching systems at the school and district level, family engagement models, and leadership feedback models where school principals operate within a network.

Dr. Bobby T. Dillard joined the New Teacher Center in September of 2017 and is currently a Director on the NTC School Leadership team. In this role he has developed a Principal Coaching Model and a school-based Principal Network model.

A 25-plus-year veteran of Discovery Communications, Mary played a key role expanding the company’s mission to transform K–12 teaching and learning across the globe.

Mary served as Senior Vice President of Discovery Education’s award-winning Corporate Education Partnerships division, responsible for the global program design and development, implementation, and program evaluation. Partnering with corporations, non-profit organizations, and philanthropists, her work supported under-resourced areas such as STEM, college and workforce readiness, media literacy, health and wellness, and environmental education.

More recently, Mary served a Chief Officer, Education, Marketing, and Advocacy for the Food Allergy Research & Education organization, dedicated to improving the life and health of those living with food allergies.

Mary serves on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Northern Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount St. Mary’s University.