Bios – Math Circles of Chicago

Douglas O’Roark

Executive Director
Doug O’Roark became the Math Circles of Chicago’s first Executive Director in 2015. He also works at DePaul’s STEM Center which seeks to improve mathematics teaching in all Chicago Public Schools. In 2009 Doug founded the Secondary Mathematics and Biology component of the University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program. In 2000 he helped open Payton College Prep, where he served as both chair of the mathematics department. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989, and went on to get a masters in mathematics education at the University of Chicago in 1992. Awards he have received include the the Radio Shack National Teacher Award, the MAA’s Edith May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching, the ICTM T.E. Rine Secondary Mathematics Teaching Award. Both the City of Chicago Math League and Walter Payton College Prep have awards named in his honor. He lives in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood with his wife, a mental health researcher at UIC, and two children, who attend Chicago Public Schools.

Jen Zimmerman

UChicago YSP Site Coordinator
Jennifer joined the University of Chicago YSP Math Circle in fall 2015 as a site coordinator. In addition, she is the Associate Director of the University’s SESAME Program for the past 13 years. It is an outreach program offering Chicagoland teachers courses towards the State of Illinois Middle School Endorsements in Mathematics and Science. In her spare time she also runs a marketing campaign for the University’s Polk Brother Program, another teacher outreach opportunity.

Miguel Patino

Pilsen Site Coordinator
Miguel is the Green Technology Engineer Facilitator for Mujeres Latinas en Accion. Born and raised in Chicago’s Southside, he attended DeLaSalle before earning a degree at DeVry. In his work at MLeA Miguel’s title could also be Electromechanical Automation engineer Spanish/math/tech tutor. His mission is to help students see the path to a positive future in life and career. Miguel loves learning, solving problems, dogs, pizza, and math.

Katherine DeLisle

Lane Tech Site Coordinator
Katie DeLisle is a mathematics teacher at Lane Tech College Prep High School. She recently graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin with a degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education. She was also a 4-year member of the Cross Country and Track & Field team at Carthage. She enjoys reading, running, and eating lots of pizza in my free time!

Sara Heiberger

Payton Site Co-Coordinator
Sara joined the Payton faculty in 2014 and started teaching for the Payton Math Circle the same year. She transitioned to Co-Site Coordinator in 2015. In addition to working with Math Circle she also enjoys coaching the Payton Math Team. Sara graduated from the University of Chicago with an B.A. in Sociology in 2009 and an MAT for Secondary Math Education in 2012. Outside of math I love to cook and spend quality couch-time with my two dogs.

Benjamin Walker

Payton Site Coordinator
Benjamin loves learning and teaching, and believes that working with young people is as much a privilege as it is an adventure. He believes that learning math is something best done as part of a team, in community. Previous communities include Miami University of Ohio (BA Math and Stats, BA Integrated Math Education), Eagle Rock School in Estes Park, Colorado, Golder College Prep, and currently Walter Payton College Prep. He values hard work, thoughtful reflection aimed at growth (rather than perfection), and mutual accountability. He believes that students are the greatest asset in aiding and pursuing learning, and seeks to guide students in discovering and developing the tools with which they can empower their own and others’ learning. Particular interests include math modeling, climbing, crossfit, vocal music, and traveling.

Paul J. Karafiol

Board Chair
Paul J. Karafiol is assistant principal and Head of High School at Ogden International School. Paul has been committed to developing talent in young people since his first summer job in 1988 as a counselor in the University of Chicago’s Young Scholars Program: he’s taught mathematics at Phillips Academy, Andover; Providence-St. Mel School, on Chicago’s West Side, and was a founding mathematics teacher at Walter Payton College Prep, where he became department chair in 2009 and curriculum coordinator in 2011. Outside of school, Paul was a coach of the Chicago-Area All-Star Math Team from 1999 to 2011, and is the head author of the American Regions Math League Competition. Paul is the co-author of two math textbooks, the third editions of UCSMP Advanced Algebra and Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry. Paul is the recipient of the ICTM’s Fred Flener Award for Encouraging Mathematics Outside the Classroom, the MAA’s Edith May Slyffe Award for Mathematics Coaching, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching. He lives in Hyde Park with his wife, three children (two of whom attend CPS schools), and two dogs.

Michael Caines

Founding Member
Michael Caines is a mathematics teacher at Walter Payton College Prep as well as a founding member of Math Circles of Chicago. He is a coach for Payton’s math team as well as the Chicago-area ARML team. In 2013, Caines won the Promising New Teacher award from the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In his free time, he writes math contests for the City of Chicago Math League and the Chicago Junior Math League and does CrossFit.

Jason Major

Board Member
Jason Major works for 47 Chicago Public Schools on the northwest side coaching math teachers and collaborating with school leadership on school improvement through data. He has previously been an assistant principal and 5th-8th grade math teacher. He also loves to help schools start up math teams and is a proud member of the Math Circles of Chicago board.

David Margolin

Board Member
David Margolin is managing director of a boutique consulting firm. He initially became involved in Math Circles of Chicago through his son, who has been enthusiastically spending Saturdays doing math for several years now. David lives in Roscoe Village with his wife and two children.

Matthew Moran

Board Member
Matthew Moran has been teaching in CPS for fourteen years. He has a passion for sharing interesting mathematics with students. He helped coach the Whitney Young Math Team to two state championships, the first being the first ever 4AA championship for a CPS school. Recently, he helped coach the Whitney Young team to the first ever perfect team score at a North Suburban Math League meet. He is a coach for the Chicago ARML team, and a founder and director of the Chicago Junior Math League. In his free time he enjoys riding bicycles, geometry, and has a new interest in algorithms.

Sendhil Revuluri

Board Member
Sendhil Revuluri works to improve opportunity for children in high-need schools by supporting educators to improve students’ learning of mathematics. He previously traded equity derivatives, helped launch a new public high school in the South Bronx (where he was recognized as a Math for America Master Teacher), and supported secondary mathematics across Chicago Public Schools. He chairs the project committee of the Bright Promises Foundation, was recently elected Vice President of the IMSA Alumni Association and to the Board of the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. He and his family live in Pilsen, where his wife is an executive at a non-profit working to improve the lives and opportunities of people living in poverty, and his son is a kindergartener at a CPS elementary school.

Ann Turner

Board Member
As an advocate for public education, Ann Turner has been a catalyst for growth of the Math Circles of Chicago since 2012: she joined the Board in 2014. After leaving PricewaterhouseCoopers to raise her 3 children, she moved about the United States and settled in Chicago in 2008. In addition to her involvement in MC², Ann founded an incentive-based literacy program, the Summer Reading Challenge. This program inspires reading among students from pre-k through 8th grade during the summer break, and has donated thousands of books to Chicago Public School students over the last 8 years. Most recently, she is serving with Hope4All-Chicago Lights, an organization working to meet the needs of those facing poverty. Ann holds a BA in International Relations from Cornell College. In her free time, she is an avid hiker and has summited over 25 14,000-foot mountains.