Math Circle Coaches

Jill Joyce, Director, Montana Math Circle

Email:  jill.joyce1@montana.edu
Phone:  (406) 994-3733
Jill Joyce is a Program Coordinator II at the Science Math Resource Center and the Director of the Montana Math Circle.  She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Montana State University and her A.A.S. in Architecture and Building Technology from Vermont University.  She is the program lead on several flagship projects at SMRC including the Science Olympiad, Montana Math Circle, and the American Mathematical Competitions.

Current Coaches 

Olivia Firth (2025 · Lead Coach)

Olivia Firth is a Program Coordinator II in the Science Math Resource Center. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and an M.S. in Computer Science with a focus in algorithms and education. She currently serves on the Quantum Education and Workforce Developent Team at SMRC.  She has been an instructor and academic mentor for several years and enjoys helping students build confidence in mathematics.

Sumaila Yakubu (2024-2025 · Lead Coach)

Sumaila Yakubu is a PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction with a strong interest in mathematics education. He was born and raised in Tamale, a town in Northern Ghana. Sumaila holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Education Winneba in Ghana, and currently serves as an MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant for K-8 Math Methods. Upon completing his bachelor's degree, his passion for education became evident through his work as a high school mathematics teacher and a teaching assistant.

Sumaila Yakubu is committed to leveraging his academic background and teaching experience to make a meaningful impact in the field of mathematics education. He has a research interest in mathematical thinking and connections. Outside academia, Sumaila enjoys watching and playing soccer, and video games.

Ruby McNeil (2024-2025 · Assistant Coach)

Ruby McNeilisa 2024 graduate of Gallatin High School in Bozeman, and recently completed her freshman year at Rice University with a majorin Bioengineering. Ruby has competed in two American Math Competitions, including the AMC 12A&B, where she won first place in Montana. She finds STEM subjects the most interesting to study, and in herfree time she enjoys playing the viola and tennis, not necessarily at the same time!

Amber Chou (2023-2024 · Assistant Coach)

Amber Chou is a returning Assistant Coach who will attend Carnegie-Mellon in the Fall of 2024.  Amber has been passionate about math since elementary school. Amber competed in the Montana state-wide MathCounts competition and achieved the top 10 every year in middle school. Moreover, she qualified for the honors roll in the AMC 8 exam. In high school, she qualified for the AIME exam through her AMC 12 score.

Amber is grateful for the opportunity to teach and inspire so many talented students to love math, as her teachers and peers did for her!

Past Coaches

Tannaz Goodarzi (2023 · Lead Coach)

Tannaz Goodarzi is a PhD student at Montana State University, where she studies Mathematics Education and serves as a teaching assistant for K-8 Mathematics Methods. Tannaz received her Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Pure Mathematics at the IKIU International University in Iran.  She enjoys music, dancing and aerobics; basically any activity with lots of energy!

Matthew Mycroft (2022 · Lead Coach)

Matthew Mycroft is a Senior in Mathematics Education at Montana State University.

In addition to math, Matthew enjoys playing music on the bass and drums, weightlifting,  hiking, and long walks with his wife.