Dr. Christine Leroux, Associate Professor

christineleroux@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4967
Office - Harriman Hall Room 311

Hello!  I'm Christine Leroux and I've been a faculty member in the Math Department at SUNY 

Orange since 2012. 

I teach almost all of the classes we offer, ranging from Fundamentals of Arithmetic to Differential Equations.  I serve on various committees through our Shared Governance system and have developed an Open Educational Resource (OER) version of our Fundamentals of Arithmetic course so that students have the ability to access a free online version of the textbook for the course.  I have also been active in college assessment activities.

I earned a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mathematics at Northern Illinois University.  I loved learning as a student and I continue to love learning as a faculty member.  Learning is a lifelong pursuit for all of us; we need to continue learning in order to continue to grow.

When I am away from campus, my husband and I enjoy traveling and befriending random cats.

Ms. Donna Avery, Professor
donnaavery@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4960
Office - Harriman Hall Room 315D

My name is Donna Avery and I am a Professor in the Mathematics Department at SUNY Orange.  I am also the Assistant Chair of the Mathematics Department.  I have been a faculty member at SUNY Orange since 2011.

When I was in college, I determined that I wanted to teach algebra at a community college as a career.  I am happy to have that career at SUNY Orange – I teach courses from Fundamentals of Algebra through Precalculus which includes the four algebra courses that our department offers.

I have earned the following degrees:

• B.A. in Mathematics from Wells College
• M.A. in Teaching with a focus on Mathematics from Colgate University
• M.S. in Mathematics from Illinois State University

In my free time, I enjoy puzzles of all kinds: logic puzzles, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and more!

Mrs. Carolyn Meere
carolynmeere@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4566
Office - Harriman Hall Room 315

Hello!  I am Carolyn Meere.  I have been working at SUNY Orange since 2006.  Prior to my years as the secretary of the Math department, I worked in the financial aid department at the college.  While working here at the college, I had the opportunity to attend and graduate SUNY Orange with an associate's degree.

I love working in the Math department because it gives me an opportunity to help students as well as the faculty and staff.

I hope you will come by HA315 if you need assistance, I will be glad to help.

Mrs. Elizabeth Carris-Swan,

Associate Professor
elizabethcarrisswan@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4234/9024
Office – Harriman Hall Room 315I/Kaplan Hall 202

Growing up outside of Binghamton, NY, I started off my college education at SUNY Broome Community College as a music major, planning to pursue a career in music industry. Realizing that I’d rather do math problems than practice classical guitar, I changed my major to liberal arts in math and science with the intent to major in mathematics. The next year, I transferred to SUNY New Paltz.

The rest of my education includes:

• Bachelor of Science Degree (Mathematics) from SUNY New Paltz
• Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary Education, Mathematics) from SUNY New Paltz
• Master of Arts (Pure Mathematics) from Western Connecticut State University
• Post Graduate Certification (Community College Leadership, in progress) from Old Dominion University.

My wife and I live in New Paltz with our dog, two cats and horse. We stay rather busy as we are both continuing our own education, but we enjoy going out to dinner, hiking, doing crosswords, watching Star Wars and Marvel movies.

Why do I love mathematics? There is a pure truth to mathematics that is irrefutable and rather beautiful. I love puzzles and possess this need to find solutions for problems. Part of the problem solving process is the struggle. It may seem like it’s the type of struggle that’s getting you nowhere. You can feel the wheels spinning, but cannot see any progress until something just clicks and sets you off. It feels like the universe just opened for you to see the problem in a different light. It’s not magical, but it can feel that way.

Why do I love teaching mathematics? I teach a variety of algebra levels, trigonometry and statistics. I can connect my love for problem solving and creativity with teaching as I am continuously trying to develop new ways to introduce ideas, connect concepts and engage students. My aim every semester is to create a comfortable learning space for all of my students.         

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."  Albert Einstein

"Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty." Bertrand Russell

Ms. Kaitlin Curry, Associate Professor
kaitlincurry@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4540
Office – Harriman Hall Room 305A

My name is Kaitlin Curry and I started teaching mathematics at SUNY Orange in 2013.  I have always had a passion for mathematics, but when I was in graduate school I found my passion for teaching.

I earned a B.S. and M.A. in Mathematics at Binghamton University and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership at Old Dominion University.

I truly enjoy teaching a variety of courses and have taught most of the courses in our algebra sequence up to Calculus II and Linear Algebra as well as Introduction to Statistics and Foundations of Elementary School Mathematics.  I am actively involved in our Shared Governance system and have served on numerous committees.  I am always looking for ways to increase student retention and success, most recently by being a member of the workgroup that revised our algebra sequence and developmental course offerings.   

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, our daughter, and our pets.  We especially enjoy the summer months when we are able to spend time in our yard gardening and taking care of our honeybee colonies. 

Mrs. Shahrzad Latefi, Assistant Professor
shahrzadlatefi@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4598
Office – Harriman Hall Room 315E

Mr. Joel Morocho, Associate Professor
joelmorocho@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4535
Office – Harriman Hall 315B

Mr. David Peterson, Assistant Professor
davidpeterson@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4545
Office – Harriman Hall Room 312A

Mr. John Rion, Assistant Professor
johnrion@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4853
Office – Harriman Hall Room 315

Mrs. Michelle Tubbs, Professor
michelletubbs@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4501
Office – Harriman Hall Room 302A

My name is Michelle Tubbs and I am a Professor of Mathematics at SUNY Orange.  I started teaching at the college full-time in 2000, but taught a few years as an adjunct prior to that.

My education includes:

• Associate of Science Degree (Mathematics) from SUNY Orange
• Bachelors of Science Degree (Mathematics) from SUNY Albany
• Masters of Science Degree (Mathematics with a Statistics Concentration) from Montclair State University

As you can see, I am a SUNY Orange graduate and I chose to return to this college because I had a very positive experience here as a student and I honestly believe it is one of our county’s most precious assets.  I have spent over half my life here and I truly love it.  It has so much to give and offers so many opportunities to the residents of our county.

I teach a variety of courses in the department from Fundamentals of Algebra through Calculus, as well as our Introduction to Statistics course.  In addition to my time in the classroom, I am a strong supporter of our shared governance system at SUNY Orange.  I have served on a number of different committees, chairing some of them and also spent 4½ years serving as our college’s Governance President.  I am currently serving as SUNY Orange’s delegate to the Faculty Council of Community Colleges, which is the official agency through which the faculty at the 30 SUNY community colleges engage in the governance of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

I have lived in Orange County all of my life.  I have two daughters who keep my husband and I very busy while I am off campus and who are what motivate and inspire me to be a better person tomorrow than I was today.

Dr. Ming Wang, Professor
mingwang@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4472
Office – Harriman Hall Room 321

Mrs. Barbara Wortman,

Professor
barbarawortman@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4463
Office – Harriman Hall Room 315G

My name is Barbara Wortman and I am proud to say I’ve been teaching full time at SUNY Orange since 2003. Prior to teaching at SUNY Orange, I attended as a student. It was during my time here as a student that I fell in love with this institution and with mathematics. After obtaining my degree at SUNY Orange, I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science at Montclair State University, and a Master of Science degree at Stevens Institute of Technology, both in pure mathematics.

Returning to SUNY Orange to teach math was a dream come true for me. Each year my love of this college, and the opportunities it provides to our community, grows. Likewise, my love of my students and of teaching grows. In the classroom, I use more traditional methods of teaching. I try to break mathematical processes down into simple steps and provide many examples. Because of my love of mathematics, I feel I am sometimes able to spark a newfound interest for students. I do this by pointing out the beauty of math as frequently as I can while teaching. I make comparisons between the math and things or experiences with which the students are more familiar, and perhaps already enjoy, admire, or understand. I use things such as art, money, or the natural world to compare to math and help students find math more relatable.

On a personal note, I am a lifelong resident of Orange County. My husband, another SUNY Orange math professor, and I live within walking distance of the college with our two daughters and two dogs. This college is a huge part of our lives and we wouldn’t want it any other way!

Mr. Eric Wortman, Professor
ericwortman@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4573
Office – Harriman Hall 321

Ms. Brandee Williams, Assistant Professor
brandeewilliams@sunyorange.edu
845-341-4386
Office – Harriman Hall Room 312A