Mathematics Faculty

Mathematics Department Chair
Swimming Head Coach

tobin_white@cate.org / 805-684-4127 x113

BA, Bates College
MS, Virginia Tech
PhD, Stanford University
Appointed: 2018

Tobin began his teaching career in the late 1990s at a boarding school in his native state of Maine. In 2000, he came to California to pursue a PhD in mathematics education at Stanford. He then spent fourteen years as a professor at UC Davis, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in education and ran a research lab focused on the design of novel technologies for teaching and learning math and science. Family, mountains, and ocean recently pulled him toward Santa Barbara, where he was thrilled to discover an opportunity to return to his independent school roots by teaching mathematics at Cate.

Tobin swam competitively in high school and college and still spends as much time as he can in the pool. He lives off campus with his wife Melissa and three sons, Zach, Ben and Oliver.

Mathematics Instructor

BA, Bogazici University
MPhil, University of Surrey
PhD, University of Surrey

Originally from Istanbul, Oz Arconian moved to California from London in 2012. She has a PhD in Economics and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in economics, econometrics and mathematics at University of London, Bogazici University and UC Santa Barbara.

Prior to joining Cate, Oz worked with policy makers, research institutes, international development agencies and investing bodies in the economic development field.

Outside of the classroom, Oz continues her interdisciplinary research on economic impact evaluation and volunteers for non-profit local organizations. She lives off campus with her husband Alex, son Emil ’26 and daughter Ella.

Mathematics Instructor

ashwin_atre@cate.org / 805-684-8409 x112

BSE, Princeton University
MS, Stanford University
PhD, Stanford University

Ashwin returns to the Mesa after attending Cate as a member of the Class of 2005. Upon graduation, Ashwin went on to earn his B.S.E. in chemical engineering at Princeton. He then returned to California for his Ph.D. in materials science at Stanford, where his research explored a broad range of topics from renewable energy to invisibility cloaks.

Following a post-graduate road trip that took him and his wife, Olivia Sparkuhl ’06, over 33,000 miles through 18 countries from California to the southernmost tip of South America, Ashwin was drawn back to Cate to contribute to the community that had a significant impact on him as a student. Ashwin is eager to participate in this transformational moment in other people’s lives and loves sharing his energy and passion for math and science with others.

Mathematics Instructor

frank_griffin@cate.org / 805-684-8409 x255

BA, Amherst College
MEd, Boston College
Appointed: 1979

A native of Wayland, Massachusetts, Frank graduated from Amherst College with a degree in economics and began his career at Tabor Academy, where he taught mathematics, ran a dormitory, and coached basketball and tennis. He came to Cate in 1979 and has served in a number of academic and administrative positions, including Director of Athletics and Director of Studies. In addition to teaching every math course offered at Cate, Frank has taught economics and geography; he has also coordinated the School’s most recent accreditation self-assessments.

Frank was named a Tandy Technology Scholar in 1995, and in the same year he received the Sliffe Award from the Mathematical Association of America. Taking a sabbatical year to earn a master’s degree in educational technology, Frank has since made presentations at numerous workshops and institutes throughout the country. He has also authored a calculus textbook that has been through several editions.

During his years as boys varsity basketball coach, Frank’s teams won ninety percent of their league games, twelve league titles, and a place in the CIF finals game in 1996. He now brings his extensive experience to the coaching of girls junior varsity basketball.

Mathematics Instructor
Girls JV Soccer Coach

BA, University of Richmond
Appointed: 2023

A proud East Coaster and New England native, Emma comes to us from the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, N.H., where she taught math, coached hiking and soccer, and led multiple experiential learning courses. Several summers working at Kingsley Pines Camp in Maine, most recently as Girls Campus Head, fueled her love for residential communities and developed her commitment to the holistic growth of young people.

With a BA in Economics and Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond, she’s committed to fostering a love for mathematics as a tool that empowers individuals to analyze the world and solve complex problems.

Beyond the classroom, Emma is a Bothin/Parsonage dorm parent, an advisor, and a coach of soccer and the Outdoor program. She lives on campus in Parsonage, and she loves that she gets to see both the ocean and the mountains from her door on the Mesa.

Mathematics Instructor
Boys Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach

Jose_Molina@cate.org

Jose was born in El Salvador and migrated with his family to San Francisco in 1980, when he was 12 years old. He has spent most of his life in San Jose, and taught mathematics for 22 years at Bellarmine College Prep.  For the last five years, Jose lived in Exeter, N.H. and taught at Phillips Exeter Academy. He lives in Long House with his family; older son Felipe (11); younger son Santiago (8); spouse Francy and two pets (Rex, the maltipoo dog and Cupcake, the orange tabby cat).  He enjoys spending time with his family and going on bike rides.

Dean of Academics
Mathematics Instructor

annalee_salcedo@cate.org/ 805-684-8409 x271

BS
MAT
Appointed: 2009

After graduating in 1995 with a degree in chemistry, Annalee Salcedo taught high school for fourteen years in Boston, first at an independent day school and then at an urban public charter school. In addition to teaching chemistry and math, she held a number of administrative positions including director of community service and dean of students. Annalee also gained outdoor education experience as an instructor for Outward Bound and international development experience helping City Year, a national nonprofit, launch programs in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Annalee joined the Cate faculty in 2009 as a member of the math department and was appointed its Paul M. Denison ’52 Teaching Chair in 2015. In 2011, she was the first recipient of Cate’s Centennial Award, recognizing excellence and innovation in classroom instruction. She works in the Outdoor Program and serves on the Curriculum Design Committee. She lives on campus with her spouse Chris Power and two children.

Mathematics Instructor
Assistant Cross Country Coach

tim_smith@cate.org / 805-684-8409 x251

BA, Bowdoin College
Appointed: 1995

Tim first took an interest in boarding-school education at the age of nine, when his older brother went away to school. Stories of excellent teaching, adventures in the outdoors, and antics in the dormitories encouraged him to try boarding school, and by his sophomore year of high school at Fountain Valley School in Colorado, he had articulated his interest in teaching in a residential setting. This desire to pursue education solidified during the summers of his junior and senior year of college while working for a wilderness camp in Wyoming; after graduating from Bowdoin College, he took a position in the outdoor program at Fountain Valley. After four years of teaching and a one-year adventure around the world, Tim took a post at the Webb Schools in Claremont, California, moving on to Cate in 1995.

Beyond his teaching duties, Tim also coordinates the Cal Math League competitions and serves as an outdoor-sport instructor. He is an avid and accomplished sportsman himself, having recently placed in the top 100 finishers at the Los Angeles Marathon and scaled the summit of North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley.

Tim’s other interests include cycling, gardening, and cooking. He lives on campus with his wife, Peggy, and their two children, Dean and Kate.

Mathematics Instructor
Girls Varsity Soccer Coach

taylor_wyatt@cate.org / 805-684-4127 x333

BA, CHC, University of Oregon
MA, University of California, San Diego
MEd, University of Oregon
Appointed: 2011

A native of San Diego, Taylor Wyatt joined Cate’s faculty after completing studies in Math, English, Composition Theory, and Education. Her time as a student was interspersed with teaching roles at the middle school, high school, and university levels, including summers working at Eastern boarding schools. She loves the educational community at Cate and cares deeply about creating a collaborative classroom where students experience the joy of accomplishment through problem solving. She was appointed the Sanderson Smith Teaching Chair in 2022, succeeding Gary Pierce. Taylor is also a committed dorm parent and advisor, and is deeply invested in coaching the girls soccer team. She lives on campus with her husband, Colin, and their daughters, Rowan and Ainsley.