'Wonder Years' star headlines NACDS Annual Hallmark Luncheon

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Danica McKellar, well known as Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years” and Elsie Snuffin on “The West Wing,” headlined the NACDS Annual Hallmark Luncheon here on Tuesday. In addition to photo opportunities with McKellar, Hallmark's lunch guests met the company's master artists.



"We hope you spent some time with our four artists from Hallmark who are here with us today, and you got a chance to ave your picture taken with Danica," David Hall, president Hallmark Cards, told attendees. "We look forward to this event at NACDS every year. It's a great opportunity for us to spend some time with all of you and it's a great chance for us to thank you for what you do for us."



"It's such a pleasure to be in this room and to have met so many of you retail giants," McKellar said. "While it could be intimidating, I actually feel I'm at home with you guys. I have a feeling that some of you also like math," she joked. "I want to take a moment to just say how grateful I am to be part of the Hallmark family and to have done five movies in two years on the Hallmark Channel."



McKellar recently wowed audiences as a quarterfinalist on the ABC juggernaut “Dancing with the Stars.” She is also a New York Times bestselling author of the books "Math Doesn’t Suck," "Kiss My Math," "Hot X: Algebra Exposed" and "Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape."



Tackling math education and simultaneously breaking the stereotype of the “math nerd,” McKellar was named “Person of the Week” by ABC World News. This honor came on the heels of her debut as author of her illuminating math book series. Using fun topics like popularity and jewelry-making – as well as stories from her own life - McKellar shows girls and their parents how to master the tough mathematical concepts introduced in middle school and high school, the time when young girls begin to shy away from math.



A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, McKellar earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics while also contributing original research. Her next series of math books, this time aimed at younger kids, will be published by Random House in spring of 2017.