after gaining her master's degree, håkansson taught for several years at huntington park high school in los angeles unified school district and was involved in several projects to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. she served as a head track and field coach and official specializing in pole vault and had the opportunity of working at the 1984 olympics at los angeles. in 1984, she joined center x in the ucla graduate school of education and information studies and served as the site director of the ucla mathematics project. she took on the position as the statewide executive director for the california mathematics project in 1999.