Who We Are

We Create Powerful Learning Experiences

Crescendo Education Group is a team of consultants – current and former teachers and school/district administrators – who believe that the most powerful way to improve student achievement, particularly for historically  underserved populations, is to create powerful learning experiences for educators to grade more equitably, transforming schools and classrooms.

Joe Feldman

CEO, Author

Melanye Thompson

Chief Operations Officer

Dr. Shantha Smith

Director of Facilitation

Courtney Fenner

Facilitator

Nikole Joshi

Facilitator

Cristina Flores-Girnus

Director of Marketing

Chelsea Gaarder

Executive Assistant & Sales Support

Christopher Love

Manager of Coaching

Stefania Almeziab

Lead Remote Coach

Grading for Equity Coaches

Teacher with college students giving a lesson in a classroom.
We have a team of current and former teachers nationwide that support our team as Grading for Equity Remote Coaches. They provide expertise, encouragement, and coaching as teachers research and apply improved grading practices in their classrooms. Our team of coaches have all experienced the benefits of equitable grading with their students and are excited to champion other teachers in this work!

Join Our Team

We’d love to know more about you and your interest in working with us! Open roles will be posted on our job board. If you don’t see any open positions, please email your resume and any other information to hiring@crescendoedgroup.org.  If something opens up that looks like a good fit, we’ll let you know.

Why Grading Matters to Us

What We Believe

Stefania Almeziab profile picture.

Stefania Almeziab

Lead Remote Coach, Online Course Management

Stefania came to Crescendo last year as a contracted coach. She has an MEd and 5 years of experience as a certified secondary ELA teacher. Read More

Christopher Love profile picture.

Christopher Love

Manager of Coaching

Chris Love supports our online and remote coaches in their work improving teachers’ equitable grading practices. Chris moved from the Science laboratories to the classroom to encourage and support students from his local community, and is a “people-first” educator,  Read More

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Jen Brown, MBA

Operations, Marketing

Jen Brown, MBA works in Operations and Marketing at Crescendo Education Group. She has expertise in supporting high-level teams and getting things done efficiently yet thoughtfully. Jen has over ten years of experience in business administration, operations, and marketing in various non-profits, charter schools, and international schools. Read More

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Nikole Joshi

Facilitator

Nikole Joshi holds a B.A. from Radford University in Middle School Education as well as an MAEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Virginia Tech, and she recently obtained her MEd in Education Leadership and Administration from George Mason University. Read More

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Courtney Fenner

Facilitator

Courtney Fenner is a career educator with 19 years of experience across a breadth of schools where her roles have included classroom teacher, grade team leader, and Director of Equity & Inclusion. She holds an MA in English Education from Brooklyn College, an MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a BA in Studies in Women & Gender from the University of Virginia. Read More

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Dr. Shantha Smith

Director of Facilitation

Dr. Shantha Smith leads equitable grading workshops, provides coaching to leaders and teachers, develops curriculum, and supports talent development of our team. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She attended Virginia State University, where she received her BA in Special Education.  Read More

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Melanye Thompson

COO

Melanye has worked in the education industry for over 15 years with a focus on consulting, coaching, and training services to support student success. Throughout her career, Melanye has partnered with students, educators, and administrators to improve educational outcomes for learners. Read More

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Joe Feldman

CEO, Author

Joe has worked in education for over 20 years as a teacher, principal, and district administrator, and is the founder and CEO of Crescendo Education Group (crescendoedgroup.org), which since 2013 has supported K-12 schools, districts, Read More