Meet Heather Robinson | Chief Education Officer at Cross & Dot LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Robinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Cross & Dot, LLC was created because I needed a business like this when I was a school leader.

My experience as an Executive Director was ultimately great, but I know that it could have been smoother and a lot less frustrating if I had a business like Cross & Dot to support me and my school district.

The thought process was to figure out how to design a business that meets the needs of our clients in real time. The business needed to be solution focused which also meant that the focus of the business would be ever-changing because the needs of educational leaders changes almost every moment. We landed on a service model that is innovative, strategic, and perfect for the client (emphasis on for the client!).

Our business has evolved so much over the past 5 years and no project is like any other. Ultimately, we meet our mission every day as we are able to work directly with school leaders, hear their needs, and design a solution that works for them in the moment and is sustainable over time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cross & Dot is an educational consulting firm. Our firm provides leadership, academic, operational, and financial support services to schools and districts throughout the United States and beyond. Some of our current clients are partnering with Cross & Dot to provide Executive Coaching, Executive Search, State Reporting Management, E-Rate Services, CFO Services, Hearing Officer & Tribunal Representation, and Educational Program Audits.

We are our clients’ extra set of hands – and this is what makes working with Cross & Dot a special experience. Our goal is to serve and leave your district or school better than we found it. In the life cycle of any school, employees leave, systems fail, and change happens. Our team is prepared to close the gaps and support districts and schools from the inside out so they can focus on what’s most important – providing a high quality education for students.

I learned my craft as an “edupreneur” through nothing but experience. I’ve been a teacher, curriculum director, assistant principal, and Executive Director of a charter school district so I’ve seen education at every professional level – and I learned A LOT about the art and science of teaching and leadership. My learning curve as a business owner has been quick and steep – and sometimes rapid fire! It hasn’t been easy, but it’s always been interesting and rewarding.

Over the past 5 years, I’ve learned a lot of things about business, about the ever changing landscape of education, and about people and the dynamics of working towards a common goal as a provider rather than as THE leader. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a business owner is to value my expertise and also the value in saying no. Every client is not our client, and that’s OK. Saying yes to opportunities that are not in alignment with our vision and mission don’t work – and I’ve learned this the hard way. Early on, I read a book called the Pumpkin Plan by Michael Michaelowitz. He talks about growing prize pumpkins and how every pumpkin won’t be your prize pumpkin. Putting the theory into practice, I have learned that as a business owner, you have to focus your energy on growing and developing the prize pumpkins that respond to your watering.

Our brand is grounded in integrity and performance. Every client gets our best and we stand strong on our standard of excellence. Our goal is to enable the leaders and teachers in every district or school we serve to have the capacity to provide the high quality learning experience that every child deserves.

We are excited about the view of the educational landscape as innovations like artificial intelligence continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and access. We are learning how to integrate these innovations into our business and leverage them within districts and schools to better serve students. It’s an exciting time to be in the business of education!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our first day or two we’d explore some of the lovely parks in Atlanta. First, we would start the day at one of Atlanta’s great coffee shops (not Starbucks) and get a great coffee or tea. From there, we would visit Piedmont Park and see what’s happening there for that moment. Then we’d head on over to the Botanical Gardens.

At some point, we’d find a cool exhibit at the High Museum to check out and maybe walk around downtown and see all the interesting things, and of course, try to do a little shopping at Atlantic Station.

And of course, we’d catch a show at the Fox Theatre during the week and attend a sporting event like a Hawks, United, Falcons, or Braves game.

We’d eat at so many good spaces. I would make sure that we check out allll of Atlanta’s fantastic food halls – especially both locations of Politan Row and Chattahoochee Food Works. We must do dinner at the Optimist. It’s just plain good.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my sons – Jhared and Jordan. The two of you will never truly understand how much you motivate, inspire, and replenish my spirit.

My greatest joy is being your mother and I am so grateful that you have both always made room for my passion.

You have helped me to know that it’s all worth it. I know that my work matters when I hear you talk about entrepreneurship in your future. I’m so proud of the young men you are and who you will become. My journey has allowed me to take you places I couldn’t even dream of…and we’ve got lots more to do!

Thank you for encouraging me to be everything I can be so that you can be everything you want to be.

Website: https://www.crossanddotllc.com

Instagram: crossanddotllc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-robinson-crossdot

Facebook: Cross & Dot, LLC