Our Team
Cadhla brings over 20 years of experience in school-based and nonprofit roles, specializing in designing and testing innovative ideas that create meaningful experiences for both students and teachers. Her work is deeply rooted in a commitment to social change.
For the past five years, Cadhla has consulted with nonprofit organizations and school districts, focusing on leadership development, school design, adult learning, and change management. Prior to consulting, she served as the Executive Director of Academics for a charter network and the Managing Director of National Programs for Citizen Schools, where she led program design, curriculum development, and innovative initiatives for schools nationwide.
Cadhla began her career as a middle school teacher and later worked as an instructional coach in NYC high schools. She holds Master’s degrees in Curriculum & Instruction and English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. A lifelong city dweller, she has adjusted to life in South Orange, NJ where she has set up shop with her husband, two young children, and several four-legged friends.
Indi is a proud School Design Partner at Transcend, supporting schools in their journeys to center social-emotional learning (SEL) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) at the core of their practice. Prior to joining Transcend, Indi was a Program Manager at Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, coaching schools and youth-facing nonprofits in the implementation of strengths-based SEL programming.
He was a founding science teacher and Dean of Instruction at Rainier Prep in Seattle, supporting the school in developing science curricula, implementing restorative practices, and developing protocols for everything from peer mediation to innovative nonprofit partnerships. He also has experience with teacher coaching and high school science instruction at Teach For America and Sankofa Freedom Academy in Philadelphia.
Indi has a MS.Ed. in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Health Management from The Ohio State University.
Outside of work, Indi is the co-founder of Prosocial Supper Club, a monthly dinner series that raises money for local nonprofits in multiple cities around the country. Additionally, he serves on the boards of WordPlay Cincinnati, Design Impact, and Groundwork Ohio River Valley. In his spare time he loves likes hanging out with his wife Jess and daughter Lucy, snuggling his pets, and running through his beloved neighborhood of Madisonville.
Bio coming soon!
Nikhil joins Transcend from The Primary School, where he was the team lead for an in-house program design team. There, he led several R&D initiatives focused on holistic family support, including the design of a parent coaching program, a health partnership school with Kaiser Permanente, and an integrated early language, SEL, and parent wellness program for toddlers and their families. Before joining The Primary School, Nikhil led strategy projects for local governments in the public health, workforce, and early childhood education domains. Nikhil began his career as an investment banking analyst at Evercore.
Outside of work, Nikhil enjoys cooking for friends and family, surfing, and taking photos. He is a board member of City Surf Project, a nonprofit that connects students at public high schools in San Francisco to the ocean and themselves through surfing.
Stephanie began her work in the education field teaching pre-K and kindergarten in Houston, Texas. She joined Teach For America’s national design team specializing in early childhood in 2007 and spent over a decade creating and delivering innovative content-focused programming and support for early childhood teachers and their coaches across the country.
Stephanie brings over two decades of experience observing, evaluating, and working to improve classrooms across the country; coaching designers to create powerful learning experiences; and applying the theory and practice of adult learning and motivation principles. She is well-versed in the science of learning and development and eager to work towards the day when all teaching implements this knowledge base.
Stephanie holds a B.A. in International Relations and an M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology, both from the University of Southern California. Based in the Denver area, she enjoys reading, baking, crafting, and traveling with her husband and daughter.
Cynthia Robinson-Rivers is a partner at Transcend where she supports schools as they adopt the Whole Child Model that she developed while serving as head of school at Van Ness Elementary (DC Public Schools).
Before school leadership, Cynthia worked in DCPS central office on human capital initiatives related to teacher evaluation, recognition, and retention, developing the district’s teacher career ladder LIFT during that time. In the classroom, Cynthia taught early childhood and elementary students in public and charter schools in DC and California. She holds a B.A. in Communication and Art from Stanford University, M.A. in Education from George Washington University, and EML from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Jami joins Transcend as a Partner on the School Design Services team, supporting schools in their journeys to center SEL at the core of their practice.
Prior to joining the Transcend team, Jami worked in a number of instructional and cultural leadership positions with Uncommon Schools, Houston ISD and Clear Creek ISD. Jami began her career in Houston ISD as a science teacher. She then transitioned to Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, NY where she wore many hats over 10 years—science instructor, lead curriculum designer, instructional coach, and most recently, Dean of Students. This past year, Jami had the opportunity to jump back into teaching science virtually, hybrid, and in-person with Clear Creek ISD.
Over her 13 years in education, Jami has propelled teams to considerable leaps in staff culture, re-designing the student management system to allow for more student agency and reflection, a 42% decrease in school-wide suspensions, executing management and teaching practices that nurture the whole child, and has garnered consistent staff satisfaction. Jami was able to support other Deans of Students by codifying best practices and supporting their implementation in surrounding schools.
Jami graduated from Louisiana State University with a BA in Kinesiology with a minor in African and African American Studies. She holds her MS in Middle Childhood Education from Teacher U at Hunter College (currently Relay GSE).
Jami recently relocated to Houston, TX from Brooklyn with her husband Nigel and daughter Iris. She loves cooking meals for her family and friends, exploring Houston restaurants and museums, finding the BEST playgrounds, and dabbling in being a great steward of the outdoors.
Kyndal is a proud School Design Partner at Transcend, supporting schools in building transformative classrooms centered on adult and child wellness. Kyndal joins Transcend having worked in education for over a decade as a Teacher, Instructional Coach, Assistant Principal, Principal and Dean of Culture. Throughout her professional journey in education – beginning with Teach for America (Los Angeles) and most recently with The Primary School (East Palo Alto) – she maintains her commitment to emphasize holistic development, ensuring that both students and adults benefit from classrooms that prioritize well-being and growth. When humans feel safe and loved, they are able to grow, create, and learn.
Kyndal received her B.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California and her M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Loyola Marymount University.
When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Kenneth, and son, Kaden. She also enjoys dancing, finding new restaurants and strengthening her entrepreneurial skills as a co-owner of the private wine label, Mela Vino.
Nikki is the Project Director for the Whole Child Portfolio at Transcend, helping to build the internal systems and structures needed to operate at a high level all while maintaining a strong team culture.
She began her career in education during her undergraduate years, serving at an on-campus preschool. Nikki then transitioned to schools within the Great Oaks Charter School network where she ultimately served as the Director of Business Operations and Finance. Before joining Transcend, Nikki was the Chief of Staff at PowerMyLearning, an organization designed to strengthen the relationships between families, students, and teachers.
Nikki holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Economics from Loyola University New Orleans. Nikki also holds an MBA from the University of Delaware. She also completed the Business Analytics certificate program at Cornell University. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Nikki currently resides in the Greater Sacramento area and spends her time soaking in all the joys of being a mom and a wife.
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
Margaret is thrilled to be joining the Transcend team. Margaret supports schools in centering student well-being and fostering students’ social-emotional growth.
Prior to joining the Transcend team, Margaret was a teacher at Van Ness Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Margaret began her career as a teacher at KIPP DC. Over the course of her seven years as a classroom teacher, Margaret has taught kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, fifth grade, and physical education. Margaret is deeply passionate about empowering classroom teachers to build joyful learning environments in collaboration with their students.
Margaret has a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, and a Masters in School Counseling from George Washington University. Margaret resides in Washington, D.C. with her dog, Jef.
Rachel joins Transcend as a School Design Partner on the Whole Child Model Team, supporting Demonstration Site Schools as they continue their work to center student wellbeing. Prior to joining Transcend, Rachel served in D.C. Public Schools as a Teach for America Corps Member and teacher, Instructional Coach for Literacy and Intervention, and most recently as the Assistant Principal at Van Ness Elementary School. Rachel is passionate about joyful and identity affirming literacy instruction and creating classroom environments where students experience authentic connection to their learning and to each other.
Rachel received her B.A. in Anthropology and Women’s and Gender Studies from Amherst College and her M.Ed. from George Mason University.
Hanah is passionate about supporting educators across Washington DC in their journeys to center student and adult well-being at the core of their practice as they adopt the Whole Child Model. She has the honor of working with visionary school teams to reimagine, build, and spread learning environments that best prepare all children to thrive.
Prior to Transcend, she taught at Van Ness Elementary where social-emotional learning and diversity, equity and inclusion work stands at the core of her classroom. She successfully implemented high quality SEL during the pandemic while leading teachers in her professional learning community through the Whole Child Collaborative.
Her work has been featured on Edutopia, the TODAY show, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In her seventeen years in education, Hanah has elevated teacher practices as Assistant Principal and created culturally relevant literacy curriculum across the charter network. She believes in the transformative power of creating learning experiences that foster a sense of belonging across diverse perspectives as well as designing spaces where students feeling safe, loved & valued, and can be successful. She studied Child and Adolescent Development at San Jose State University and Educational Leadership at Santa Clara University.
Keptah joins Transcend as a Partner with a decade of experience in urban education. In her role, Keptah works directly with schools to innovate and improve the student experience.
Prior to her work at Transcend, Keptah led as an Assistant Principal at Ascend Learning in Brooklyn, New York. During her tenure, she served as a founding Humanities Dean supporting teachers in achieving high academic and social-emotional outcomes.
Keptah began her career as a Teach for America corps member in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After teaching and leading as a content specialist, Keptah returned to her home city of New York as a principal intern working with teams of talented teachers and leaders to create equitable outcomes for all kids.
Keptah holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from Saint Joseph’s University. Keptah is an avid reader and is a part of a nationally-recognized book club for women of color called Go On Girl! Keptah enjoys high-intensity interval training and promotes healthy lifestyles for all people. In 2018, Keptah launched Envision Sisterhood: a company that creates spaces of development, healing and sisterhood for Black Women.
Marissa is thrilled to join Transcend as a School Design Partner, where she will support schools in fostering growth in well-being and social-emotional learning (SEL) for students and adults
With nearly two decades of experience, Marissa has been committed to helping individuals be the best version of themselves, through fostering educational equity and building strong, inclusive classroom cultures. Her work has spanned both international and U.S. schools, where she has held roles as an instructional and culture coach, eLearning designer, LMS manager, and co-author of a PreK-12 SEL curriculum. Before joining Transcend, Marissa most recently worked as a designer of digital learning.
Marissa holds a B.A. in Communications and Advertising from Xavier University and a teaching certificate from UNC-Charlotte.
She currently lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband and kids, where she enjoys walking her two daughters to school. In her free time, Marissa can often be found coaching elementary school sports or planning her next travel adventure.
Throughout her career, Sarah has been dedicated to ensuring that more of America’s children have excellent and equitable public schooling experiences. Starting her work in education as a classroom teacher, she brings over 14 years of experience in teaching, school leadership, and school design and redesign.
Sarah joins the Transcend team as a School Design Partner. In this role, she has the honor of leading work to support school communities in designing transformational learning environments. She is especially passionate about schools centering both deep learning and deep overarching well-being.
Sarah is a very proud Spelman College graduate. She also holds a Doctorate of Education Leadership and a Master’s in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Sarah lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband Will. She enjoys spontaneous adventures, cooking, sports, traveling, and spending time outdoors.