We noticed a problem, and fixed it.
After observing and interacting with countless families informally or through parent-teacher conferences, Greg Cazzola noticed an overwhelmingly common set of circumstances. He saw that parents placed an extremely high priority on their child’s education. He saw that parents had a tremendous amount of energy and motivation, and in many cases were willing to do whatever they could to help their child be successful in school. But unfortunately, he saw that parents often didn’t know how to help.
Often, he would watch this motivation and energy turn to frustration, and sometimes even acceptance, seeing parents turning to private tutors or tutoring companies, and spending tremendous amounts of money in the process. He actually became a tutor himself, but he saw holes in the model, and thought "What do families do that can’t afford tutoring?" and "What do these families do when they get home and the tutor isn’t there?"
We kept asking questions.
Could you imagine the type of educational resource a parent could be for their child if we paired their love and motivation, with a real knowledge of what students are learning?
What if a parent could see the concepts their child is being taught?
We had a unique vision.
Parents want to help their kids in school, but they don’t always know how. So let’s teach them! Let’s equip parents with the support and guidance needed to be more proactive and meaningful educational resources for their children. Let’s remove the ambiguity parents experience when it comes to what their child is learning. Let’s literally show parents what their child is learning in school, the way they’re learning it. This way, students and parents could speak a common language, and work more effectively together. Parents have such energy and passion when it comes to the education of their child. It’s time we harness this, and direct it toward enhancing student learning, and ultimately achievement. We want to give parents the knowledge and confidence to look to themselves when their child needs help with school work. Outside resources are great, but nobody has a greater influence on a child than a parent.
We formed a team.
Greg Cazzola
Co-Founder & President
As an elementary teacher for nearly a decade, Greg discovered the unmet needs of parents leading the direction of his vision for Cohesion Education. With his classroom experience, he will lead the development of the platform’s content and continue to refine the overall user experience.
Dr. Jim Szewc
Co-Founder & CEO
With more than a decade of experience in classroom, public education and earning advanced degrees in educational leadership as well as small business and startup experience dating back to the late 90’s, Jim is responsible for leading the team through the development and growth of Cohesion Education’s business model as we establish ourselves in the online educational support market.
Jamie Andrieu
Sales & Marketing Director
Jamie has worked as an elementary educator and instructional mentor to new teachers for the last 12 years. She is also the Vice President/Community Involvement Coordinator of a local non-profit charity that focuses on giving back to the youth in the community. She is responsible for managing social media, creating content and marketing Cohesion Education and will supervise, plan and implement sales and marketing programs within the business as we grow.
Sherri Smith-Dodgson
Business Development Consultant
From the classroom to the board room, Sherri Smith-Dodgson has spent decades focused on education. Starting as an elementary teacher then shifting gears to working with museums and other non-profits, Sherri has built programs and relationships to promote quality STEM opportunities. Focused on a need for inclusivity and an increased female presence in STEM, Sherri founded Miss Science® , which has since received accolades from organizations including Henkel, Follett, The Arizona Technology Council and various media outlets. Today Sherri works with companies to bring innovative solutions to K-12 education.
