Christina Dorando, MEd, is a lauded leader in early childhood education as well as business growth strategies. As the founder and longtime chief executive officer of Cresthill Holdings LLC, based in New Jersey, she manages strategy and operations, sets the overall vision and mission, and ensures that children from infants to elementary school-aged are engaged in activities that align with the organization’s goals. Dedicated to supporting both youth and adults, Ms. Dorando’s commitment to providing an excellent education already has created more than 100 jobs.
Moreover, Ms. Dorando is a founder and member of Cresthill Academy, promoted as “The Organic Daycare and Preschool in New Jersey” which has six locations. In recognition of her entrepreneurial spirit, Ms. Dorando has received key honors, including being awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by the New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce in 2022. Constantly innovating and looking to “do things better,” Ms. Dorando shared that Cresthill Academy was one of the first daycares in the metropolitan New Jersey area to offer freshly prepared organic snacks and meals. She added that they have great teacher retention for a locally owned, non-franchise daycare and are able to offer excellent benefits for their team members such as generous paid time off, discounted tuitions for their children, professional development, comprehensive child care coverage, a 401(k) program, and more.
Earlier in her multifaceted career, Ms. Dorando was vice president of sales and marketing at C&M Investment Group. Beforehand, her expertise in business growth strategies was honed during her tenure as an associate at Eduventures in Boston, Massachusetts following her initial experience as a development intern at the same organization. Ms. Dorando declares that she has “grown a lot” professionally and personally, as her business has taught her patience, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also developed latitude and understanding, seeing the silver lining in every terrible situation. Applying these lessons to her work every day, she believes that early education is the only way to build sustainable positive change for the future, expounding that individuals need to be educated and inspired from a young age so they can become intelligent and aware.
Prior to her career trajectory that would come to reflect her dedication to mentorship, leadership, and early education, Ms. Dorando’s impressive academic background includes earning a Master of Education in international education policy in 2007 from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science in policy and management and international relations in 2006 from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Dorando is proud of and grateful for her educational achievements, as they have been instrumental in her success and provided a strong foundation for what would become her vital work in education policy and management. Along with her degrees, Ms. Dorando holds credentials that enhance her ability to provide quality care and education. She is infant/toddler environment rating scale, or ITERS, certified and obtained certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known as CPR, and in first aid for infants, toddlers, and adults.
Ms. Dorando possesses a passion for making the world better through hard work, and her desire to give back to society has been a driving force behind her accomplishments professionally and in the community. Active in civic organizations, she serves as a volunteer with the Undergraduate Alumni Group and is a member of ACE NextGen. Additionally, Ms. Dorando was a trustee and board member with Preschool Advantage and a volunteer with the Liberty Human Society.
Away from working and serving others, Ms. Dorando cherishes time with her family, who include her spouse John and their three children. Ms. Dorando also finds joy in cooking and baking. Pondering the future, she plans to continue growing Cresthill Holdings LLC and Cresthill Academy while striving to be the best at providing education through innovation.