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Meet Our Team

Meet the passionate and experienced professionals who form the backbone of Marigold Academy, dedicated to delivering excellence and supporting your success as a franchisee.

A Legacy of Leadership:

Building Marigold on Proven Success

Drawing on years of experience as a multi-unit franchisee with an internationally renowned brand, Marigold Academy was founded with a deep understanding of what it takes to support franchisees in creating thriving, purpose-driven businesses.

Jay Shah

Founder & CEO

Jay Shah is the visionary Founder and CEO of Marigold Academy, where he oversees two thriving corporate locations and spearheads the expansion of a premier childcare franchise.

Meet Jay

Kruti Shah

Founder & President

Kruti Shah is the Founder and President of Marigold Academy. She brings her franchise experience and passion for early education to support children’s well-being and community growth.

Meet Kruti

Leadership Team

Millie Maldonado

Director of Training

Meet Millie

Dolly Gorospe

Director of Education

Meet Dolly
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Emily Navas

Training Manager

Meet Emily

Rachel Crowley

Director of Franchise Operations

Meet Rachel

Shannon DeTulio

Director of Field Operations

Meet Shannon

Steven Ngo

VP of Development

Meet Steven

Brittany Satterfield

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

Mia Fullen

Sr. Marketing Strategist

Sophia Scherz

Digital Marketing Specialist

Thomas Reza

Paid Media Specialist

Create a Legacy You’ll Be Proud Of

Imagine owning a business that not only thrives but also makes a real difference in your community. With a Marigold Academy franchise, you’ll inspire young leaders while fulfilling your professional and personal ambitions. Let’s work together to build something meaningful.

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Jay Shah

Founder & CEO

Jay Shah, Founder and CEO of Marigold Academy, leads a rapidly growing early childhood education brand known for its commitment to excellence.

Under his leadership, Marigold Academy operates two highly successful corporate locations, setting the foundation for expanding this premium childcare concept across communities.

Jay’s journey embodies the American dream. After immigrating to the United States in 1995, he built an impressive career through determination and dedication to continuous learning. Armed with an Electrical & Computer Engineering degree from Wayne State University and an MBA from Michigan State University, Jay spent 15 years in corporate America, holding diverse positions in engineering, supply chain, operations, and finance.

His entrepreneurial spirit led him to franchise ownership, where he successfully owned and operated four Dunkin’ Donuts locations. This experience provided invaluable insights into franchise operations and management. In 2019, Jay transitioned into early childhood education, bringing a unique blend of corporate expertise, franchise experience, and business acumen to the industry.

Drawing from his diverse background, Jay has developed innovative approaches to childcare management and delivery, driven by a deep commitment to making high-quality early education accessible to all communities. His vision extends beyond business success – he believes in empowering professionals to create lasting legacies through entrepreneurship in early education. Through Marigold Academy, Jay partners with motivated individuals who share his commitment to community impact, leveraging his comprehensive understanding of both corporate operations and franchise ownership to guide others in their journey to childcare center ownership.

Kruti Shah

Founder & President

Kruti Shah, Co-Founder and President of Marigold Academy, brings a unique blend of creative vision and passion for early childhood education to her role. Her journey began with humble roots, where she gained invaluable business experience helping with her family’s franchise operations from an early age. 

Since entering the early childhood education industry in 2019, Kruti has been instrumental in developing Marigold Academy’s distinctive approach to childcare. Her architectural background influences the thoughtful design of learning spaces that enhance children’s development and engagement. While overseeing Marigold Academy’s corporate locations, she remains actively involved in her community, regularly volunteering at her daughters’ elementary school. Her hands-on experience as both an educator and a parent brings an invaluable perspective to Marigold Academy’s mission of providing exceptional early childhood education.

Kruti’s passion for children’s well-being and education drives her commitment to creating environments where young minds can thrive. Her leadership helps ensure that every Marigold Academy location embodies the perfect blend of educational excellence and nurturing care that families trust and children deserve.

Millie Maldonado

Director of Training

Millie Maldonao, Director of Training at Marigold Academy, brings 25 years of distinguished experience in education to her role. Her remarkable journey began in preschool classrooms, where she discovered her calling in early childhood education.

Throughout her career, she has excelled in various educational settings, from elementary and middle school to helping establish and oversee a new high school program.

Her comprehensive understanding of the entire educational journey gives her unique insights into preparing children for future academic success. While her roles have evolved over the years, Millie’s fundamental passion for nurturing young minds has remained unwavering. In returning to her first love – early childhood education – she brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience to Marigold Academy.

As Director of Training, Millie spearheads Marigold Academy’s commitment to excellence by developing and mentoring Marigold teams and franchise partners. Her comprehensive training programs focus on two critical areas: delivering exceptional educational experiences for children and providing outstanding customer service to families. Drawing from her extensive background in education, she ensures that every Marigold Academy location maintains the highest standards of early childhood education while creating a welcoming, professional environment for parents. Under her guidance, our programs consistently exceed expectations, fostering children’s development beyond kindergarten readiness to build a foundation for lifelong learning success.

Dolly Gorospe

Director of Education

Dolly Gorospe, Director of Education at Marigold Academy, brings an impressive blend of academic credentials and
hands-on experience to her role.

Her diverse educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in social work, certification as a nursing assistant, and an associate degree in child development. This unique combination of qualifications reflects her holistic approach to early childhood education.

Beginning her career in government service in the Philippines, Dolly transitioned to the United States where she found her true calling in early childhood education. Her remarkable 25-year journey at Marigold Academy began as a preschool teacher, where her natural talent for nurturing young minds quickly became evident. Through dedication and leadership, she advanced to supervisory roles before assuming her current position as Director of Education.

As a key architect of Marigold Academy’s curriculum, Dolly has been instrumental in developing innovative educational programs that engage and inspire young learners. Her approach combines academic rigor with emotional intelligence, creating an environment where children feel both challenged and supported. Known for her cheerful demeanor and warm personality, Dolly fosters a joyful learning atmosphere that encourages children’s natural curiosity and creativity.

Her commitment to excellence, coupled with her genuine passion for early childhood development, has been fundamental in establishing Marigold Academy’s reputation for exceptional educational quality. Under her guidance, countless children have built strong foundations for their academic journeys while developing a lifelong love of learning.

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Emily Navas

Training Manager

Emily Navas, Training Manager at Marigold Academy, brings over 15 years of dynamic preschool teaching experience spanning both New Jersey and Florida. Her genuine passion for early childhood education is evident in her innovative approach to teaching and staff development.

Holding a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, Emily remains at the forefront of early childhood education through continuous professional development and research into emerging teaching methodologies. Her educational philosophy extends beyond traditional academics, focusing on creating comprehensive learning environments that nurture both cognitive development and essential life skills.

As Training Manager, Emily applies her extensive classroom experience to mentor and develop teaching staff and franchise partners at Marigold Academy. She excels at identifying each teacher’s unique strengths and helping them reach their full potential. Her enthusiasm for childhood development is contagious, inspiring both teachers and students to embrace the joy of learning.

Emily’s dedication to excellence in early childhood education has been instrumental in maintaining Marigold Academy’s high standards of teaching quality and student engagement. Her leadership ensures that our classrooms remain vibrant spaces where children discover, grow, and thrive under the guidance of well-trained, passionate educators.

Rachel Crowley

Director of Franchise Operations

Known for bringing order to complexity, Rachel Crowley leads franchise operations at Marigold Academy, ensuring each new center opens prepared, compliant, and positioned for long-term success. She also supports corporate operations, bringing structure and clarity across the organization.

With 15 years of leadership experience, Rachel is recognized for building systems from the ground up, leading high-performing teams, and ensuring excellence in the highly regulated childcare sector. She has developed operational and enrollment playbooks, streamlined processes, and created infrastructure that supports sustainable growth.

Her strategic and results-driven leadership emphasizes accountability and vision execution, empowering teams and franchisees to stay focused and deliver outstanding experiences for children and families.

Shannon DeTulio

Director of Field Operations

With a Passion for cultivating excellence in early childhood education, Shannon DeTulio serves as the Director of Field Operations for Marigold Academy, Overseeing Marigold Schools and leading the way in training our Franchisee locations to ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality educational and operational standards.

Bringing more than 15 years of educational and leadership experience, Shannon is dedicated to supporting owners, directors, teachers and support staff in achieving program integrity and operational success. Her role bridges the gap between corporate strategy and franchisee implementation – ensuring every center thrives as a safe, nurturing and academically enriching environment for children and families.

Under Shannon’s guidance, her past schools have shown measurable growth in program quality, enrollment, and staff retention, all while maintaining her core mission – to inspire a lifelong love of learning.

Steven Ngo

VP of Development

With more than 25 years of experience in construction, real estate, and project leadership, Steven Ngo helps guide Marigold Academy’s development and growth initiatives, bringing a strategic and disciplined approach to planning, capital improvements, and organizational advancement.

Steven works closely with school leadership to align facilities, infrastructure, and development projects with Marigold’s long-term vision. His responsibilities include evaluating opportunities, coordinating stakeholders, managing project execution, and helping ensure that investments support the needs of students, faculty, and the broader school community.

Prior to joining Marigold Academy, Steven held leadership roles with Siemens Real Estate, CBRE, and Tishman Speyer, where he managed complex portfolios and led large-scale development, renovation, and workplace initiatives across the country. His experience spans the full project lifecycle, from strategic planning and feasibility through design, construction, and occupancy.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and ability to navigate complex challenges, Steven is passionate about creating environments that foster growth, support organizational goals, and deliver lasting value.