Crescent Leadership, LLC

06/03/2026

Seven months ago, we started a conversation about leadership. Over the past seven months, we've had the privilege of working alongside the incredible Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council leaders committed to doing the hard work that meaningful growth requires.

Together, we examined the conditions that shape organizational culture. We explored what it means to build trust when trust has been strained. We leaned into healthy ideological conflict and learned that courageous communication improves decisions and outcomes. We challenged assumptions, confronted difficult realities, and committed to showing up differently for one another.

This unique, immersive journey included:
• Leadership Team Assessments
• Individual Fascinate®, LFL, and EI assessments
• Shared Leadership and Team Dynamics coaching sessions focused on Trust, Healthy Ideological Conflict, and Multidirectional Accountability
• Courageous communication and feedback skill-building
• Leader-First® Leadership development centered on Curiosity, Emotional Intelligence, Courage, Integrity, Authenticity, Empathy, Inclusivity, Gratitude, and Resilience
• Individual Leader coaching conversations focused on personal growth, leadership effectiveness, and organizational impact

Most importantly, this team embraced the idea that high-performing teams are not built through hierarchy with command and control. They are built through shared leadership, mutual accountability, vulnerability, trust, and a willingness to have the conversations that changes the organization's trajectory.

As we often remind teams, culture is not something you have. Culture is something you intentionally craft every day through communication, decisions, actions, and the things you choose to tolerate or reinforce.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey. We cannot wait to see where your next summit takes you.

05/22/2026

We're excited to officially welcome Jolaine Elien to Crescent Leadership as one of our newest CFO/COO Anchors and CL Collaborators.

Jolaine is the founder of Blueprint 4 Good, a strategic finance and operations consulting practice focused on helping organizations strengthen financial infrastructure, align resources to strategy, and build the operational systems required for sustainable growth. With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, she brings deep expertise across finance, operations, governance, strategic planning, infrastructure transformation, and enterprise-wide operational alignment.

Jolaine’s ability to operate at the intersection of financial stewardship, strategic ex*****on, and humanity-centered leadership uniquely aligns her with Leader-First® Leadership philosophy. Throughout her career, she has served as a trusted partner to CEOs and Boards while leading cross-functional work spanning finance, HR, IT, compliance, facilities, and organizational operations. That breadth of experience makes her exceptionally well-positioned to support organizations navigating complexity, growth, transition, and change.

As a Crescent Leadership Anchor, Jolaine will support organizations in interim CFO and COO capacities, helping stabilize operations, strengthen financial clarity, guide strategic decision-making, and reinforce the infrastructure necessary for enduring organizational health.

She also brings a strong commitment to community-centered impact and civic leadership, and was recently recognized as a 2026 Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 award recipient.

At Crescent Leadership, we are intentionally building a network of experienced leaders who can step into organizations during high-stakes moments and help them move forward with clarity, steadiness, and integrity. I’m incredibly excited to have Jolaine join that work.

Please join us in welcoming Jolaine to the Crescent Leadership community!

05/13/2026

Leadership transitions are organizational stress tests.

Too often, organizations treat transition as a hiring challenge when it is actually a stabilization challenge. The wrong leadership fit at the wrong organizational moment can quietly undo years of progress—or prolong dysfunction already hiding beneath the surface.

That reality is one of the reasons we created The Anchor Program at Crescent Leadership.

Today, we are formally introducing Anchor and sharing a new Leader-First® Insights article exploring what organizations often miss during executive transition, why leadership alignment matters more than ever, and how organizations can navigate change with greater stability, clarity, and intention.

I often think back to that employee who asked me, “Are you here to fire us?” What I remember most was not the fear in the room. It was the exhaustion—the emotional fatigue that emerges when people have spent too long operating inside instability without language, systems, or leadership support...

05/11/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Winston Faircloth to Crescent Leadership as an Anchor and Collaborator.

Winston is the founder of For Love of Team®, a leadership consulting practice grounded in the belief that enduring organizations are built through trust, shared purpose, and courageous leadership. With more than forty years of executive experience, Winston serves as a trusted strategic advisor and seasoned interim executive in CEO, COO, and CIO capacities, helping nonprofit and mission-driven organizations navigate transition, strengthen operations, and prepare for the future.

As founding CEO of UPIC Solutions, Winston built one of the nation’s largest technology social enterprises, serving United Way communities across the country. Earlier in his career, he led multiple United Way organizations as CEO, guiding transformational growth in fundraising, community impact, and organizational capacity.

Winston believes leadership is never a solo act. He brings that conviction — along with decades of hard-won experience, calm presence, and deep care for people — to every team he serves.

As part of Crescent Leadership’s Anchor Program, Winston will support organizations through leadership transitions, operational challenges, strategic evolution, and periods of organizational transformation. His unique combination of executive leadership, systems thinking, technology expertise, and humanity-centered leadership makes him an extraordinary addition to our team.

A poet, spiritual director, father, and grandfather, Winston lives in Tampa, Florida.

Please join us in welcoming Winston to the Crescent Leadership community.

04/25/2026

Thank you to Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont for inviting me to join your Annual Meeting and deliver the keynote.
As a Girl Scout alum, lifetime member, and former staff member and troop leader, it’s always special to come back and connect with leaders who are doing this important work every day.

Grateful for the chance to talk about creating brave spaces where girls—and leaders—not just belong, but grow in confidence and courage.

04/10/2026

We are honored to welcome Dr. Russel Statham as a Crescent Leadership Collaborator and Anchor.

Russel currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Central California South, where he leads a dedicated team serving nearly 9,000 girls across five counties. His work is grounded in a deep belief in the transformative power of leadership—especially the impact of developing girls and women to lead with confidence and purpose. That belief has been shaped by his own experience as a beneficiary of mentorship and now fuels his commitment to paying it forward.

An accomplished finance and operations executive, Russel brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. He has served as Chief Financial Officer for multiple organizations managing more than $50M in revenue, with deep expertise spanning finance, human resources, risk management, governance, and technology-enabled operations. His ability to integrate these disciplines allows him to bring clarity, structure, and forward momentum to organizations navigating complexity.

Russel is also a trusted partner to boards and executive teams. He has worked extensively with finance, audit, investment, and governance committees and is known for his thoughtful, transparent approach to decision-making. His leadership style blends operational rigor with a genuine commitment to developing people and strengthening the systems that support them.

He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, an MBA, and is a graduate of Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management. As a Certified Lean Facilitator, he brings a disciplined approach to process improvement and organizational effectiveness.

As a Crescent Leadership Collaborator and Anchor, Russel will support organizations through leadership transitions, operational inflection points, and periods requiring strong financial and governance alignment. He brings a steady, strategic presence and a deep commitment to building systems that enable organizations—and their people—to thrive.

The is Crescent Leadership’s executive interim placement offering, designed to support organizations during critical leadership transitions. Our Anchors are experienced CEOs and C-suite leaders who step in to provide stability, strategic leadership, and cultural alignment while organizations conduct a thoughtful search for their next permanent leader.

Please join us in welcoming Russel to the Crescent Leadership community.

03/10/2026

Today, Fascinate® Certified Advisor Jes DeShields led an energizing team coaching session with several of our dedicated clients. These organizations send their new team members to us quarterly to bring them up to speed on organization-wide work that we've implemented together on , , , and effective .

We love getting the chance to meet these brilliant, talented individuals preparing to bring their highest, distinct value to their organizations!



Ferrone Law Group, Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont, Clark Condon, Girl Scouts of Central Texas How to Fascinate with Sally Hogshead

03/05/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Zandra Washington as a Crescent Leadership Collaborator and Anchor.

Zandra brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. Throughout her career, she has helped leaders and boards navigate complex organizational challenges, strengthen governance partnerships, and build operational systems that support long-term mission impact.

Zandra is widely respected for her steady leadership presence, strategic insight, and ability to guide organizations through periods of change with clarity and confidence. She has a remarkable ability to listen deeply, identify patterns within complex systems, and bring people together around shared purpose and practical solutions.

Those who have worked with Zandra know her as a thoughtful advisor, a trusted partner to CEOs and boards, and a leader who brings both discipline and humanity to the work of organizational leadership.

As a Crescent Leadership Collaborator and Anchor, Zandra will support organizations navigating leadership transitions, cultural shifts, and moments of strategic inflection. Her depth of experience and calm, structured approach make her particularly well suited to help organizations stabilize operations, rebuild trust, and prepare for their next chapter of leadership.

The Anchor Program is Crescent Leadership’s executive interim placement program designed to support organizations during critical leadership transitions. Our Anchors are experienced CEOs and C-suite leaders who step in to provide stability, strategic leadership, and cultural alignment while organizations conduct a thoughtful search for their next permanent leader.

Please join us in welcoming Zandra to the Crescent Leadership community.

03/03/2026

We’re excited to welcome Haley Fair to Crescent Leadership!

Haley joins us with a strong blend of operational leadership, analytical rigor, and collaborative energy. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from High Point University, with a minor in Psychology, bringing both scientific precision and people-centered insight to her work.

Her experience in fast-paced leadership roles—including Service Management in Atlanta’s hospitality industry—has strengthened her skills in project management, financial analysis, communication, and conflict resolution. Earlier in her career, Haley also served as a Research Assistant at High Point University, where she analyzed scientific literature, collected and evaluated data, and contributed to conference presentations and manuscript publications.

Haley’s adaptability, organization, and problem-solving strengths make her a wonderful addition as Crescent Leadership’s work continues to grow and evolve.

Please join us in welcoming Haley to the Crescent Leadership team.

02/27/2026

Since our inception, many of you have experienced our beloved Fun Box — a small but powerful cornerstone of the Crescent Leadership experience.

While it was fun, it was never really about fun. Our goal was always to keep you sharp and deepen your Curiosity while doing hard work as teams and deep introspection as Leaders.

So today, we’re thrilled to officially introduce the signature Crescent Leadership Curiosity Box.

Why ?

Brain science shows that Curiosity activates the brain’s reward system and increases learning and retention. When we’re curious, we’re more open. More creative. Less defensive. More willing to see possibility.

In our work, leader behaviors fuel healthy culture creation — and Curiosity is often the first behavior that unlocks growth.

The box is still engaging. Still tactile. Still delightfully Crescent Leadership.

But now it carries deeper intention.

The signature Crescent Leadership Curiosity Box — coming to a team engagement near you.