Our Story
Every family and small business eventually hits an unexpected wall of paperwork. Whether it is an intricate household budget or a complex 30-page Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a child, the feeling is the same: overwhelmed and looking for direction.
Anchor Strategy & Navigation LLC was born out of a shared realization by two professionals from completely different worlds: a veteran institutional financial manager and a dedicated special education consultant and former administrator.
For over twenty years, our founding financial expert operated at the highest levels of regional organizational finance. Serving as a Chief Financial Officer and Senior Grants Accountant, she managed multi-million-dollar fund allocations and masterfully aligned operations with strict NYSED, OCFS, and OPWDD regulatory compliance laws. She understood exactly how massive fiscal and administrative systems worked, but she also saw how exhausting and intimidating those same strict structures could be for everyday families and small business owners trying to build a sustainable household budget.
Meanwhile, our founding educational expert was inside the New York State educational system, analyzing complex frameworks and working directly with students. As a NYS dual-certified special education teacher and former Dean of Students, he spent years organizing school operations, breaking down evaluations, and collaborating directly with NYS school districts and regional BOCES representatives. In his career, he looked at countless exhausted parents who simply wanted to understand their child's rights and state test scores, but felt completely buried by academic jargon.
Two Perspectives. One Anchor.
We realized we were fighting two sides of the same coin. The administrative, educational, and financial systems meant to support people in New York State had become so complex that they required a professional map just to navigate safely. We decided to combine corporate financial strategy and deep compliance knowledge with empathetic educational coaching to create a specialized administrative and educational consulting firm.
Today, Anchor Strategy & Navigation LLC serves as a steady guide for our community. We assist small businesses with clean bookkeeping workflows, teach families the concrete mechanics of household budgeting, and coach parents behind the scenes so they can confidently master NYSED regulations to advocate for their child's IEP and 504 needs.
We don't just hand you a checklist and wish you luck. We step up to the helm with you, chart the course, and give you the tools and knowledge to navigate state administrative waters with total confidence.
Who We Are & How We Work…
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We know that looking at a stack of unorganized documents, financial statements, or educational evaluations can make you feel completely stuck. That is why we do not use a one-size-fits-all checklist.
Our approach is built entirely on collaborative, educational, and administrative coaching that keeps you fully aligned with New York State regulations. We break our process down into three simple, manageable steps:
Listen & Assess: We sit down with you to organize your current paperwork, household files, or your child's educational documents. We listen to your concerns and help you clarify exactly where things stand.
Chart the Course: We untangle complex NYSED terminology, paperwork requirements, or academic test scores into plain language, helping you understand the regulations so you can confidently make your own informed decisions.
Navigate Together: We act as your behind-the-scenes strategy partner. We help you systematically organize your files for official submission, build clear household budget spreadsheets that track your goals, and coach you thoroughly before meetings so you know exactly what questions to ask and how to advocate effectively for your family.
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To be the steady anchor families and small businesses need when facing complex paperwork, budgets, and school systems. We clear away the confusion, untangle the jargon, and coach you behind the scenes so you can move forward with total confidence and peace of mind.
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Steadying the Waters: We meet you right where you are—especially when you are feeling overwhelmed—to bring immediate calm and organization to your paperwork.
Mapping a Clear Heading: We focus on the next practical, manageable step, turning complex systems into a simple route forward.
Anchored in Community: We treat your household budget, business books, or child’s learning plan with the personal care and deep respect of a true local partner.
Our Team
Jeni Rodriguez
Jeni brings over twenty years of hands-on experience in financial administration, grant management, and regulatory compliance to your corner. Having served as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Director of Financial Operations, and Senior Grants Accountant with various institutions. She has spent her career navigating complex institutional systems and supporting businesses of all sizes to grow in a multitude of ways. Whether it is a Mom-n-Pop doubling in size, or a million dollar company growing to a multi-million dollar company; she has done it all.
Her knowledge spans a wide array of NYS regulatory agencies. From OPWDD to OASAS, from the Justice Center to OCFS, from federal to state regulations; she has worked with them all. She takes this knowledge and combines it with a passion for helping others to support those in need. Her devotion to families and businesses of all sizes shows in her ability to take complicated and complex jargon, and turn it into digestible information for anyone to comprehend; no school of business degree required. She brings her knowledge and passion from the office and board room, to the living rooms and homes of those within the community that need support.
Founder & Principal Operations Strategist
Educational Navigation Consultant
Eric Ashby
Eric is a New York State Dual Certified Teacher in History and Special Education, as well as a certified Project Based Learning Instructor. He joins us with experience as a Special Education teacher in public schools, an 853 school setting, and a youth rehabilitation center. During his career he wrote and designed a course to be accredited by the New York State Board of Education titled “21st Century Skills”. As a Dean of Students he scheduled, organized, and led Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings. He also worked directly with representatives from NYS BOCES to train teachers and implement school improvement plans and initiatives.
Special Education has been a passion of his throughout his career. In the classroom, he supported his students in growing both academically and socially. He supported their parents and guardians in navigating the ever confusing world of Education. In the administrative office he supported teachers in finding new ways to reach and support their students. In the meeting room, he collaborated with district representatives and administration from various New York State school districts, the NYS Justice Center, OASAS, and other school districts from across the country. His passion continues beyond the classroom, beyond the administrative office, and beyond the meeting room to the lives of the families within the community that need support.
