WHO WE ARE
Third Coast is a curriculum strategy and leadership consulting firm built by practitioners who understand the real work of designing and sustaining meaningful curriculum change. We blend deep instructional expertise with systems‑level thinking to help leaders create high-quality, future‑ready learning experiences that honor community voice and elevate student opportunity.
Our vision and values are the compass for how we partner with districts — a clear, practical guide to the kind of curriculum change we believe in and the way we show up in every project.
Lindsay McCrea is the Founder and Managing Consultant of Third Coast Education Partners, bringing over a decade of experience as a teacher, curriculum developer, and district leader in the Washington, D.C. area. Since 2013, she’s led ambitious, system-wide curriculum initiatives—including the development of DC Public Schools’ interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning curriculum—and contributed to statewide standards frameworks.
She believes curriculum is one of the most powerful levers for equity and student engagement—when thoughtfully designed and strategically implemented, it can unlock curiosity, deepen understanding, and drive meaningful change in schools. Her work bridges policy, pedagogy, professional learning, and implementation, always with an eye toward sustainable impact. Lindsay holds a Master’s in Educational Transformation from Georgetown University, where she specialized in Advocacy and Policy.
Matt McCrea, Partner, is a nationally-recognized school and district leader with over a decade of experience leading high-performing schools in the DC region. For the last six years, Matt served as the Executive Director of Meridian Public Charter School, a two school charter school network located in Washington, DC. Under his leadership, Meridian grew student proficiency more than three times faster than the city, secured over $8 million in competitive grant funding, and maintained a teacher retention rate more than 15% higher than the city as a whole.
Prior to Meridian, Matt was a principal, instructional coach, district-level data analyst, and middle school math teacher. Matt is also an alum of Teach for America, New Leaders, and the Cambiar Catalyst fellowship. Matt earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and public policy from the University of Chicago, a master of arts in teaching at American University, and is ABD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Matt is accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
