A program of Big Apple Coaching LLC
Fall 2026
The Grove is running a limited fall term — two classes rather than a full catalog.
Tuesdays, September 8 – December 22, 2026
1350 6th Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10019
Two classes this fall
How America Works
A Civic Education Course
Learn how government works, and how you can be a part of it.
1:00pm – 2:30pm
$70 per session
The Design Studio
Visual Design & Canva
Make things that look great: cards, flyers, photos, and more.
10:00am – 12:00pm
$95 per session
When we meet
September
4 sessions
- September 8
- September 15
- September 22
- September 29
October
3 sessions
- October 6
- October 13
- October 27
- October 20— no class
November
4 sessions
- November 3
- November 10
- November 17
- November 24
December
4 sessions
- December 1
- December 8
- December 15
- December 22
15 sessions in all. Both classes meet every session date.
How enrollment works
Registration is by the month, not by the term. Sign up for September, or for November, or for all four — whatever fits. You’re welcome to start later than September; each month is priced by the number of sessions it holds.
Both classes are small groups, so there’s room to ask questions and to work at your own pace. No prerequisites, no prior coursework, and nothing to prepare before the first session.
Prices and register buttons are on each class page. Questions first? Write to hello@thegrovenyc.org.
Your instructor
Both classes are taught by Joseph Amodeo.
Founder and lead instructor at The Grove. Doctoral student in education policy at the University of Illinois with master's degrees in rehabilitation counseling, public administration, political science, and religious studies, plus eight professional credentials and over a decade of teaching experience at the college and professional level.
Education
- Doctoral student, Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — concentrations in Human Resource Development and in Diversity and Equity in Education
- M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling, University at Buffalo
- M.P.A., Public Administration, Marist College
- M.A., Political Science, University at Albany
- B.A., Religious Studies (summa cum laude), University at Albany
Credentials
- Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC)
- Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
- Certified Case Manager (CCM)
- Board Certified Coach (BCC)
- Certified Career Counselor (CCC)
- Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP)
- Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist (CVE)
- Senior Certified Professional, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP)
Professional Experience
Joseph is the founder of The Grove and CEO of Lincoln Square Coaching, a New York provider of workforce development and vocational rehabilitation services. From 2014 to 2016, he served as adjunct professor of political science at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he taught state and local government and comparative metropolitan politics — an examination of how urban politics unfolds across metropolitan areas internationally. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 14 years at a major New York City human services nonprofit with an annual budget exceeding $125 million, where he led all marketing and communications and designed professional development and e-learning programs reaching more than 1,400 employees per year. He has also built faculty development programs that help college educators bring fresh, practical approaches into their classrooms.
His research examines how career practitioners in vocational rehabilitation and workforce development make sense of their role and the people they serve, and how that sense-making either supports or stands in the way of person-centered practice. He has presented at the Commission for Case Manager Certification Symposium, the Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference, Applied Behavior Analysis New York City, the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, and the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting. His work in political science has been published in World Medical & Health Policy, a peer-reviewed journal.
Teaching Approach
Joseph's classroom practice reflects his research interest in person-centered learning: instructors plan and adjust to how each learner actually thinks, and treat every learner as a capable adult with something to bring to the room. In Fall 2026 he teaches both Grove classes — How America Works and The Design Studio — which reflect lifelong interests in civics and creative design.