The Surge Academy is a six-month fellowship…

…that develops and unites emerging education leaders of color. Designed to empower leaders to influence and innovate to transform education, the Academy delivers an intensive experience that blends executive leadership training with deep personal growth. Fellows engage in high-impact sessions covering finance, strategic planning, and change management while also confronting the realities of personal trauma, systemic inequities, and the true state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in America. These experiences are framed by core program pillars, research-based objectives that distinguish good leaders from great ones, ensuring that each fellow emerges equipped to create meaningful change within their communities.

Surge Fellowship

The Surge Fellowship, the signature program of the Surge Institute, is a transformative, cohort-based leadership experience designed to empower, accelerate, and unite emerging leaders of color in the education sector. More than just executive training, the fellowship fosters both personal and collective transformation. It equips fellows with essential leadership skills, such as finance, strategic planning, and change management, while engaging them in deep conversations about personal growth, systemic inequities, and the power of racial identity in leadership.

Fellows benefit from executive coaching, mentorship from high-profile leaders of color, and immersive learning experiences, such as the Freedom Dreams Project —a capstone initiative where participants develop and present visionary strategies for real-world impact. By the end of the fellowship, Surge Fellows emerge as authentic and influential leaders, prepared to challenge inequities, drive systemic change, and lead confidently in the education space.