March 2022 Kim Riley

The Transition Academy, an organization founded by Kim Riley (KC’20), was recently announced as one of NewSchools Venture Fund’s newest grantees. She is part of a new group of innovators — all leaders of color — who are receiving nearly $1.5 million in unrestricted funding to advance racial equity in education. Read the full story…

May 2021 Denmark Diaz

Denmark Diaz (OAK’21) has received an award entitled: The Giraffe (Sticking Your Neck Out for Social Justice) Award from SF State University at the Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (SAEM) Staff Recognition Awards on May 6th, 2021. The Award recognizes outstanding commitment to social justice. Nominees have gone far above and beyond their professional responsibilities…

February 2021 Will Collins

Will Collins, VP of Development & External Affairs and 2017 Surge Chicago Alum, was recently announced as an inaugural member of the 2021 Black Bench Chicago Fellowship. The Black Bench brings individuals together to build community, foster creativity, develop leadership skills, and encourage more progress. During the program period, participants are challenged to think critically…

January 2021 Destiny Ortega

2020 Surge Chicago Alum, Destiny Ortega, has been promoted to Associate Principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, a non-profit consulting organization that works on high-impact projects with government agencies in the Chicago region. In her new role, she will join the senior leadership team, co-lead the education project portfolio, and co-lead the Recruiting team.