Jannah Muhammad is the Development and Partnership Coordinator at SchoolTalk. “As a Surge Fellow I hope to further advocate for my vision of education equality. In this education system, all students, teachers, families, and the surrounding communities, have their needs met. This fellowship offers the rare opportunity to unite with other like minds that are…
Marcus Wilson is the Manager, Program Operations at CityWorks DC “The Surge Fellowship and Surge Academy understand that the work that needs to be done in our communities must be detached from whiteness and that problems negatively impacting Black and brown people can be solved by that same demographic. In order to manifest my vision…
Nicole Savage is the Director, Early College Academy at Coolidge Senior High School, DCPS “At times, educating our Black and Brown students seems like a persistent negotiation between best intentions and ‘just get it done’, and it’s exhausting. Simply put, our young people deserve better than this. They deserve a better system and educators who are…
Zakiya Sackor is the Executive Director at Kindred Communities. “As a new executive director, the opportunity to be a part of the Surge Academy has come at the perfect time. Being a part of the inaugural Surge Academy cohort in DC is not only a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it also serves as a safe space to…
Voncia Monchais is the Director of Youth Engagement at Mikva Challenge. “My vision of education equality is that all students, regardless of their zip code, cultural background, socioeconomic status, race/ ethnicity, identity (gender, religious, sexual orientation, etc), has equitable access, opportunity, and exposure to all possibilities in life, and are equitably and strategically invested in…
Loreal Latimer is the Senior Director of Program Innovation at OneGoal. “Surge is shattering ceilings for what it looks like to mobilize, cultivate, and tap into the potential that is sometimes deeply buried in the souls of leaders of color in education. To be a part of something that thrusts you out of your fears…
Arman Lakes, Ed.D is a School Counselor at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, DCPS. “I interpret the Surge Fellowship as a movement because it will take a movement to make lasting impactful change. The Surge Fellowship is designed to help elevate leaders of color and give them the necessary skills to be transformational. The transformation…
LeKisha Jordan is a Senior Policy Advisor at Council of the District of Columbia. “Surge is a movement focused on ending policies that disproportionately impact students of color and/or contribute to the school to prison pipeline, and Surge is connected to the broader movement to address poverty and racial inequities across schools and communities. I…
Ryan Jones is the Senior Partnerships Strategist and Communications Manager at Kindred Communities. “My vision for education equity is that every student, regardless of their racial background or their zip code, has the opportunity to academically succeed and pursue careers that allow them to thrive. I am excited to join the Surge network to build…
Rhonda Henderson is the Partnership Manager at Achievement Network. “As I approach two decades of experience in public education — and particularly after the last five years– I know I am not the same servant-leader. While my fundamental commitment to equity and a liberatory education system remains intact, my views of what’s possible have expanded.…