25 Chicago Education Leaders Selected for 2018 Surge Fellowship

News provided by

Surge Institute

Sep 05, 2017, 17:30 ET


(PRWEB) September 05, 2017 -- The Surge Institute has further expanded the reach of its signature yearlong fellowship program, accepting a diverse cohort of 25 equity-minded, emerging African American and Latino Chicago education leaders.

The 2018 Surge Fellowship cohort was selected from a large pool of impressive applicants and is comprised of Fellows from across the education landscape – including Chicago Public Schools, various charter schools and networks, higher education institutions and non-profit youth-serving organizations.

Over the course of the Fellowship, Surge Fellows receive extensive executive skill training, leadership development and exposure to respected leaders and policymakers in education. The cohort will also develop their own leadership and advocacy skills. As a culminating final step of the program, Fellows will complete individual capstone projects to advance the work of a new or existing Chicago education initiative.

Dominique McKoy, a 2018 Surge Fellowship awardee and Director of School Partnerships for OneGoal, says he is in the work of dismantling systems of oppression that work against our students. “I understand that this work is greater than any one institution, organization, politician or community,” McKoy said. “The Surge Fellowship offers me an opportunity to become part of a legacy of committed leaders of color making their own contributions to this work, while also—most importantly—providing us with the space to align our efforts as a collective movement.”

Below is the full list of 2018 Surge Fellows:

  • Dr. Erica Bauer, Director of Student Engagement, Walter Payton College Preparatory Academy
  • Liam Bird, Postsecondary Coach, Network for College Success
  • Christian Collins, Associate District Director, City Colleges of Chicago
  • Christine Diaz, Principal, Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy
  • Iris Dominguez, Assistant Principal, North-Grand High School
  • Lildella Douglas, Illinois/Northwest Indiana Manager, Leadership for Educational Equity
  • Aurora Flores Garcia, Student Success Coach, National Louis University
  • Janine Franklin, Pipeline Programs Coordinator, University of Chicago
  • PuraCarina Gonzalez, Director of College Partnerships, One Million Degrees
  • Michelle Kemp, Director of Talent, ReGeneration Schools
  • Bridget Lee, Manager of Performance Policy, Chicago Public Schools
  • Rudy Lozano, Vice President of the Fellowship Initiative, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
  • Kyra Marcano, Director of Teaching and Learning, Namaste Charter School
  • Adelric McCain, Transition Success and Curriculum Instruction Coach, Network for College Success
  • Dominique McCoy, Director of School Partnerships, OneGoal
  • Paul Morgan, Director of Programs and Innovation, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund
  • Angela Munguia, Impact Director, City Year Chicago
  • Amanda Paz, Campus Director, High Jump Chicago
  • Andrew Rayner, Analyst, Bellwether Education Partners
  • Maraliz Salgado, Instructional Coordinator, Erie Elementary Charter School
  • Nicole Spicer, Assistant Principal, Skinner North Classical School
  • Natalia Torres, Assistant Principal, Noble Network-Johnson College Prep
  • Susan Tovar, Director of Teacher Support, OneGoal
  • Willow Walker, Associate Director of Education-Admissions, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund
  • A.J. Watson, Director-Becoming a Man, Youth Guidance

On August 26, 2017, the 2017 Fellows graduated with a private graduation ceremony held at McDonald’s Hamburger University. New Alum and Executive Director of iMentor Chicago Halleemah Nash beamed about the future, stating, “We are exiting this sacred space with an elevated brand, a greater capacity for advocacy, a deeper self-identity, and the charge to truly live out what it means to be [2017 Surge Fellows].”

About Surge

The Surge Institute broadly addresses issues of race and class in urban education through leadership development, technical assistance and advocacy. The Surge Fellowship develops high-potential talent within education to create the pipeline of influential education leaders of color. This network transforms status quo systems and approaches in education by sharing ownership of the change efforts, engaging communities in defining and working toward success, serving as role models for young people to pursue roles with influence and risk, and accessing financial capital and power brokers to develop new solutions. Visit the Surge Institute website to learn more.

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Chris Paicely, Surge Institute, http://surgeinstitute.org, +1 (708) 314-9212, [email protected]