ALUMNI SHOWCASE
Embedded Files
Friday, May 9 from 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Palomino Foyer
Connect with Surge alumni and learn about their latest venture, organization, business, and/or idea! Designed for connection and to elevate the work of Surge alumni, the Alumni Showcase will feature a dozen alumni during Friday's lunch hour outside the Palomino Ballroom.
Learn more about the featured alumni below! The first three tables are part of our Play Station experience. Learn more about Play Stations.
Showcase Directory
Table 1: Blooming Belles (Play Station)
Hosted by Mandisa John (PHILA23)
Stretch Into Your Next Chapter is designed to help participants pause, reset, and reconnect through intentional movement and reflection. Visitors will select an intention card—Release, Root, or Reimagine—each offering a brief affirmation and a simple stretch. Participants will then write a word or phrase representing their intention directly onto a custom Blooming Belles stretch band, which they’ll take with them as a tangible reminder of the chapter they’re stepping into.
Table 2: That Art Party (Play Station)
Hosted by Naomi Fierro Peña (OAK22)
Scent of Stillness is designed to help participants activate their senses while setting intentions using aromatherapy. Participants will create a custom essential oil roller by choosing a blend that aligns with their intention (e.g., peace, energy, focus). Participants will also contribute a drop of their oil to a shared collective scent jar that represents the collective energy of the group.
Table 3: Inspired Aesthetics (Play Station)
Hosted by Cescilly Phillips (KC20)
Finding Voice In Fragments is designed to allow attendees to pause and reflect on their vision and purpose for shared time with the Surge community. Participants will co-create a found poem using cut-out words and phrases from magazines to complete a “mad lib”. This customizable, fill-in-the-blank poem allows participants to put their own spin on the vision for our Convening and reflect on our collective work. Participants will have the opportunity to add words to our co-created “mad lib” and complete their own version to display, too.
Table 4: Living for Liberation
Hosted by Michelle Pledger, Founder of Living For Liberation
Continue the conversation from Thursday's night keynote with our special guest herself, Michelle Pledger! Connect, exchange ideas, and pick up a signed copy of her book while you're there.
Table 5: La Casa de Jenny
Hosted by Dr. Leslye Salinas (OAK21)
La Casa de Jenny is a navigation center for immigrant families to help them build towards self sufficiency and success in the US.
Table 6: Engaged Spaces
Hosted by Dana Mitchell (DC23)
Engaged Spaces is a professional development (PD) firm that "engages communities in meaningful spaces—conversations, consultancies, and coaching sessions—to foster liberated and impactful community experiences." We facilitate sessions / touchpoints that support our partners in deepening their professional, instructional, and leadership-specific capabilities, with liberatory mindsets and equitable practices at the center.
Table 7: 627 Strategies
Hosted by Rhonda Henderson (DC22)
Coaching mission-driven leaders to speak with confidence, connect with the audience, and increase their impact.
linkedin.com/company/627-strategies-llc
Table 8: Collective Genius LLC.
Hosted by Makinde Adedapo (CHI25)
Our mission is to pursue, cultivate, and deploy a diverse network of genius to collectively strategize and implement solutions of societal issues through education, art, and entertainment.
Table 9: Education Pioneers
Hosted by Gold Chhim (OAK20)
Our Fellowships match emerging leaders to high-impact projects, building needed capacity for education organizations while supporting Fellows on their path to systems-level general management roles. We provide Fellows with critical leadership development programming and connect them to a network of leaders across the sector, building a pipeline of changemakers outside of the classroom.
educationpioneers.org/learn-about-us
Table 10: Collaborative Classroom
Hosted by Roxanne Rose (OAK20)
Collaborative Classroom is a national nonprofit, mission-driven organization committed to ensuring that students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. We have a particular focus on teacher professional learning and development and science of reading and learning aligned curriculum.
Table 11: HolaCoachChris Hosts!
Hosted by Chris Williams (OAK21)
HolaCoachChris is here to help! Whether it's a birthday, milestone or company party, HolaCoachChris can provide a fun atmosphere to your gathering! From karaoke to Bingo! to trivia, there's always a good time to be had!
Table 12: M Guridy Consulting
Hosted by Maritza Guridy (PHILA25)
More coming soon.
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