The Surge Institute

The Surge Institute was established to broadly address issues of race and class in urban education through leadership development, technical assistance and advocacy. The Surge Fellowship is the signature program of the Surge Institute.  Surge believes this untapped set of high-potential people could become influential education leaders over the next decade. This network can transform status quo systems and approaches in education by sharing ownership of the change efforts, engaging communities in defining & working toward success, serving as role models for young people to pursue roles with influence and risk, and access financial capital and power brokers to develop new solutions. When Carmita Semaan launched Surge in 2014, she emptied her bank accounts and waved goodbye to a significant portion of her retirement accounts. Why? She was distressed by the dearth of leadership of color at the decision making tables within education reform. After the first cohort of Surge Fellows graduated in the summer of 2015, they moved onward and upward in their careers, influencing changes in educational institutions and directly impacting the lives of kids who look like them. Two years later, Surge is growing exponentially, and so is the determination to empower, enhance and energize. This is only the beginning. MISSION  To educate and develop leaders of color who create transformative change in urban education.   VISION They are the preeminent pipeline addressing the dearth of leadership of color at the decision-making tables within education reform. Surge educates, empowers and energizes educational leaders of color who will create transformative change in the communities they serve.