🌟 Mentor Spotlight: Kourtney James 🌟
We're proud to highlight Kourtney James, JD, a founding board member of EMERGE and a distinguished expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion. With over 15 years in professional development, talent management, and recruitment strategies, Kourtney has made substantial contributions to educational access and workplace diversity.
This year, Kourtney mentored Munachi M., a recent graduate of Sharpstown International School who will be attending Rice University in the fall. Her guidance through the college application process has been invaluable.
Kourtney’s commitment to mentorship and creating inclusive environments is exemplary. Thank you, Kourtney, for your tireless dedication and impact!
The latest episode of bit.ly/a608afterhours is up!
Elena Luna is a School Superintendent and member of the Division of Schools at Boston Public Schools where she works to find solutions to dismantling the oppressive nature of K-12 educational systems and designing K-12 systems that are inclusive, anti-racist, and empowering for historically oppressed communities. Elena's commitment to her work is shaped by her lived experiences as a daughter of Mexican working-class immigrants, first-generation college graduate and low-income student.
Monica and I spoke with Elena about her work at BPS, how her core values of respect, humility and relationships were shaped by her own experiences and now impact her work, and how her thinking about teams and teaming has evolved as she's moved between public and charter school systems, from the classroom to organizational and system-level leadership.
Are you stuck wondering if you have enough time for a graduate school program?! Well, you are far from alone!! 👍
Our online pathways make it easy for our candidates to engage with this program on top of their busy lives, and we promise we’ll find a way for you to apply what you’re learning to your current context ⏰
During our last info session, a.t. furuya (EdL ‘23) shared a bit more about how they invested their time into our program, and how their cohort developed a support system of their own around the 3 C’s-collaboration, connection, and community.
After a decade of working in nonprofits and graduating from our program, a.t. founded Transform Together, @transformtogetherllc which provides consulting services in policy, systems transformation, professional development training, and resources to build and sustain equitable practices for LGBTQI+ students, educators, and employees. Partnerships include San Diego County Office of Education, Sweetwater Union High School District, Golden State Warriors, Discord, and national non profit Athlete Ally. Their practice is grounded in collaborating with students by centering their voices, needs, experiences, and ideas.
Join our next info session next week on Thursday, February 1 at 4:00 pm PST to hear from more alumni, learn more about how we design our Master’s in Educational Leadership coursework with busy teachers and educators in mind, and how you can prepare your application before our priority deadline 📝
Register here to save your spot: bit.ly/edlinforsvpfeb2024 or use the events link in our bio!
#educationalleadership#mastersdegree#leadershipgoals#hthgse#cohortlove#collaboration#connection#community
Leading with equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in higher education is a multifaceted and critical aspect of effective leadership. It involves creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, feel valued, respected, and have equal opportunities for success.
We are excited to hear from Cassandra Salazar at our next event on Sep, 27th. Cassandra is a graduate from Purdue University, is a Manager on the Research & Impact team at SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers). SHPE is the largest association in the nation for Hispanics in STEM. She focuses helping companies recruit and retain diverse talent and providing professional development opportunities for graduate students and faculty.
About this event:
There is a lot of conversation of how we can recruit diverse talent, but how do we make sure we are giving diverse talent the tools to succeed. One way we can support diverse talent is by providing healthy mentoring opportunities. Come to learn how to find a mentor, what a successful mentoring relationship looks like, and how it can help you or your staff grow.
Objectives:
• Learn how mentoring can retain diverse staff
• Learn how to find a mentor
• Learn what a successful mentoring relationship looks like
Join us: https://lnkd.in/gizWihEA
Last week, I had the privilege of attending our company's leadership sync meeting at the HQ in Carlsbad, CA. It was a gathering marked not just by strategic discussions and planning, but also by a profound reaffirmation of our core values and mission.
Angela Nelson J.D., Ed.M. , our Founder and CEO, encapsulated our purpose beautifully: "Stages Learning ‘s mission is to catalyze the boundless potential within every mind. We believe empowered, neurodiverse learners will create a more just, equitable world. So we are removing obstacles that limit learning and democratizing education to nourish the promise in each person, cultivate inclusive communities, and advance the human spirit." This powerful statement inked on our wall at HQ, reminds us of the why behind our daily efforts.
During the meeting, we delved into various initiatives aimed at making education more accessible and inclusive. Our discussions were not just about growth and targets, but also about how we can better serve our diverse learning community and foster an environment where everyone can thrive.
It's moments like these that make me proud to be part of Stages Learning. We're not just a team; we're a community driven by a shared vision to make a lasting impact on the world through education.
As we move forward, I'm excited to see how our collective efforts will unfold in creating a more inclusive and equitable future for learners everywhere.
#Leadership#Inclusion#EducationForAll#Empowerment#CompanyCulture#neurodiversity#autism
"Leadership is centered on the people you serve––students, colleagues, the parent community. To lead, you have to care deeply and authentically." —Colleen R. Pettus is head of school at School of the Holy Child
I love the gatherings of residence life professionals. This work is good. And this work is hard.
Today we gathered with 30+ individuals from other Christian institutions to talk about Leading RAs Well.
RAs are our frontline stewards of building community. This can be some of the most impactful, culture-forming work on a college campus. The way we, as professionals, invest in these individuals matters.
How are we shaping them personally and professionally?
How are we helping them form their own understanding of leadership identity and practice?
How do we care more about their soul than tasks they perform?
How are we helping them learn healthy boundaries and balance?
How are we challenging their thoughts and sharpening them as individuals?
How are we helping them build skills both for now and their future?
How are we assisting them to identify their values and how these values impact the type of work they want to do, the people they want to do it with, the atmosphere they want to be a part of, etc?
How are we forming teams around trust, accountability, and engagement?
And for us at Northwest, how are we helping them to be intentional investors, culture creators, accountability ambassadors SO THAT they can develop disciples?
Golly, I love this work!
Grateful to lead this ACSD - Association for Christians in Student Development Collaborative with Kyle Smith, Ed.D!
At Girls Leadership, we always begin with check-ins to build belonging. Check-ins, however quick, allow us to show up as humans before going into our roles as teachers and students, or coaches and players. Here are two versions of a check-in to acknowledge and celebrate the cultures that are in a room, without requiring young people to put a label on their culture.
Though more than half of all public school students are children of color, only 1 in 5 teachers and principals share the same racial or ethnic background.
Here’s a flexible roadmap to help educators of color navigate leadership journeys and cultivate the next generation
🧩Inclusive Employment - Take Action
For years I have admired the work on my HKFYG Youth Employment Network (YEN) colleagues empowering #SEN (Special Educational Needs) #youth with #job skills. Yet we know it’s difficult to secure a job as many employers do not want to take risk for the “#unknown”.
📣 So I’m glad that our team has come up a new service to back up employers who also need to address “talent drought” issue. 😉Please join us at SEN #Employability Symposium on 12 August to know more and find out results of our survey about Employers’ perception on SEN #employment.
🙏🏽Thanks in advance to our guest of Honour and speakers:
-the Honourable Bill Tang, LegCo Councillor
-Professor Kwan Chi-kin, Initiator of DEI@Work
-Jessie Leung of HSBC, Molly Lau of ISS Facility Services - Hong Kong and Peann Tam of Ecogreenergy, for sharing the practical experience of engaging SENemployees
I am sure you can have some takeaway for #networking and #HR solutions.
😊Special thanks to Jonathan Mok (He/Him), PGDE, MHKIoD and CMgr for promoting this meaningful initiative as he demonstrates how he could achieve so much for our society with #contributions.
✅Sign up now to join our Symposium: https://lnkd.in/gYT6ej_B#sdg#inequality#diversity#DEI#ability#hiring#talentGap
Driving Fair Trade and Social Impact | Championing Sustainability, Equity, and Neurodiversity
Non-governmental sectors play a key role in supporting students of all abilities for gainful employment. As an alumnus of The HKFYG Leadership Institute Leadership Institute, I benefited hugely from HKFYG staff members for their support to become a better leader.
I am happy to help publicize this event for HKFYG - Forum for Students with Special Education Needs Employment. 🌟
Yes, the forum is worth attending if you and your colleagues are available. Why? 🤔
a. HKFYG conducts surveys on SEN employment from time to time, covering all key stakeholders. They provide different perspectives for inclusive employment. 📊
b. HKFYG has a vast school network, meaning that intervention can start early for students to learn about their options in the community. 🏫
c. Speakers come from different sectors including academia, policymakers, employers, and SEN youth themselves. 🎤
Link: https://lnkd.in/gJUqKpKcHKFYGEugenia L.#Disability#Employment#Inclusion#SEN
Junior Corporate Attorney | M&A, Cross-Border Transactions & Corporate Governance | 12+ Years Legal Experience (Paralegal, Biglaw Firms & In-House)
1moKourtney is a wonderful mentor! The guidance she has given me is invaluable. It’s no surprise that she is getting this well-deserved highlight.