The Surge Institute Founder Carmita Semaan recognized as a Luminary by 1954 Project

Carmita Semaan, founder of the Surge Institute, has been named a 1954 Project Luminary. Photo provided by MyWhy Agency.
Carmita Semaan, founder of the Surge Institute, has been named a 1954 Project Luminary. Photo provided by MyWhy Agency.

The Surge Institute Founder Carmita Semaan recognized as a Luminary by 1954 Project

By Tia Carol Jones

Carmita Semaan founded the Surge Institute in 2015, with a mission to amplify and educate Black and Brown leaders in education to prepare them for senior and executive roles.  With the Surge Institute, Semaan is working against the great discrepancy between who youth serving organizations serve versus the leadership in those institutions. Semaan wants to ensure there are more people who have shared experiences and are connected with the community. People that are  in positions of power and influence, in order for more sustainable outcomes, opportunities and progress for young people.

Semaan is one of five people recognized as part of the 1954 Project Luminary Awards. The 1954 Project is an initiative of The Cleveland Avenue Foundation for the Education Group, which provides programmatic and financial support to leaders of color who are connected to education.

“Being recognized as a Luminary by the 1954 Project is extremely humbling and beautiful. To have amazing philanthropists like Liz and Don invest in our work is so affirming and validating and says that our efforts to invest in Black and Brown folks who are doing the work, for our young people, it gives us a boost that is beautiful,” Semaan said.

On May 17th, Semaan will be honored during the third annual 1954 Project Luminary Awards. The event will be livestreamed and feature Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist; Trabian Shorters, New York Time Best-Selling Author; and Dr. Helene Gayle, Spelman College President.

“For this year’s Luminary grants, we received over 400 applications from Black leaders in education,” Liz Thompson, The CAFE Group President, said in a release. “We were particularly impressed by Carmita’s understanding of how critical it is to have diverse leadership when it comes to educating our children.” Semaan acknowledged the importance of Black philanthropist, Don and Liz Thompson, who have made a commitment to invest in Black entrepreneurs who are working to ensure great educational outcomes for Black and Brown children.

In 2021, The Surge Institute laid out a new strategic plan, The Surge Ahead, which is making efforts to expand the work to serve and support 5,000 leaders by 2030. The Surge Institute is growing and expanding its regional work, as well as growing its Black Principal Network and its efforts to support leaders of color.

Semaan called the $1 million funding that comes along with the recognition catalytic, because it will help The Surge Institute to do that work. Since it was founded in Chicago, the Surge Institute has expanded to six cities, with five different programs in Oakland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas.

The Surge Institute recently opened applications for The Surge Fellowship. The fellowship is for African American and Latinx leaders in Chicago who work in education and youth serving roles, between the ages of 28-40, and have worked for six years. The candidates should have a vision of greater impact and influence for their work and are looking for an opportunity to invest in themselves, their leadership and want to do that in a community with other leaders of color. The deadline for the application is Monday, June 12th. For this cohort between 15 and 18 people will be chosen.

For more information about The Surge Institute, visit  https://surgeinstitute.org/

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.