Surge Institute launches Surge@Work for workplace leadership training

The Surge Institute has launched Surge@Work, a new organizational development offering that brings its equity-centered leadership model to nonprofits and companies. The rollout also includes a new client partnership with a regional early childhood education organization as the new school year begins.

Why it matters: - Surge@Work extends Surge Institute’s leadership development work beyond education cohorts and into workplace training for nonprofits and companies. - The program is designed to improve employee confidence, engagement, retention, leadership capacity and team collaboration. - The launch comes as organizations face pressure to strengthen staff culture and support managers with practical leadership tools.

What happened: - The Surge Institute formally announced the launch of Surge@Work on Aug. 26, 2026, in Chicago. - Surge@Work is the organization’s new initiative for bringing equity-centered leadership development directly to employers. - The rollout includes a new partnership with a regional early childhood education organization. - The partnership is tied to the start of the new school year.

The details: - Surge@Work offers employee training, employee resource group facilitation and custom programming. - The program also provides interactive workshops and learning modules. - Surge@Work is built to address specific organizational goals, culture challenges and equity priorities. - Sessions can be delivered on-site or virtually. - Surge says the format is intended to fit an organization’s schedule and budget. - The initiative is led by Janaia Nash, chief program officer at the Surge Institute. - Nash said Surge@Work is meant to help organizations build the tools, community and equity-centered practices needed for collective impact. - The early childhood education partnership includes comprehensive staff training and leadership development. - The collaboration is meant to give educators and staff strategies for increasing collaboration, managing outcomes and building confidence to lead change. - Surge has expanded the impact of education leader cohorts since 2015, and Surge@Work adapts that experience for organizations. - Surge@Work is the professional development arm of the Surge Institute. - The program also includes executive coaching and team development strategy. - Surge Institute is a national nonprofit focused on empowering emerging leaders of color in education and youth-serving organizations. - Surge’s broader work includes fellowship programs, organizational consulting and community-building initiatives. - More information is available at surgeinstitute.org/surge-at-work. - Learn more about the organization at surgeinstitute.org.

Between the lines: - Surge is moving from leader development for individuals to broader organizational transformation. - The early childhood education partnership suggests Surge@Work is positioning itself as a practical staffing and culture solution, not just a training product. - Linking the launch to a school-year transition gives the program a timely use case and a clear audience.

What's next: - Surge@Work will likely expand through additional customized training, coaching and workplace programming for schools, nonprofits and businesses. - The new partnership may serve as an early example of how the initiative can be deployed with education organizations. - Surge is positioning the service as an ongoing offering for organizations seeking long-term culture and leadership change.