The Convening Seattle Community Luncheon will gather public education supporters across Seattle to raise funds and increase awareness of critical educational issues facing Seattle students, families and educators.
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 10, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Amazon Meeting Center (2031 7th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121) for the Alliance for Education’s annual Convening Seattle Community Luncheon. The Convening Seattle Community Luncheon gathers the Seattle community to raise funds and increase awareness of critical educational issues facing Seattle students, families and educators.
This year’s key conversation is with local nonprofit and community leaders to reflect on successes, strategies and opportunities for advancing educational justice for students. The public is invited to attend and should register by Friday, August 30 to reserve a seat.
The program will include opening remarks from Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones, Ph.D. followed by a panel of nonprofit community leaders.
Michael Brown
Chief Architect,
Civic Commons (Seattle Foundation)
Since beginning his tenure at the Seattle Foundation in 2001, Michael has led efforts to elevate community voice and foster public-private partnerships, tackling complex challenges in the areas of affordable housing, economic and racial equity, policy, and advocacy. He led the development of the Seattle Foundation’s Center for Community Partnerships, which focuses directly on targeted efforts to achieve greater racial and economic equity.
A seasoned strategic leader in the philanthropic field, he brings perspective as a veteran of funder collaboratives and collective impact efforts, including SkillUp Washington to improve economic opportunity for low income adults, the Road Map Project to improve education and student achievement; Communities of Opportunity to improve health and well-being outcomes for low income communities in the greater Seattle region; and the Sustainable Communities Funder group working to address issues at the intersection of environmental sustainability, equitable inclusion and economic opportunity.
Shelby Cooley, Ph.D.
Data and Evaluation Lead,
King County Department of Community and Human Services
Shelby grew up in Southeast Seattle. Her K12 educator parents fueled her commitment to serving the communities that raised her. She currently serves as the Data and Evaluation Lead for King County’s Children, Youth, and Young Adult Division, where she supports an amazing team in applied research, data capacity, and community accountability across childcare, youth development, restorative justice, and transitions to postsecondary initiatives.
Previously, Shelby led Seattle Public Schools’ research for Black student success and developed reporting systems and collaborative research alongside youth, K12 districts, and community colleges at the Community Center for Education Results (Road Map Project) as the Research Director. She holds a Ph.D. in Child Development from the University of Maryland and has consulted on anti-racism in schools for Learning for Justice and CNN’s AC360. Her work has been featured in the Seattle Times and NPR and has informed local legislative advocacy.
Shelby is also an elected board member of the Washington Education Research Association, a Senior Fellow with Education Northwest, and an Adjunct Faculty member at Seattle University, where she teaches advanced research methods.
Liz Huizar
Executive Director,
Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC)
Liz Huizar is the Executive Director of Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC). Liz has dedicated her career toward advancing education justice for communities typically ignored by formal institutions. In her previous role, Liz integrated Ethnic Studies frameworks to youth programs throughout King County that focus on youth developing a sense of identity and nurturing their natural leadership skills. In her role as SESEC’s ED, Liz will continue coalition building to organize around educational justice in Southeast Seattle.
New this year, the event will feature a town hall format to engage with panelists and interactive opportunities for community connection, impact mapping and storytelling before and after the panel. The event centers around four themes: collective impact, racial equity, strategic alignment and educational justice.
Since 1995, the Alliance has partnered with Seattle Public Schools to address crucial challenges facing students, families and educators. Now more than ever, this collaboration is critical. The Alliance’s work to advance racial equity and support students furthest from educational justice is essential and we look forward to learning from partner organizations across the region.
All are welcome to join in person for lunch and conversation in support of the Alliance’s work on behalf of Seattle Public Schools. Tickets may be purchased ahead of the event for $30 a seat or $600 as a benefactor donor for a table of 8.
The Alliance thanks presenting sponsor Amazon in making this event low cost and accessible for the public, alongside other partners Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Microsoft, Nordstrom, The Seattle Times, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Raikes Foundation, University of Washington College of Education, BECU, Gesa Credit Union, Kaiser Permanente, RBC Wealth Management, Renton Technical College, Seattle Department of Education & Early Learning and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. These organizations exemplify how public and private partners aligning together can help make an excellent and equitable school system possible.
About the Alliance for Education
The Alliance for Education is an independent, local education fund that has worked in partnership with Seattle Public Schools since 1995 to address crucial challenges facing Seattle students, families and educators. Our mission is to support excellence in education by advancing educational justice and racial equity for students in Seattle Public Schools. Our work is collaborative as we seek to address systemic inequities in public schools and create a more equitable and just education system that allows all Seattle students to thrive.