25 DC-based, Cross-sector Leaders Selected for Fellowship to Reimagine Systems Impacting Local Youth
We are proud to announce the tenth cohort of Seeding Disruption, a yearlong, DC-based fellowship that brings together senior leaders across youth-serving sectors to reimagine leadership and drive meaningful, place-based change grounded in racial equity.
Cohort X includes 25 cross-sector leaders working in education, health, housing, justice, and youth development—each committed to transforming the systems that shape the lives of young people in the District of Columbia. These changemakers are united by a shared commitment to grounding their leadership in DC’s history, building deep cross-sector relationships, and taking bold, thoughtful action to create systems where all young people in the District of Columbia can thrive.
“As we launch the 10th cohort of Seeding Disruption, I’m filled with both gratitude and determination,” said Michelle Molitor, Founder and Executive Director of The Equity Lab. “When Abigail Smith and I co-founded this initiative, we imagined a space where leaders could ground themselves in DC’s history, build deep relationships across sectors, and move with urgency toward meaningful change. That vision feels even more necessary today. With over 200 leaders already part of this growing coalition, Seeding Disruption continues to show that collective leadership—rooted in care, clarity, and bold action—can transform the systems that shape our communities and the lives of young people in the District.”
About the Seeding Disruption Fellowship
The Seeding Disruption Fellowship is a yearlong, Washington, DC–based experience for senior leaders working across education, housing, health, justice, and other youth-serving sectors. Fellows are committed to reimagining leadership, challenging harmful systems, and advancing change that is rooted in and responsive to the needs of the District. Through quarterly cohort dinners that build deep cross-sector relationships and daylong learning sessions, participants deepen their ability to lead with clarity, courage, and care—grounding their work in DC’s history, community, and the relationships that sustain lasting change.
Fellows were selected through an application process designed to identify approximately 25 leaders and shape a cohort that reflects diversity across several areas, including race, gender, and other identity markers, sector, role, and lived experience. This also meant asking some truly remarkable individuals to wait for a future cohort in order to support a balanced and transformative learning environment.
Fellows join a growing network of over 200 leaders across nine previous cohorts who, while advancing change within their own organizations and sectors, remain deeply connected by a shared commitment to building systems where young people in DC can truly thrive.
This year’s Seeding Disruption Fellows
Please help us celebrate the Seeding Disruption Fellows who make up Cohort X:
Akosua Kelley, Partner, School Leader Lab
Angel Hunter, Principal, King Elementary School, District of Columbia Public Schools
Angela Cammack, Chief Operating Officer, DC College Access Program
Anne Herr, Senior Director of School Development and Accountability, DC Charter School Alliance
Chioma Oruh, Health Equity Project Director, Advocates for Justice and Education
Constance Parham, Director of Innovation & Design, District of Columbia Public Schools
Eboni-Rose Thompson, Ward 7 Representative, DC State Board of Education
Greg Moffitt, Director, School Leader Preparation and Development, District of Columbia Public Schools
Heather Kurtz, DCPS Becoming Manager, District of Columbia Public Schools
Imani Josie, Director of College and Career Counseling, KIPP DC
Jaytoya Manget, Director of Nursing, School Health Program, Children's National Hospital
Jennifer Barnes Eliot, Development and Communications Director, An Open Book Foundation
Jessica Duncan, Health Education Manager, Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Joseph Speight, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Friendship Public Charter School
Keith Juarez, Assistant Principal, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
Kerry Savage, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Parents Amplifying Voices in Education
Kristen Wolfe, Managing Director, EmpowerK12
LaShunda Hill, Chief of Staff, DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services
Joshua Brown, Chief Program Officer, The Next Step Public Charter School
Megan Sands, Partner, Inclusive Schools Leadership Institute, Relay Graduate School of Education
Michael Rosskamm, Executive Director, District of Columbia International School
Niranjan Murali, Senior Manager, Strategy & Impact, Education Forward DC
Shauntee Burns-Simpson, Director, Youth & Family Services, DC Public Library
Sundai Riggins, Head of School, Inspired Teaching Demonstration School
Vinu Ilakkuvan, Policy Consultant, Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, George Washington University
Through equity-centered leadership training, mentorship, and collaborative practice, fellows will learn to apply design thinking and racial equity principles to drive systemic change within their organizations and communities.
To learn more about the Seeding Disruption Fellowship and future application opportunities, visit us at: https://www.theequitylab.org/seeding-disruption.
The Equity Lab is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The Seeding Disruption Fellowship is made possible by the generosity of donors who believe in the power of bold, values-driven action. Your support allows us to continue taking on the deep-rooted challenges of individual, institutional, and systemic inequity—and to cultivate the people and practices needed to expand what is possible.