Proximity Accelerator: Black Teacher Collaborative
The Proximity Accelerator, which is led by New Profit Managing Partner Tulaine Montgomery and Partner Marco Davis, is part of a larger effort by New Profit to support visionary social entrepreneurs and other leaders from underrepresented communities, in this case communities of color. Participants in the one-year Proximity Accelerator receive a one-time unrestricted grant of $50,000, intensive group learning and collaboration on leadership and organizational development, regular consultations with New Profit partners with expertise in nonprofit capacity building, and access to New Profit’s larger learning community of social entrepreneurs and other changemakers through events like the annual Gathering of Leaders.
The first cohort of this year-long initiative features eight selected organizations. Today we celebrate one of the eight selected organizations: Black Teacher Collaborative.
About Black Teacher Collaborative
BTC’s vision is to create the conditions so that for every Black student, there will be challenging, affirming, and innovative learning environments staffed by a critical mass of high-quality Black educators equipped to maximize shared racial identity learning experiences over the course of their elementary and secondary education. BTC’s mission is to engage, develop, and support an intergenerational collective of Black educators, who will ensure that Black children achieve at high levels academically; while simultaneously preparing them with the intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural capital to actively participate in the ongoing advancement of their communities.
About Hiewet Senghor
Hiewet is the Founder of the Black Teacher Collaborative. After graduating from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Hiewet attended The University of Georgia, where she received her MPA in Nonprofit Management. While at Hampton University, Hiewet was the Director of the National Youth and College Division of the NAACP. She went on to become the Director of the Child Watch Visitation Program for The Children’s Defense Fund, followed by a Senior Development Associate position with the YWCA of Greater Atlanta. She then became the Executive Director of the Southern Region Council and the Director of the Transition Team for the NAACP. Before creating the Black Teacher Collaborative, Hiewet spent six years with Teach for America, where she held a range of positions. Her professional journey exemplifies her deep commitment to supporting educators of color and pioneering programs that serve them. She has created and managed the vision of projects that lift diversity and inclusion, racial equity and leadership development to the forefront of education and youth development.
Follow @BlkTeachCollab to keep up with Hiewet and the Black Teacher Collaborative!