On the Road to CHANGE
News:
Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2025-26 CHANGEMAKERS
The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students today announced the selection of 28 participants for its new class of CHANGEMAKERS, a program dedicated to educating community members to address the diverse obstacles surrounding education improvement within the Baton Rouge community.
The 10-month program will provide this seventh cohort of CHANGEMAKERS with an understanding of the education ecosystem through monthly discussions, city visits, school tours, and other community activities. The cohort’s work will heighten awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing the public education system in the city’s K-12 education landscape.
The following participants have been selected for the 2025-26 CHANGEMAKERS class:
- Jude August
- Daniel Bosch
- Hunter Brown
- Tani Budde
- Hannah Cobb
- Katelyn Cockerham
- Jamie Courtright
- Kendle Davis
- Mary Beth Derrickson
- Jamila Dupree
- Darlene Fields
- Hannah Fontenot
- Megan Garretson
- Tristan George
- Arquavious Gordon
- Donna Johnson
- Carlton Jones
- Morgan Lamandre
- Jorge Lavastida
- Tale Lockett
- Jian Masacco-Richard
- Isaiah Mayfield
- Brandy McIntire
- Pashion Norman
- Candace Oliver
- Ann Tillage
- Courtney Turner
- David Whidden
The CHANGEMAKERS program reflects the Alliance’s mission to engage leaders in the community about the education system and create a pathway toward every child in Baton Rouge receiving their birthright of an excellent education. The Alliance remains dedicated to unlocking every child’s potential and enhancing Baton Rouge’s education system by empowering families, uplifting the community, and engaging leaders.
For more information about the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students or the CHANGEMAKERS program, please visit BRAlliance.org.
Faces of the Alliance: Community of Impact
The strength of any community lies in its people—the stories, the diverse perspectives, and our shared triumphs. Faces of the Alliance from the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students, is a new initiative dedicated to shining a light on the individuals and organizations who make up what we call our Alliance family. Through personal narratives and video interviews, highlighting their contributions and experiences, we aim to celebrate the passion and resilience of those working toward a common goal – unlocking each child’s potential through education.
Why Faces of the Alliance? Because every person has a story, and every story has the power to inspire change. Whether it’s a parent advocating for their child, an elected official or CHANGEMAKER guiding the way forward, or a local volunteer doing the hard work on the ground with students and families, these stories deserve to be told. Our goal is to amplify the voices who make the Alliance what it is; they are essential to the progress we strive for in our city.
Each feature will offer a glimpse into the motivations, challenges, and successes of the people who define our movement. We hope these stories will not only inform and uplift but also encourage others to get involved and make an impact.
This is just the beginning. Join us as we introduce you to the Faces of the Alliance—because change starts with people, and people are at the heart of everything we do.
Stay tuned for our first profile as we celebrate the role we all play in ensuring every child in our community is well-educated.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”- Mother Teresa
Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2024-25 CHANGEMAKERS
The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students announced the selection of the 28 participants for the new class of CHANGEMAKERS who will emerge as education advocates and leaders in Baton Rouge.
The 10-month program will provide this seventh cohort of CHANGEMAKERS with an understanding of the education ecosystem through monthly discussions, city visits, school tours, and other community activities. The cohort’s work will heighten awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing the public education system in the city’s K-12 education landscape.
The following participants have been selected for the 2024-25 CHANGEMAKERS class:
| Logan Anderson Caleb Etheridge Nenette Gray Tessa Holloway Griffin Landry Brent Mangum Erika Musgrove Desiree Reese Raven Veal Audrey Wascome |
Jamee Blink Dr. Michelle Dennis Mehdi Farasat Tanya Hamilton Tebbe Jackson Derrick Lathan Sandy Michelet Russell Nolan Megan Reilly Shannon |
Nesha Brown Ebony Dorizan-Martin Tia Fields Harmony Hobbs Charles James, III Regina Leingang Ericka Poole Darren Smith, Jr |
“This group of civic leaders join the 150 alumni of the program in being ready to make a difference for the future of our city’s students,” said Adonica Pelichet Duggan, Chief Executive Officer of the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students. “CHANGEMAKERS leave our program with a comprehensive grasp of our complex public education system and geared with the tools to go into the community and be both truth-tellers and advocates.”
The CHANGEMAKERS program reflects the Alliance’s mission to engage leaders in the community about the education system and create a pathway toward every child in Baton Rouge receiving their birthright of an excellent education. The Alliance remains dedicated to unlocking every child’s potential and enhancing Baton Rouge’s education system by empowering families, uplifting the community, and engaging leaders.
For more information about the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students or the CHANGEMAKERS program, please visit BRAlliance.org/change.