CHANGEMAKERS - The Alliance BR

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2025-26 CHANGEMAKERS

August 27, 2025/0 Comments/in CHANGEMAKERS, News /by theallianceadmin

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

April 7, 2025/in CHANGEMAKERS, News /by theallianceadmin

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

Faces of the Alliance

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2024-25 CHANGEMAKERS

August 29, 2024/in CHANGEMAKERS, News /by theallianceadmin

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.

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2023-24 CHANGEMAKERS

August 23, 2023/in Blog, CHANGEMAKERS, Press Release /by theallianceadmin

The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students today announced the selection of twenty-nine participants for its new class of CHANGEMAKERS, who will become education advocates and leaders in Baton Rouge.
Representing the corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors, the CHANGEMAKERS will collaborate with local education leaders over a ten-month period. The selected individuals will engage in an in-depth exploration of the Baton Rouge education ecosystem, visiting local schools and interacting with national and local education policymakers. Their work will focus on understanding and addressing key issues facing the city’s K-12 education landscape.
The following participants have been selected for the 2023-24 CHANGEMAKERS class:

Renee Antoine
Dave Baxter
Courtney Bell
Danielle Brown
Chelsea Brumfield
Eboni Buchanan
Hunter Chauvin
Lizzie Cosse
Rory Denicola
Adrian Deschamp
Brandon Dumas
Donald Dunbar, Jr.
Crystal Ellis
Brad French
Amos Gibson
Melvin Hollins
Justin Hutchinson
DeJunne’ Clark Jackson
Anna Johnson
Nick Miller
Patrick Mulhearn
Antoinette Patterson
Katie Pryor
Luz Randolph
Jeremy Robicheaux
Cory Stewart
Leslie Triche
Amanda Vincent
Chloe Wiley

The CHANGEMAKERS program supports the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students’ core values of empowering families, elevating community, and engaging leaders. The CHANGEMAKERS program reflects the organization’s commitment to unlocking each child’s potential and strengthening Baton Rouge’s education system.
For more information about the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students or the CHANGEMAKERS program, please visit BRAlliance.org/change.