SURGE to feature deep dives into Spartanburg’s challenges, solutions

Twelve community leaders set to kick off Spartanburg Chamber’s new leadership program on Aug. 8

The kickoff session of SURGE, set for August 8, will convene a dozen high level leaders through the summer of 2020 to not only learn but act.

SURGE, designed to create large-scale, positive impact in Spartanburg, will bring participants together for in-depth sessions on education, equity, health and wellness, and civil discourse. SURGE sessions will feature dynamic discussions led by national experts and thought leaders – fueled by reading from local, national and global sources – and an examination of how each subject affects the quality of life in Spartanburg, and what’s going on outside Spartanburg that offers best in class actionable solutions.

At SURGE’s final session, the group will collectively set a goal for systemic change and will work that goal to fruition in the months after the program concludes.

“This focus of the SURGE curriculum is to both educate and encourage intentional thought on the ABC’s of a community’s economic structure and wealth. This would include conversations around tax policy, investment in infrastructure, impact of annexation policies, the potential of business improvement districts, etc.,” said Northside Development Group CEO and former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet, who will lead SURGE’s economics session. “Spartanburg faces some unique structural challenges, and this affords the participants a unique opportunity to explore their impact on where we are today or might choose to go tomorrow.”

The founding partners of SURGE are the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, OneSpartanburg, and the Leadership Spartanburg Alumni Association.

“Our current leadership development offerings have been designed for the participants which is critical to developing local leaders and talent. SURGE is not focused on benefiting the participant – SURGE is all about benefiting Spartanburg,” said Allen Smith, President and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber.

“When the LSAA Board of Directors learned about SURGE, they saw an opportunity to lend support to a program with a similar mission. Since inception, LSAA has been committed to educating and connecting its membership base to make Spartanburg a better community in which to live, work and play,” said Kristy Shepherd, Dean of Clinic Operations and Outreach at Sherman College of Chiropractic, and LSAA representative. “We believe the SURGE program, with its focus on big issues that impact the entire community, will be one more way to make this happen.”

The first cohort of SURGE participants is:

• Spartanburg County Administrator Cole Alverson
• Spartanburg District 7 Superintendent Russell Booker
• Chapman Cultural Center President and CEO Jennifer Evins
• Inman Mayor Cornelius Huff
• The Johnson Group CEO Geordy Johnson
• University of South Carolina Upstate Chancellor Brendan Kelly
• Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Keith McDaniel
• Mary Black Foundation President and CEO Molly Talbot-Metz
• Colliers International Vice President John Montgomery
• The Palladian Group COO Katherine O’Neill
• Spartanburg City Manager Chris Story
• WJ Partners Partner Jamie Wall

“I’m excited to be a part of the first cohort of learners and leaders to enter the SURGE program. Equity, whether in regard to housing or healthcare, economics or education, is extremely important to me,” McDaniel said. “As Spartanburg continues to grow, it must continue to change. Systemic change is good for Spartanburg. Reasoning together is good for Spartanburg. The word surge is by definition, a sudden powerful forward or upward movement. I’ve agreed to be a part of this program because I’m vested in the future of this wonderful city and wish to be a part of the push forward and upward.”

SURGE will be added to the Chamber’s existing leadership development offerings which include Leadership Spartanburg and Junior Leadership Spartanburg.  Leadership Spartanburg celebrates 40 years of leadership development this year and the launching of SURGE serves as a celebration of that program’s rich tradition of localized leadership development.

About the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce

The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit organization supported through membership investment and strategic partnerships. Our mission is to enhance the economic vitality and lifestyle environment of Spartanburg County. For more information, visit www.spartanburgchamber.com