North Carolina Educators RISE as Leaders
Teach For America North Carolina (TFA NC) celebrated the Closing Celebration of its 2025–2026 RISE Fellowship at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro on June 18, 2026. The event honored TFA alumni who spent the past school year deepening their leadership, advancing student outcomes, and completing community-based impact projects across North Carolina.
The program drew education leaders, partners, and community members to CCL’s Greensboro campus for a formal celebration ceremony to honor the 37 RISE fellows. Fellows presented impact projects reflecting work in classrooms and schools stretching from across NC — a constellation of educator leadership spanning the state.
Robyn Fehrman, Executive Director of Teach For America North Carolina, reflected: “RISE is proof that when we invest in educators as leaders — not just as teachers — we change what’s possible for kids. Every fellow in this room represents a community across North Carolina where that belief is being put into practice.”
Dr. David Altman, Executive Advisor at the Center for Creative Leadership, shared: “The Center for Creative Leadership has been committed to strengthening educational leadership in K–12 schools, school systems, and beyond for more than 40 years, and our home state of North Carolina is close to our hearts. Partnering with Teach For America NC to support the RISE Fellowship is exactly the kind of community investment that reflects our mission — developing creative leaders who make a lasting difference for students, schools, and systems.”
Karyn Pleasant, Managing Director of Alumni Impact, Teach for America North Carolina, said: “RISE is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: when educators are supported, challenged, and connected in community, their leadership grows in ways that directly benefit students and schools. This year’s fellows have demonstrated what is possible when alumni educators are given the space to reflect on their practice, pursue meaningful impact projects, and strengthen their leadership alongside peers and mentors. As we close this fellowship year, we are not only celebrating what they have accomplished, we are celebrating the momentum they will carry forward for students, schools, and communities across North Carolina.”
About Teach For America North Carolina
TFA North Carolina serves tens of thousands of students each year through its Ignite tutoring Fellowship, 2-year teaching corps, and alumni leadership development work. TFA NC has recruited over 4,300 first-year teachers to the Old North State since 1990, who collectively taught more than 255,000 students in their first year of teaching alone. Through innovative local programming and professional development opportunities, TFA North Carolina also continues to support alumni leaders of TFA, including teacher leaders, school leaders, and leaders pursuing child-centered solutions across every sector and field. Learn more through about Teach For America North Carolina.
About the TFA NC RISE Fellowship
The TFA NC Reinvesting in Student Excellence (RISE) Fellowship supports alumni educators in strengthening their practice, growing as leaders, and creating excellent learning opportunities for students across North Carolina.
Since launching in 2022, the RISE Fellowship impact includes:
- 37 fellows serving 4,900+ students in the 2025–2026 school year
- 126 fellows served since launch, impacting 12,500+ students
- 459+ hours of professional development delivered this year
Through RISE, fellows turn learning into action by designing and leading work that strengthens student experiences and contributes to stronger school communities.
At the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)®, we believe the most powerful force in any organization is its people. We partner with organizations worldwide to build leaders and the leadership ecosystems around them, applying our nearly 60 years of experience and research to convert leadership potential into a measurable performance advantage. CCL designs and delivers custom leadership solutions, open-enrollment programs, leadership coaching services, assessments, and enterprise leadership development subscriptions for clients across North America, Europe, India, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
At the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)®, we believe the most powerful force in any organization is its people. We partner with organizations worldwide to build leaders and the leadership ecosystems around them, applying our nearly 60 years of experience and research to convert leadership potential into a measurable performance advantage. CCL designs and delivers custom leadership solutions, open-enrollment programs, leadership coaching services, assessments, and enterprise leadership development subscriptions for clients across North America, Europe, India, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Get our latest insights delivered to your inbox: ccl.org/subscribe.
