Welcome to College Summit

National Capital Region

College Summit can trace its roots back 12 years to the Adams Morgan District in Washington, DC, where J.B. Schramm (College Summit’s CEO & Founder) directed the Good Shepherd Teen Center.  There, J.B. saw bright, capable students graduating from high school but heading to the street instead of college.  In 1993, while working with four high school seniors from the center, J.B. developed a college access program that became the heart of College Summit.  Since that time, we have served over 3,000 students from the National Capital Region.

Until 2004, we worked exclusively in the District, where the college access challenge is critical—in 2005, the District ranked 46^th in the nation in terms of the college enrollment rate of low-income students.^[i] And with college counselor-to-student ratios at 315:1 in large DC public high schools, there is insufficient guidance for youth who could thrive in college. 

In 2005, College Summit issued a request for proposals (RFP) from surrounding school districts with the intent of securing a district-level, multi-year partnership that would push us closer to our goal of proving sustainability and scalability.  Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and Alexandria City Schools responded to the RFP.  While both districts engaged in a pilot model in 2005, PGCPS expressed interest in a district-wide, multi-year engagement.  In 2006-07, College Summit will continue to expand its outreach to serve a record 1,200 students (580 in Prince George’s County, 575 in the District, and 100 in Alexandria and Arlington counties). 

In April 2006, Donna Fleming was brought on as Executive Director for the NCR and her experienced leadership has helped secure a long-term, high-level engagement with Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) resulting in a solidified three-year relationship that includes a substantial financial commitment, the majority of which will be used to drive growth in the National Capital Region. 

Over the next five years, College Summit’s primary strategic growth priority in the National Capital Region will be focused on district sales:  the engagement of three to five school districts in long-term, district-wide partnerships.  By 2010, our growth plan charts a course to serve over 5,000 students annually from districts in Maryland (specifically PGCPS, where we are experiencing our most significant growth) Virginia, and the District of Columbia.  Further regional expansion may encompass Baltimore City Public Schools and additional districts in Virginia.

College Summit’s long-term goal is to prove that at scale, it can increase the college enrollment of low-income students, community-wide, and at a price that the community can afford.  By ensuring that all college-capable students enroll, College Summit can reverse intergenerational cycles of poverty and help build vibrant communities throughout the National Capital Region.

Regional Site Board

• James W. Dyke, Jr. (Board Chair)
  Partner, Mcguire Woods, LLP 
• Dr. Alvin Thornton
  Associate Provost, Howard University
• Angela M. Antonelli
  Director of Federal Strategy and Operations, Deliotte Consulting LLP
• Nancy Kuhn
  Director of External Relations, The Business-Higher Education Forum
• Richard Levy
  President, The Levy Group; Washington Trustee; Federal City Executive Committee Member
• Mary MacPherson
  President, M2Works, LLC
• Julie Mikuta
  Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund
• Verdia Haywood
  Deputy County Executive, Fairfax County
• Connie Jameson
  Government Relations Consultant, Nelson Mullins & Scarborough, LLP
• Corenthia Sartin
  College Summit Alumna '97
• Judy Wurtzel
  Senior Fellow, The Aspen Institute 
• J.B. Schramm
  Founder and CEO of College Summit