Alissa Constable is a marketing consultant and executive producer who creates world-class experiences for brands, companies and nonprofits. In 2004, Constable founded EMERGE/NEXT Leaders, an experiential education company that produces digital and live events to inspire, educate and celebrate diverse and emerging leaders.
Rolling out spoke with Constable, a graduate of Hunter College with a degree in media communications, to learn more about the organization and the learning opportunities it provides.
What inspired you to start EMERGE/NEXT Leaders?
My No. 1 inspiration is my dad. My father was a highly skilled electronic engineer from the West Indies who traveled the world making electronic products. He passed when I was in my teens. I started these types of initiatives not too long after his passing. His engineering mindset helped to focus my wildly creative imagination. From him, I learned the importance of systems thinking and that, when this thinking is put to work, it can create magical experiences and products. This has been critical to my accomplishments as a creative and in business.
In my teens, I was a competitive dancer — a b-girl and breakdancer — and being involved in that culture was amazing and transformative. Hip-hop culture consistently challenged conformity and pushed everyone involved to go deep into creativity and discover yourself. It helped me to know what I can offer the world and be involved in experiences that are bigger than myself and make a positive impact.
What is the mission of EMERGE/NEXT Leaders?
EMERGE/NEXT Leaders is not a solely STEM-focused program. We nurture the minds of emerging leaders who are interested in STEM, creativity and business. I started this organization in my teens and it has remained at a fresh point. Throughout my career, I have seen the tangible benefit that experiential learning experiences that blend creativity and technology can have on the mind.
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