Past Events
Book Mer to manage your next event!Mer has coordinated events since she was in high school! Over the last two decades, she has honed her event management skills, tools, and templates to help clients across the country host engaging and impactful events.
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Mer coordinated or had a lead role in the success of the following events. In addition to the events highlighted below, Mer was the Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of the Northern California College Promise Coalition (NCCPC) for all events hosted from July 2020 through August 2025.
2025 2-Day Virtual Pop Up Healing Center, January 4-5, 2025
AdvancED hosted a two-day virtual event to provide multiple healing modalities to people across the state. Activities included Music through dance and sound baths, Story-telling through journaling and artwork, Introspection and reflection through meditation and spiritual transformation, and Connection to each other and ancestors through ancestral techniques.
NCCPC NorCal Nonprofit CEOs Gathering, November 12, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. The event was a discussion with NCCPC member nonprofit CEOs and leaders across 13 counties, from NorCal to Central Valley, to unite us in a common agenda for the remainder of the academic year. Strategically scheduled after the presidential elections, this meeting will offer a safe restorative space for community-building and thought-partnership.
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) San Jose Annual Financial Aid Workshop, November 1, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. This event focused on the power of financial literacy and coordinated financial aid support across the city. NCCPC co-hosted the only financial aid workshop hosted in the City of San Jose in partnership with San Jose City College and the CSAC.
Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities (AICCU) Annual Meeting 2024, October 8, 2024
Panel coordinator representing NCCPC with Santa Clara University and the Southern California College Attainment Network on “Working with Community Based-Organizations in a Post-Race Conscious Admissions Landscape.”
An Overview of CA's Cradle to Career Platforms and Programs, August 28, 2024
Event Manager, host, and facilitator for a statewide webinar for elected and appointed officials to strengthen their ability to advocate for equitable education policies while supporting the implementation of active legislation and statewide programs.
NCCPC 2024 Joint Convening for Elected Officials & Funders, July 17, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. A key gathering point for those actively involved in shaping educational policy and promoting economic mobility, those NCCPC refers to as Champions of Higher Education Equity, the event was an opportunity to delve into the collective efforts that make a real difference in the lives of students from Sacramento to the Central Valley.
Independent Cities Association ICA 2024 Summer Seminar, July 12, 2024
Panel coordinator representing NCCPC with now Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez on “Strengthening Cradle-to-Career Ecosystems in Your City.” The session highlighted NCCPC’s Education Cities Initiative Toolkit, a resource for cities to embed the value of education in local governments and elevate partnerships to eliminate poverty and enhance quality of life.
NCCPC San Jose Education Forum 2024, April 26, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC who co-hosted the city’s first-ever education forum in partnership with several PK-20 institutions and community organizations.
Santa Clara County Women's Leadership & Policy Summit 2024, March 23, 2024
Panel coordinator for the panel “Cultivating Emotional Well-being and Safe Spaces for Diverse Women.” The session focused on creating a holistic understanding of fostering positive emotional well-being and building safe spaces, particularly focusing on the unique needs of diverse women in the community.
Community College League of California’s 2023 Annual Convention, November 18, 2023
Panel coordinator on the topic “When Colleges, Communities, and Cities Unite, We Can End Poverty” with San Jose City College President Dr. Rowena Tomaneng and Libby Schaaf, the 50th Mayor of Oakland in Indian Wells, CA.
National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education, June 3, 2023
Panel coordinator on the topic “#HandsOffMyScholarship! Eliminate Scholarship Displacement, Increase College Affordability” in New Orleans, LA.
Grantmakers for Education Conference, October 18, 2022
Panel coordinator on the topic “Data Democratized: Leveraging Data to Cultivate Authentic Partnerships for Student Success” in Austin, TX.
California College Affordability Summit, April 20, 2022
Panel coordinator for the topic “Summer Melt Prevention: How Programs and Colleges Can Work Together” (virtual).
2020 National Civic Leadership Forum, September 12-20, 2020
AdvancED was the Event Manager of the nine-day national, virtual conference National Civic Leadership Forum in 2020, a virtual community platform built on the grassroots, bottom-up submission of ideas and proposals. The ownership of the 2020 NCLF platform belongs to our diverse multi-cultural groups covering seven or more ethnicities that provided the content and delivery of the event sessions. AdvancED built a team of consultants to partner with the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA), and Ding Ding TV on this event.
2020 7-Day Virtual Pop Up Healing Center, June 6-12, 2020
AdvancED was the Event Manager and co-host of a seven-day virtual event with Surrendered Healing to provide multiple healing modalities to people across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities were provided by 21 healers of color and included Music through dance and sound baths, Story-telling through journaling and artwork, Introspection and reflection through meditation and spiritual transformation, and Connection to each other and ancestors through ancestral techniques.
2025 2-Day Virtual Pop Up Healing Center, January 4-5, 2025
AdvancED hosted a two-day virtual event to provide multiple healing modalities to people across the state. Activities included Music through dance and sound baths, Story-telling through journaling and artwork, Introspection and reflection through meditation and spiritual transformation, and Connection to each other and ancestors through ancestral techniques.
NCCPC NorCal Nonprofit CEOs Gathering, November 12, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. The event was a discussion with NCCPC member nonprofit CEOs and leaders across 13 counties, from NorCal to Central Valley, to unite us in a common agenda for the remainder of the academic year. Strategically scheduled after the presidential elections, this meeting will offer a safe restorative space for community-building and thought-partnership.
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) San Jose Annual Financial Aid Workshop, November 1, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. This event focused on the power of financial literacy and coordinated financial aid support across the city. NCCPC co-hosted the only financial aid workshop hosted in the City of San Jose in partnership with San Jose City College and the CSAC.
Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities (AICCU) Annual Meeting 2024, October 8, 2024
Panel coordinator representing NCCPC with Santa Clara University and the Southern California College Attainment Network on “Working with Community Based-Organizations in a Post-Race Conscious Admissions Landscape.”
An Overview of CA's Cradle to Career Platforms and Programs, August 28, 2024
Event Manager, host, and facilitator for a statewide webinar for elected and appointed officials to strengthen their ability to advocate for equitable education policies while supporting the implementation of active legislation and statewide programs.
NCCPC 2024 Joint Convening for Elected Officials & Funders, July 17, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC. A key gathering point for those actively involved in shaping educational policy and promoting economic mobility, those NCCPC refers to as Champions of Higher Education Equity, the event was an opportunity to delve into the collective efforts that make a real difference in the lives of students from Sacramento to the Central Valley.
Independent Cities Association ICA 2024 Summer Seminar, July 12, 2024
Panel coordinator representing NCCPC with now Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez on “Strengthening Cradle-to-Career Ecosystems in Your City.” The session highlighted NCCPC’s Education Cities Initiative Toolkit, a resource for cities to embed the value of education in local governments and elevate partnerships to eliminate poverty and enhance quality of life.
NCCPC San Jose Education Forum 2024, April 26, 2024
Event Manager as the employed Executive Director of NCCPC who co-hosted the city’s first-ever education forum in partnership with several PK-20 institutions and community organizations.
Santa Clara County Women's Leadership & Policy Summit 2024, March 23, 2024
Panel coordinator for the panel “Cultivating Emotional Well-being and Safe Spaces for Diverse Women.” The session focused on creating a holistic understanding of fostering positive emotional well-being and building safe spaces, particularly focusing on the unique needs of diverse women in the community.
Community College League of California’s 2023 Annual Convention, November 18, 2023
Panel coordinator on the topic “When Colleges, Communities, and Cities Unite, We Can End Poverty” with San Jose City College President Dr. Rowena Tomaneng and Libby Schaaf, the 50th Mayor of Oakland in Indian Wells, CA.
National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education, June 3, 2023
Panel coordinator on the topic “#HandsOffMyScholarship! Eliminate Scholarship Displacement, Increase College Affordability” in New Orleans, LA.
Grantmakers for Education Conference, October 18, 2022
Panel coordinator on the topic “Data Democratized: Leveraging Data to Cultivate Authentic Partnerships for Student Success” in Austin, TX.
California College Affordability Summit, April 20, 2022
Panel coordinator for the topic “Summer Melt Prevention: How Programs and Colleges Can Work Together” (virtual).
2020 National Civic Leadership Forum, September 12-20, 2020
AdvancED was the Event Manager of the nine-day national, virtual conference National Civic Leadership Forum in 2020, a virtual community platform built on the grassroots, bottom-up submission of ideas and proposals. The ownership of the 2020 NCLF platform belongs to our diverse multi-cultural groups covering seven or more ethnicities that provided the content and delivery of the event sessions. AdvancED built a team of consultants to partner with the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA), and Ding Ding TV on this event.
2020 7-Day Virtual Pop Up Healing Center, June 6-12, 2020
AdvancED was the Event Manager and co-host of a seven-day virtual event with Surrendered Healing to provide multiple healing modalities to people across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities were provided by 21 healers of color and included Music through dance and sound baths, Story-telling through journaling and artwork, Introspection and reflection through meditation and spiritual transformation, and Connection to each other and ancestors through ancestral techniques.
