About Mer

Speaker, Activist, & Executive

Meredith “Mer” Curry Nuñez is a people-centered process champion, an equity-focused bridge builder, and a heart-level advocate and activist. She focuses her impact, choosing to work with people, organizations, and initiatives that lead to sustainable systems change for the benefit of disadvantaged communities throughout California and beyond. 

With her consulting firm AdvancED Consulting, LLC, Mer empowers clients like the University of California Office of the President, Moneythink, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Stupski Foundation, and Philanthropy University with speaking services, event coordination, project management, and Salesforce administration to uplift students, families, practitioners, and programs to reach their highest potential. 
Mer is a member of the inaugural cohort of appointees to the CA Cradle to Career Data System Community Engagement Advisory Board, the inaugural Board Chair of LEAD Filipino, and a prior Chair and Commissioner of the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women. Mer was inducted into the East Side Hall of Fame in November 2023 for her achievements since she graduated from Piedmont Hills High School (class of 2000). She received Global Tassel’s 2023 Global Community Innovator Award for leading creative, meaningful, and innovative programs that engage our global community contributing to the betterment of humanity, both in the US and the Philippines. Mer was a 2021 Silicon Valley Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree and was recognized by the Eudaimonia Society at the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative as a 2020 Alumni Honoree. A first-generation, Black and Filipina college graduate, Mer earned a B.A. in English from UC Los Angeles, and an M.B.A. from Cal State Long Beach. Raised in the Philippines at a young age, she speaks fluent Tagalog.

Follow Mer on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Testimonials

Mer presented her "Meaningful Meetings Matter" session for two days of the CCC Employee Resource Group Statewide Conference from April 14-15, 2025. The conference theme was Unity in Diversity: Strengthening Community Through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).  Attendees were asked, What impressed you that you plan to apply to your work or life? Any other Comments? The following are their responses:
"Clear examples of how to make meetings more meaningful."
"Setting work boundaries."
"Key reminders to establish in ERG as it relates to meetings."
​"That it is okay to cancel meetings or establish time to catch up and unwind from a busy day. I resonating with the fact that we’re always trying to push ourselves when in reality we need that pause to be the best version of ourselves."
"I really appreciated the handouts and the activities incorporated into the session. I actually left with an actionable goal to implement in the near future."

Attendees were also asked, What single word best captures your overall impression of this session? ​The following are their responses:
"Practical"
"Relevant"
"Resonate" 

Speaker Topics

See the list of topics based on theme and audience and Mer can share more information with a Topic Profile, which includes: Presentation Description, Recommended/Estimated Length, Three Takeaways, and any Bonuses. See a limited list of Topic Profiles below.

Supporting Good Trouble with Good Facilitation

  1. Explore the ways in which diversity, equity, and inclusivity are working or not;
  2. Offer examples of good trouble and how anyone can facilitate the solution to addressing a problem; and
  3. How we can empower people and teams to take GOOD risks while feeling GOOD, together.

Systems that Last Beyond You

  1. How to assess what is and isn't working for you now;
  2. Planning around your needs, not your tools; and
  3. Implementing one step at a time.

BONUS:
The audience will discuss what they learned about themselves, one step they will take to improve their toolkit, and more.

Exploring Intersectionality in the Workplace

  1. How to explore your intersectionalities to clarify the knowledge you already have;
  2. Identifying your strengths to tackle opportunities and challenges with a growth mindset; and
  3. Adapting to each situation by breaking things down and backing yourself up.

Meaningful Meetings Matter​

  1. Find out ways you can engage multiple supporters and collaborators for a broader, stronger initiative.
  2. Get examples of meeting agenda templates that are effective at getting people to not just meet and discuss, but also follow-through on tasks and achieve shared goals.
and more!

Speaker Principles and Workshop Types

Speaker Principles
Mer commits to presentations that are:
​
  • Actionable and Transferable. Attendees will leave our sessions with one or more skills they can immediately apply, new knowledge they can take back to their team, or a new tool to implement.
  • Connective. Attendees will understand the linkages among disparate roles and teams, initiatives and projects, goals and values, to create collaboration and break down silos.
  • Quality. Mer uses experience, case studies, research, and industry best practice to inform every topic, lesson, activity, and resource. 
  • Interactive. Attendees will engage with Mer and each other through participative and experiential formats.
  • Creative. Mer uses creative problem solving to inspire action and outside-of-the-box thinking. 
  • ​Empowering. Mer is committed to including an element of education in presentations. She believes that education is power, so attendees will leave feeling empowered to take action.
Workshop Types
​Mer can facilitate different workshop styles, including:

  • Participatory Lectures. Mer can share information on a topic that will involve the attendees in either small group discussion or Q&A for at least 25% of the session.
  • Participative Panel Discussions. Mer can participate as a panelist or serve as the moderator, drawing connections between the panelists’ perspectives. This style is used to share fresh ideas and generate new knowledge. Mer recommends 3-4 speakers in addition to the moderator, and can support recruitment.
  • Interactive Workshops. Mer facilitates workshops for problem solving which include learning design, activities and engagement tasks, and actionable takeaways.
  • Case Study/Speakers. Mer can present a new and original case study that demonstrates leadership, disrupting the status quo, and developing innovative breakthroughs in thinking.
  • Leadership Challenges. Mer can facilitate 30-minute or less sessions that allow one conceptual or practical problem to be addressed.
  • Ted-Style Talks. Mer can give short, fast presentations with a narrow focus in no more than 20 minutes followed by Q&A.
  • Masterclasses. Mer can give a more senior style of presentation on Mer topics. These require small-room settings with a computer and/or notebook per person, no more than 50 attendees, and require interaction from everyone.