Guilford Education Alliance (GEA) and shift_ed are proud to announce a strategic alignment, effective November 13, 2025  through which GEA’s legacy and impactful initiatives will be carried forward under the umbrella of shift_ed. 

This thoughtful transition builds upon GEA’s decades of community leadership and ensures that their mission to support children, families, and educators across Guilford County continues with strength and purpose. By uniting efforts, shift_ed will be able to expand collaborative initiatives, deepen community partnerships, and advocate even more effectively for educational success in our region.

More than 20 years ago, a unique community collaboration led to the creation of  Guilford Education Alliance (GEA) with a mission to mobilize community support for the Guilford County Schools (GCS). As the fifty-third largest school district in the nation, strong school-community partnerships ensure the success of both students and educators. GEA became a driving force in forging those connections. 

Over the years, GEA has sparked and sustained many successful initiatives, including raising funds for GCS signature career academies, advocating for a historic $2 billion school facilities investment and supporting the placement of school-based telehealth clinics in high-poverty elementary schools. GEA’s Teacher Supply Warehouse has provided over $6 million dollars in free classroom supplies to GCS educators over the years. The popular Principal for a Day program brings community leaders into schools for an authentic, first-hand look at the opportunities and challenges educators face daily. During the COVID-19 pandemic, GEA acted swiftly to raise funds to provide students with laptops and establish Wi-Fi hotspots—ensuring that learning could continue uninterrupted for all students.

GEA was also instrumental in launching Say Yes Guilford, which evolved into shift_ed in 2022. Since then, shift_ed has built a comprehensive network of academic supports, career exploration opportunities, college readiness programs, and community engagement initiatives. shift_ed has awarded over $7 million in scholarships to GCS students, launched the nation’s first hybrid SEO Scholars site with the SEO Scholars NC program, and pioneered innovative career exposure experiences.

Both GEA and shift_ed have a long history of adapting quickly to meet the evolving needs of students and educators. As those needs have continued to change, the two organizations began exploring ways to deepen their partnership and maximize their collective impact. This alignment is the result of strategic conversations between GEA and shift_ed leadership and boards, reflecting a shared vision for the future of education in Guilford County.