ACE Academy Welcomes Angela Rye for 4th Annual Night of Excellence Gala

As communities search for preventative solutions for young people, ACE Academy celebrates 14 years of investing before the crisis

SEATTLE, WA — Across Washington and the country, communities are asking urgent questions about youth violence, mental health, belonging and what it takes to keep young people connected to opportunity. For the founders of ACE Academy, one answer is straightforward:

Invest in young people before they need intervention.

For 14 years, ACE Academy has been doing just that—building sustained relationships with young people through culturally responsive mentorship, academic enrichment, career exposure, paid internships, mental health and wellness supports, scholarships and trusted adults who remain in their lives well beyond a single program or school year.

On Saturday, October 24, 2026, ACE will celebrate that work at its 4th Annual Night of Excellence Gala at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in Renton, featuring attorney, political strategist, social justice advocate and award-winning host Angela Rye, Esq. as keynote speaker. The gala theme, “Honoring Excellence. Building Legacies. Creating Futures.”, reflects a philosophy ACE’s three co-founders recently shared in The REAL Problem: ACE’s Founders on What Education Still Gets Wrong: systems too often wait to invest until something has gone wrong.

“We’re a preventative service, not a service after the fact,” said ACE co-founder CJ Dancer.

That philosophy has shaped ACE since its beginning. ACE starts building relationships with young people as early as middle school and continues through high school, college, careers and adulthood. One young man highlighted in the founders’ recent article began with ACE in middle school, received continued support and scholarships through college, and recently graduated and began his career in public relations. That long relationship, not a quick intervention, is the model.

“Everybody is talking about prevention right now, and they should be,” ACE’s founders said. “But prevention isn’t something you create after a crisis. It’s having somewhere to go. Somebody knowing your name. Adults noticing when something changes. Exposure to opportunities you didn’t know existed. And a community that stays with you long enough to see who you become.”

ACE’s work has also expanded beyond young people themselves. Through its Black Educator Institute, ACE invests in the Black male educators and mentors who serve young people, addressing representation, professional community, belonging and the conditions necessary for Black men to remain and thrive in education. As co-founder Marcus Harden reflected in the recent article, ACE’s summer program intentionally surrounds young people with many different examples of Black men and what their futures might look like.

The article captured the idea simply:

“One Black male teacher in a building is a statistic. Fifteen is a mirror.”

Night of Excellence is both a celebration of what ACE has built and an invitation to help sustain what comes next. Rye brings a special connection to this year’s celebration. She serves as Principal and CEO of IMPACT Strategies, formerly served as Executive Director and General Counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus, and is a proud alumna of both the University of Washington and Seattle University School of Law.

Funds raised through Night of Excellence will support ACE Academy’s youth and career programming, scholarships and opportunities for ACE students and alumni, and its continued work to develop and sustain Black male educators.

“We’re not claiming to be the savior or the quick fix,” ACE’s founders said. “We’re saying something much simpler: fund relationships, opportunity and belonging before the crisis, not just responses afterward.”

And on October 24, ACE is inviting the community to celebrate what nearly 15 years of showing up looks like, and help build the next 15, the equation is simple…

Excellent people + Excellent energy + Excellent cause = WE, ARE EXCELLENCE!

EVENT DETAILS

4th Annual ACE Academy Night of Excellence

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.  |  Dinner: 6:30 p.m.

Hyatt Regency Lake Washington

1053 Lake Washington Blvd N

Renton, WA 98056

For tickets, registration and sponsorship opportunities: Linktr.ee/Acewa

ABOUT ACE ACADEMY

Founded in 2012, ACE Academy creates culturally responsive educational, mentoring, career and leadership opportunities for young people and strengthens pathways for Black male educators. Grounded in its FAME framework—Family, Academics, Motivation and Environment—ACE believes meaningful youth development is built through consistent relationships, opportunity, belonging and community. Learn more at aceacademywa.org.