The Retreat
Oak Bluffs: Martha’s Vineyard
June 21-24, 2027
Annual RetreatFour days to reconnect with your work your worth and your community.
The annual retreat is an invite only gathering for Black admissions and college counseling professionals. The experience combines discussion based learning peer problem solving leadership development restorative time and community in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.
June 21–24 2027 | Oak Bluffs : Martha's Vineyard | 30–40 participants
Day 1: Arrive
I2I Retreaters arrive to a purposeful space and place. To immediately show up as their authentic selves, network, and connect. Day 1 Networking, Happy Hour, and Dinner.
Day 2 & Day 3: Focus Days
Along with curated spaces in the morning, afternoon lunch, networking happy hour, and dinners - retreaters will immerse in and explore identity self worth restoration and the ways each shapes professional presence in their roles. Focus sessions ranging from mental health, mindfulness, leading in your role, and curated topics will bring retreaters a new sense of how to be impactful leaders at school and within the community.
Day 4: Depart
Retreaters leave with a refreshed sense of belonging, support, and a stalwart network to be the best in their respective roles in counseling, higher education, and beyond.
Immediate Community at StartThe inaugural 2026 retreat brought experienced professionals together across institutions roles and career stages.
25
Participants: range in experience and networks
11
States covering all US quadrants
60%
Sixty percent of the cohort brought senior experience
50%
Held director dean vice president senior enrollment or independent consultant roles
What makes The Retreat Different?
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An intimate cohort built for trust candor and meaningful relationship building
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Discussion based sessions shaped by challenges participants are actively navigating
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Professional growth that includes spaces for identity recognition, self healing in tough spaces, seeing ourselves in leadership, and upward mobility
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Time to experience Oak Bluffs and connect outside formal sessions with a truly supportive community
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A community designed to continue after participants leave the island and 4-days of curated experiences and breakthrough development
Testimonials
Ink2Impact Collective has had tremendous impact in the first year. Learn more below from our honored first annual retreaters.
“The promise of rest restoration and being part of something very special brought me here. I would absolutely recommend the retreat and I think the group size is perfection.”
Anita Hua | HS college counselor“What a fabulous retreat. I needed this experience and these people more than I realized. I left feeling encouraged inspired and incredibly grateful.”
Jade Johnson | hS college Counselor“The curation of this retreat is more than a beautiful idea of gathering community. To experience community in such a unique intimate way is really special.”
Curtis Johnson | HS college CounselorOur Statement, Our WhyThe Ink 2 Impact Collective was born from a simple yet powerful truth: transformation happens when Black higher education professionals come together with intention and purpose. In a field where we often find ourselves as the only ones in the room, this collective serves as a vital gathering space for connection, conversation, and community.
We founded this collective because we recognized the need for more than professional networking. We needed a space where Black educators, administrators, counselors, and higher education leaders could bring their whole selves. A space where our experiences are centered, our voices are amplified, and our collective wisdom drives meaningful change in the institutions we serve.
At the heart of our work is the understanding that our strength multiplies when we stand together. Our individual success is inextricably linked to our collective thriving. Through intentional gatherings, mentorship, and collaborative initiatives, we're building a community that not only supports its members but also actively transforms the landscape of higher education.
The Ink 2 Impact Collective is where strategy meets soul. It is where we move from isolation to collaboration, from surviving to thriving, and from individual impact to collective transformation. Together, we're writing a new narrative for Black excellence in higher education, one that honors both our professional ambitions and our need for authentic community.
This is more than a professional organization. It's a movement rooted in the belief that when Black higher education professionals unite, we create ripples of change that extend far beyond our individual institutions, touching the lives of countless students and reshaping the future of education itself.
Warren Quirett, M.Ed.
Visionary & Co-Founder - Ink2Impact Collective
Associate Director of college Counseling
the episcopal school
alexandria, VA