Our Founder

From Corporate Trainer to Social Entrepreneur

I'm Alice Margie, Turner, a former corporate training executive in the insurance and financial service industry. At fifty-something, my corporate career ended abruptly for the second time, and I asked myself, "Now what do I do?" 

It was 2010. I enrolled in Encore! Hartford, a nonprofit leadership development program. Through my Encore! experience and fellowship, I rediscovered my passion for education and reimagined my childhood dream of empowering young minds through culture, community and education.

After working part-time as an adjunct faculty and substitute teacher for years, I needed to find a way to live my dream and follow my passion full-time. In 2017 it happened, I launched URISE, a nonprofit based in Northeast Hartford's Promise Zone followed by Urban Tekk in 2020, a for-profit digital media and technology social enterprise.

In 2021, the same day I celebrated my 65th birthday, I started my retirement party by making my part-time passion my full-time commitment when we opened the doors to The Business Resource and Innovation Center AKA The BRIC proving that dreams really do come true. 

Moral of my story: "You're never too old and it's never too late to dream, do good and make a difference in your community."