Inaugural Warren Workshop Awards 26 Certificates in Negotiation

Record-Breaking Philanthropic Gift Makes Immediate Impact

On Thursday, March 13, twenty-six Upper School students successfully completed the inaugural Warren Workshop series, an elective four-week interactive workshop within the Ross Roeder Institute for Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Economics (RRI) at Shorecrest. Envisioned to offer an evolving set of relevant topics, skills, and guest experts, the inaugural Warren Workshop series centered around the art of negotiation. The classes taught students negotiation fundamentals, real-world applications, key strategies and hands-on practice. The RRI's first Warren Workshop series was taught by entrepreneur and investor Zach Coopersmith, Managing Partner of Jewell Hollow, with a guest session co-taught by David Vetter, Chief Legal Officer for TD SYNNEX. 

"Our first-ever Warren Workshop series was incredible," said Earl Walton, Director of the RRI. "Nearly 30 students came to an 8am elective workshop week after week - on a late-start day, no less. They were interested and engaged in the topic, in large part because of our guest lecturers. The best part is that the concepts and skills learned are so immediately applicable to their lives now, giving them a strong foundation on which to build for the future." 

Shorecrest junior Cole Oman '26 was one of the 26 Upper School students to earn the first-ever Warren Workshop series certificate of completion. For him, the workshop experience was a lightbulb moment. He said, "I always thought that my compassion would hold me back in this field as I thought of negotiation as people trying to take advantage of each other and the strongest would win. Turns out, compassion is an incredibly powerful tool in the world of negotiations. Now I feel more equipped to stand out and excel in a college-level business course as well as to find common ground and unique solutions in everyday situations."

The Warren Workshop was made possible by the largest single philanthropic gift to Shorecrest - a gift of over $1.1 million made anonymously in May 2024. Inspired and excited by the Ross Roeder Institute and the million-dollar gift that launched it, the donor chose to create and name the Warren Workshop in honor of a beloved family member. The gift, made only one year after the creation of the Ross Roeder Institute at Shorecrest, fuels and forwards the momentum of the RRI. 

"We wanted to help bring the classroom teachings to life," shared the donor. "Building on the curriculum that is being designed [within the RRI], the goal of the Warren Workshop is to ensure the students get a chance to apply those teachings in real-world scenarios. Through these experiential-based workshops, students will cultivate a broad variety of skills, both technical and interpersonal, which just aren't possible to learn from a textbook alone."

Upper School students at Shorecrest were eager to take advantage of this new opportunity and appreciated the chance to learn from business leaders themselves. Simi Damani '26 shared, "Although the workshop took place an hour before school started and all of us could have been sleeping, Mr.Coopersmith did a great job of making negotiation relatable, interesting and worth the early morning. Additionally, he gifted us his favorite negotiation skills book ["Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury] to continue to grow our negotiation abilities beyond this workshop." 

Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 school year, Shorecrest is poised to offer more Warren Workshop series, each with a different set of topics. Themes like public speaking and project management are two that are currently under consideration. 

While 26 students completed the full series, nearly 40 students attended at least one of the workshops, finding that even a single session provided an immediately useful skill. "I think it was so incredible to be able to learn something I think I can use every day and in my future career!" said Cole Oman '26. "I am excited to attend workshops on other business-related topics."

RRI Director Earl Walton shared, "The idea is that students can take multiple rotations and gain exposure to a variety of guest experts and real-world applications of RRI concepts." Earning Warren Workshop certificates is intended to become a requirement for receiving the RRI diploma designation, available for students starting with the Class of 2028. 

In addition to being an in-demand curricular opportunity, the Warren Workshop is envisioned to become a physical space on campus. "Like the STEAM program has the Makerspace and robotics labs, we aspire to someday have a physical workshop space for the RRI and its umbrella programs and students. Philanthropy is the stepping stone for mission-aligned donor passions that may be just beyond our grasp today, but well within our reach tomorrow, if we do it together," says Michael Gillis, Director of Advancement.

"This historic gift is a testament to our community's belief in the Ross Roeder Institute," said Head of School Nancy Spencer. "Building the Warren Workshop as a pillar of the RRI gives our students the opportunity to learn real-world skills that equip students for life outside of the classroom. The program is also a great differentiator for Shorecrest."

Launched in 2023, the Ross Roeder Institute for Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Economics encompasses the Warren Workshop and the Kurland Entrepreneurial Business Incubator (K-EBI), two initiatives made possible by philanthropic gifts, augmenting the initial million-dollar gift that launched the RRI.