Washington Fellows 2014

This summer the Dickey Center, along with multiple partner organizations across Dartmouth, hosts 25 young leaders from 19 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. They represent a wide range of backgrounds with an incredible array of experiences. These young leaders are the first cohort of the "Washington Fellowship," which is at the center of President Obama's Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI). YALI is a State Department-led program (overseen by the International Research & Exchanges Board - IREX) that is working to provide opportunities to "spur growth, strengthen democratic systems and enhance peace and security."

The goals of the Washington Fellowship are:

  • build and sustain a network of young Sub-Saharan leaders
  • strengthen ties between Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States
  • prepare Fellows for future leadership opportunities in Africa

Overall, 50,000 applied to become Washington Fellows - 500 were accepted. Dartmouth joins 19 other universities throughout the United States to host cohorts of 25 who will participate in institutes centered on one of three topical areas: business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and public management.

Dartmouth’s Washington Fellows Institute is focused on business and entrepreneurship. We will present two academic components that complement one another:  an entrepreneurship course and an intensive design thinking workshop. Our Fellows will leave the Dartmouth program with a core understanding of business and entrepreneurship gained through intensive classroom work, hands-on experiences with innovative design thinking, and an integrated set of opportunities to explore concepts of civic engagement and leadership. We also will provide them with multiple opportunities for cultural and social activities in the setting of a beautiful rural Vermont/New Hampshire summer.

In the coming months we look forward to sharing more about our incoming cohort and the progress of our first Washington Fellows Institute.