Student fellows are the heart of the Center for Public Leadership’s mission to develop principled, effective public leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing problems.
By Saida Abdalla
This fall, the Center for Public Leadership is thrilled to welcome 121 graduate students into our fellowship community.
The current fellowship community includes 33 international and 88 domestic students and spans degree programs—from the MPP and MBA to degrees in law, medicine, and public health. More than a third are mid-career professionals bringing rich, lived experiences from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Each fellow joins CPL with a commitment to public purpose and a desire to deepen their leadership practice while building community across disciplines and backgrounds.
"Each fellow joins CPL with a commitment to public purpose and a desire to deepen their leadership practice while building community across disciplines and backgrounds."
Saida Abdalla, Senior Program Manager
CPL’s mission is to inspire and enhance the capacity for principled, effective public leadership in government, politics, civil society, and business. Through our diverse portfolio of fellowships—including the Equity, Emirates, George, Gleitsman, Military and Veteran Graduate, Rubenstein, Wolk, and Zuckerman Fellowships—students explore how leadership can advance equity, innovation, entrepreneurship, peace, justice, and social change around the world.
The academic year begins with the Fall Fellows Retreat (September 19–21), intentionally designed to lay the foundation for trust, learning, and connection both within and across fellowships. Over the course of the weekend, fellows will reflect on their leadership journeys, engage deeply with one another, and set a shared tone of curiosity, community, and purpose for the year ahead. Following the retreat the fellows will benefit from a range of opportunities from practitioner dinners and “Lunch & Learns” to policy field experiences and collaborative leadership opportunities across the CPL community.
2025–2026 CPL fellows
fellows are international students
fellows are domestic students
Fellows are supported not only through core fellowship activities but also through Leadership Intensives, Hauser Leader conversations, and faculty-led initiatives that connect them with world-class practitioners and research. The Fellow-Alumni Mentorship Program further strengthens this ecosystem, offering current students one-on-one guidance from former fellows as they navigate their leadership journeys. Together, these opportunities create a dynamic environment where students explore the theory and practice of leadership in ways that are both deeply personal and broadly impactful.
As we look to the year ahead, we are energized by the possibilities. With 116 extraordinary fellows leading the way, the 2025–2026 academic year promises to be one of collaboration, growth, and inspiration.
CPL Fellowships
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