Aspen Global Leadership Network

What can grow from a commitment to put leadership into action? For Henry Crown Fellow Yemi Dele Akinyemi, that commitment helped inspire Moonshot—an initiative he created and leads to champion young leaders tackling global challenges. Inspired by his Fellowship experience, Yemi is helping others turn their ideas into action in service of a better world. On November 12 in New York, the 2026 Moonshot Awards will celebrate young leaders and the ideas, projects, and movements they’re building. Join the celebration, hear their stories, and discover what’s possible when leadership meets action. Find event details and tickets in the original post below. 🚀

As we head into the weekend, we're thinking about the 60+ participants representing 30 Fellowships and programs who gathered at the The Aspen Institute office in Washington, DC, last week: a true cross-section of the Aspen Fellowship ecosystem, all in one room. 🌿 What stood out most? The conversations. We traded lessons learned, shared unique approaches, and celebrated one another, coming together with a common calling to show up for leadership, for each other, and for the Fellows we serve. This is how a Fellowship of Fellowships grows. Thank you to everyone who attended, shared, and listened. Your openness and generosity made the day what it was, and we can’t wait to see what we build next, together. 🤝 A big dose of gratitude to Anan Kittana and the Aspen Fellowship Day co-leads, Rachel Alexander, Millicent Bender, Peggy Clark, Alexis Ettinger, Tommy Loper, Eli Malinsky, and Dar Vanderbeck for their leadership crafting this time together. In the days followed, more colleagues across the Institute ecosystem joined together for the third annual Staff Retreat on Leadership. Through text-based seminars, peer learning sessions, and collaborative discussions, participants reflected on past lessons and exchanged ideas on strengthening leadership development, building communities, and expanding opportunities for cross-Institute collaboration. A big thank you to Tommy Loper and the retreat co-leads Rachel Alexander, Olivia Cleaves, Phoebe Copeland, Alexis Ettinger, Stace Lindsay, and María Ortiz Pérez for making the space to come together.

What if vulnerability was seen as integral to strong leadership? In reflecting on what leadership needs more of right now, Rudy Espinoza, President and CEO of Inclusive Action for the City (Civil Society Fellow and 2026 John P. McNulty Prize Winner) returned to the courage it takes to be vulnerable. He spoke about the pressure leaders can feel to appear certain, stay on "their side", and prove that they are right. But when leadership becomes driven by ego or fear, it can become harder to see what the moment actually requires. Rudy offers another way forward, one that makes room for honesty, humility, and the willingness to admit when we are wrong or need help. In his view, that openness is what allows people to come together in ways that can lead to real transformation. Strong leadership does not require having all the answers. Sometimes it begins with being willing to loosen our grip on certainty and create enough trust for something better to emerge. What might become possible if more people felt able to lead with that kind of vulnerability? McNulty Foundation

Some of the most meaningful leadership questions are the ones we don’t have easy answers to. Across the AGLN community, Fellows are navigating change, responsibility, uncertainty, and the everyday work of trying to lead with intention. We’d love to hear what you’re sitting with right now. What leadership question is on your mind? Maybe it’s something you’re wrestling with in your work, your community, or your own growth as a leader. Add your question in the comments. There’s a good chance someone else in this community is thinking about it too.

Congratulations to the Founding Cohort of the Health Innovators Accelerator on completing their first seminar together in Washington, DC. Over three days, 23 senior leaders from across life sciences, digital health, payers, providers, policy, nonprofit, and investment came together to step outside the demands of their day-to-day roles, learn across sectors, and begin building the trust and relationships needed to take on some of health care’s most complex challenges. Produced by the Health Innovators Fellowship, HIA was created for leaders whose work increasingly depends on collaboration beyond their own organizations and areas of expertise. Join us in celebrating Gautam Aggarwal MD, Henish A. Bhansali, MD, FACP, Jess Bossmann, Tanisha Carino, Sarah Johnson Conway, MD, Hannah Drummond-Hay, Christopher Furlow, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, Zack Gray, Kendra J. Grubb, MD, MHA, MSc, FACC, Paul Hanus, Vishal Jayakumar, Shannon Kennedy, Ali Khan, MD, MPP, Jessica Perlo, Juliette Price, Amanda Roberts, Melindah Sharma, Hamilton Shawn, Dr. Amanda Shrout, DNP, RN, CCNS, CEN, EBP(CH), CENP, Jeffrey Sitko, Douglas Streat, Daniel Tartakovsky, and Josh Taylor. This first seminar marks an important milestone in their nine-month journey. In the months ahead, the cohort will continue learning from one another, working across boundaries, and bringing new thinking back to the patients, communities, and organizations they serve. To the Founding Cohort, congratulations on this first chapter. We’re excited to see what you build together.

We’re looking forward to seeing AGLN Fellows at Aspen Ideas: Economy in Tulsa, both on stage and in the audience. A special shoutout to Ida Rademacher, Vice President at The Aspen Institute and Co-Executive Director of The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program Security Program and a Finance Leaders Fellow in the AGLN, one of the leaders behind Aspen Ideas: Economy. Ida has spent years creating space for people across sectors to come together around some of the most pressing questions about financial security, economic inclusion, and opportunity. Her leadership has helped shape a gathering grounded in thoughtful dialogue, new perspectives, and a shared interest in building an economy that works better for more people. We’re also excited to see John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments (Henry Crown Fellowship), join the program as a speaker. John brings decades of experience in investing and leadership, along with a deep commitment to expanding opportunity and using his influence in service of something larger. It’s always meaningful to see Fellows bring their experiences and perspectives into spaces like this, while reconnecting with others from across the network. If you’ll be joining us in Tulsa, what conversation are you most excited about?

Congratulations to the inaugural class of the Technology Leaders Initiative on completing the first seminar of their two-year Fellowship journey! The seminar brought together 20 senior leaders from across the global technology ecosystem, creating space to step away from the demands of their daily work, reflect on the responsibilities of leadership, and learn alongside peers navigating shared challenges and opportunities. At a time of rapid technological change, the Fellowship invites these leaders to consider not only what the future of technology might hold, but also how they can help shape it in service of a better world. This is just the beginning. Over the next two years, these Fellows will deepen the relationships, perspectives, and commitments that inform how they lead and what they can accomplish together. Congratulations to the inaugural class on this important first step. Here's to the conversations, connections, and possibilities ahead. 📸 Class 1 Fellows Pictured: Alex-Handrah Aime, Aseem Datar, Iason Gabriel, Lisa Gevelber, Holly Herndon, Emilia Javorsky MD, MPH, Irina Kofman, Nina Lozinski, Thomas McLeod, David Meyer, Nick Myerberg, Jessica Orkin, Leke Osinubi, Govind Shivkumar, Richard Socher, Mahesh Sudhakaran, John Tass-Parker, Giles Whiting, Luhan Yang, and Cecilia ZHOU.

“Todo pasa.” Everything passes. For Marcela Fernandez, Founder of Glacier Nation (Aspen Colombia, 2026 McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund Awardee), that reminder has helped her move through some of the most uncertain chapters of her life. Marcela left university without knowing exactly what would come next. Looking back, she says, “the world has been my university.” What uncertainty gave her was not a clear plan, but a deeper trust in her intuition, in the people who would enter her life, and in the communities that would help her keep moving forward. She describes it through the image of water. Rather than trying to control every turn, there are moments when we have to surrender, allow ourselves to flow, and trust that the path will reveal itself. That kind of trust does not remove uncertainty, but it can change how we move through it. For leaders, there is something powerful in that distinction. We may not always know exactly where the path is leading, but we can remain open, grounded, and attentive to what is asking to emerge along the way. What has uncertainty taught you to trust more deeply? McNulty Foundation

Final call for 2027 Resnick Aspen Action Forum Gone Global proposals. AGLN Fellows around the world are invited to help shape what comes next for the Resnick Aspen Action Forum by bringing the gathering into their own regions and communities. These gatherings are an opportunity to create something rooted in the strengths, questions, culture, and character of your own community, while staying grounded in what has always defined the Action Forum: meaningful dialogue, deeper relationships, and leadership in action. If you have a vision for bringing Fellows together in your region, now is the time to share it. Proposals close Friday, October 9, 2026. Learn more and submit your proposal: https://lnkd.in/eJm36EDG