The Presidio Institute today announced the selection of twenty-four outstanding professionals from the business, non-profit, academic, philanthropic, and government sectors to participate in the prestigious Presidio Institute Fellows program. The goal of the program is to further develop the capacity of inspired executives to solve complex societal challenges that impact education, health, housing, workforce development, and the environment.

Fellows (listed below) are selected through a competitive application process based on their record of personal achievement, their ability to contribute to the rigorous program, as well as their desire to apply lessons learned to a cross sector effort locally, nationally, or internationally. The program is a year-long, multi-city initiative created in partnership with the Presidio Trust, BlackRock, McKinsey, the United States Office of Personnel Management, and the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.

“We are excited to welcome this outstanding cohort to The Presidio Institute—problem solvers whose organizations have chosen to invest in them to gain a new lens on leadership,” said David B. Smith, Managing Director of the Presidio Institute. “The Institute will shake up outdated mindsets, impart new skills, foster collaborative relationships, and challenge boundaries to bridge all sectors and address needs that could not be met by any one alone.”

Program curriculum provides Fellows the opportunity to focus on building their cross sector leadership skills in a number of ways, including in-person engagements with inspirational leaders from diverse organizations, to an online component through the LEADEROSITY platform which delivers peer-to-peer interactions challenging them to become more collaborative and adaptable leaders. Fellows come to the program with a real world or real business challenge they currently face. They then work with world-class Presidio Institute instructors—and with each other—to apply a cross sector leadership methodology that yields breakthrough results. Through this experience, Fellows will learn how innovative organizations participate in cross sector collaborations, enhance their skill sets, expand their networks, and explore different approaches to solving complex challenges.

The Presidio Institute held its inaugural Fellows program in 2014. During past programs, Fellows had the opportunity to learn from organizations including the White House, Tesla, Blackrock, McKinsey & Co, Google, DC Central Kitchen, the City of Oakland, the United Way, New York University, the Case Foundation, and many others. The first in-person gathering of the 2017 Presidio Institute Fellows will be at the Presidio of San Francisco April 3-7, followed by other in-person learning opportunities in Washington, DC (July 17-21), and New York City (October 16-20).

2017 Presidio Institute Fellows (View complete bios here)
Marty J. Alvarado, Director, Learning Communities, Jobs for the Future
Erin Muffoletto Baca, President, Muffoletto Government Relations
Michael Boland, Chief of Park Development and Operations, Presidio Trust
Daniel Marks Cohen, Vice President, Housing Partnership Development Corporation
Jaime Pursuit Coleman, LinkedIn for Good, LinkedIn
Steve Colwell, Philanthropic Advisor, Philanthropy Associates, LLC
Todd Connor, Founder & CEO, Bunker Labs
Josh Davis, Vice President, External Affairs, Delta Health Alliance
Robert Goodwin, Executive Director, Mattel Children's Foundation and Director, Corporate Affairs, Mattel Inc.
Andy Hall, VP & Chief Program Officer, San Diego Workforce Partnership
Meriah E. Heredia-Griego, PhD, Director & Research Assistant Professor, UNM Center for Education Policy Research
Gustavo A. Herrera, Jr., Western Regional Director, Young Invincibles
Najla Husseini, Director, School Partnerships Division, DC Public Schools
Kristina Kaufmann, Executive Director, Code of Support Foundation
Philip Li, President, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
Jane Packer, Vice President, Communications and Membership Marketing, YMCA of San Francisco
Patrick Schaefer, Executive Director, Hunt Institute, UTEP
Kate Schwass, Executive Director, CollegeSpring
Amy M. Smith, Director, Career Pathways Support Services, Long Beach City College
Amy Spade Silverman, Education Program Officer, United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Abigail Stewart-Kahn, Independent Consultant, Stewart-Kahn Consulting
Graham Walker, Senior Research Scholar, The Witherspoon Institute
Tyrone Roderick Williams, Director, Sacramento Promise Zone, Director of Development, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency
Craig Ziegler, Vice President of Finance, Administration & Investments, California Health Care Foundation

About the Presidio Institute

Presidio Institute is where organizations invest in their problem solvers and gain a new lens on leadership. Its unique training methodology reinvigorates an organization’s leadership culture by inspiring a collaborative mindset, imparting a new skillset, and bridging divides across sectors. The institute was established in 2013 as a project of the Presidio Trust, an innovative federal agency that transformed the Presidio of San Francisco from a military post to a new kind of national park through a cross-sector partnership model. Learn more about Presidio Institute leadership education programs at www.presidio.gov/institute.

About the Presidio Trust

The Presidio Trust is an innovative federal agency created to save the Presidio and employ a partnership approach to transform it into a new kind of national park. Spanning 1,500 acres in a spectacular setting at the Golden Gate, the Presidio now operates without taxpayer support, is home to a community of residents and organizations, and offers unique recreation, hospitality, and educational programs to people throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the world. To learn more, visit www.presidio.gov.