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Congratulations on your nomination as an exceptional leader to apply for the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship! We seek visionary leaders with big ideas, ready to make a quantum leap forward to fuel opportunity for America’s children and families.

If you have any questions regarding this application, please email Lori Severens at
lori.severens@aspeninstitute.org or by phone at +1 (202) 736-2920.

CRITERIA

Candidates for the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship should:

Have a bold idea that can “move the needle” on policies, systems, and practices centered on our youngest children and their families;
Be at an inflection point in their leadership, with a big idea and readiness for action;
Embody an entrepreneurial spirit and high-impact drive;
Embrace a commitment to justice, equity, and an inclusive mindset;
Value lifelong growth, diverse perspectives, lived experience, and innovation in service of children and families;
Ensure that families and their success are at the center of change;
Represent the talent, potential, and diversity of our country, including sector, geography, gender, ability, race and ethnicity.

This cohort will focus on leaders with big ideas to advance economic prosperity, educational success, and well-being for our youngest children and their families. We remain committed to tackling the ever-present effects of poverty and racial and gender inequity and advancing a two-generation approach.

While strong candidates represent a range of disciplines and sectors, we will prioritize the following types of leaders, innovation, and impact:

Leaders in the public, private, and social sectors with breakthrough ideas to reduce infant and maternal mortality
Non-profit or business leaders with transformative ideas around early learning systems and the workforce
State or local leaders ready to redesign public systems to focus on the well-being of our youngest children and families
Journalists, academic, or cultural influencers breaking through the noise to open hearts and minds to children and their families’ dreams

IMPORTANT APPLICATION DATES

Application deadline: February 9, 2024
Semi-finalist notification: March 2024
Semi-finalist interviews: April - May 2024
Fellowship notification and acceptance: June 2024
Public Announcement: September 2024

To preview the APPLICATION that follows, CLICK HERE. THE PROGRAM The Ascend Fellowship is an 18-month journey of thought-provoking reflection, inspiration, and action based on the Aspen Institute’s 70-year history of leadership development. We seek leaders with an inventive spirit, commitment to justice, and an inclusive mindset who are on a lifelong journey to build their skills and understanding around equity and inclusion and ensure that families are at the center of change. Each class is selected through a highly competitive nomination and application process. Fellows commit to participating in four Forums, monthly check-ins, and to creating and implementing an action plan that is designed to amplify and accelerate your current leadership and goals to advance family prosperity and well-being and concretely improves the educational, economic and health of children and families. This cohort will also offer the unique opportunity of an invitation to your agency administrator, board chair, CEO, or other appropriate senior executive to the second forum to strengthen the network of support for your leadership as well as help build collaboration across the field.

In return, you get the space, inspiration, and support to develop something meaningful and have the Aspen Institute use its influence and reach to amplify your leadership. 2024 Ascend Fellows will join a powerful community of 140 Ascend Fellow alumni and the Ascend Network of almost 530 partner organizations serving 12 million children and families across all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Ireland, and Rwanda. Fellows have access to strategic support and coaching from Ascend and the Aspen Institute’s convening and media platforms. Fellowship Forums are high-trust environments that enable candid peer-to-peer leadership conversations, grounded in self and system examination. We use the Socratic method and compelling contemporary and historical texts to ground our seminar discussions. We combine that space for reflection with high-impact strategies and work that reflect the most critical challenges families and communities face today.

IMPORTANT FELLOWSHIP COMMITMENTS (All Fellows must commit to these dates. No exceptions.)*

Forum I (Aspen, Colorado) September 16 - 20, 2024
Forum II (Aspen, Colorado) April 7 - 11, 2025
Forum III (Location TBD) October 20 - 24, 2025
Forum IV (Location TBD) March 2 - 6, 2026

* Please note that our attendance policy requires 100 percent participation with no exceptions except family emergency/illness.

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Hidden Fields

Cohort ID

Program ID

Applicant's Information

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Name Pronunciation:

Birthdate:

Gender (optional):

Race/Ethnicity (optional):

Other Gender:

Please list your pronouns (optional):

Other Race/Ethnicity:

Applicant Contact Information

Work Phone:	Work Email:
Cell Phone:	Personal Email:
Preferred Phone WorkCell	Preferred Email WorkPersonal

Applicant's Organization Information

Company/Organization:

Please spell the company/organization name completely and avoid abbreviations.

Title:

Mailing Street:

Mailing City:

Mailing State:

Mailing Zip Code:

Mailing Country:

Assistant's/Scheduler's Information

Full Name:

Phone:

Email:

CEO, board chair or administrator

Prefix:

First Name:

Last Name:

Title:

Email:

Assistant/Scheduler Email:

CEO Blurb

As noted above, if you are selected for the Fellowship, we will request confirmation of the participation of your board chair, CEO, or other appropriate senior executive in the second Forum (see dates above). We will also request a letter of support from your board chair, governor's office, or similar senior executive to ensure you have the necessary institutional support to maximize the Fellowship.

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Affiliations

Please list any previous participation/affiliation with the Aspen Institute (for Institute tracking purposes only):

Please list up to three (3) of your most significant networks, board memberships, community organizing engagements or other affiliations that exemplify and enhance your leadership:

Sector and Issue Area

Primary Sector	Primary Issue Area
Secondary Sector	Secondary Issue Area
Other Sector	Other Issue Area

Resume/CV and Headshot

Please upload a copy of your resume or CV.

Please upload a headshot photo.

Please note that if you are selected for the Fellowship, in addition the letter of support from your CEO, board chair, or administrator, we will request a signed commitment from you to the Fellowship dates and acceptance of the code of conduct and confidentiality policies.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR AT THE ASPEN INSTITUTE: LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

The Quantum Leap: visionary, bold change.

The Aspen Institute has a 70-year history of cultivating leaders committed to tackling the great challenges of our times. Building on that legacy, the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship supports visionary, results-focused leaders with the space and support to translate big ideas into action. Ascend's North Star is an equitable and just society where every family passes a legacy of prosperity and well-being from one generation to the next.

1) What is the problem you are trying to solve and/or what are the issues keeping you up at night? What is your big idea that is ready for the next quantum leap? How will your vision advance economic well-being, educational success, and/or early care and well-being for our youngest children and their families? (Limit: 5,000 characters)

2) If you achieve your vision, what would be different? Describe what success looks and feels like to you. How would you define quantum leap? (Limit: 2,500 characters)

3) Reflecting on your story and your big idea, why is now the right time for the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship? How would you describe this inflection point in your leadership journey? What is your legacy aspiration for 2026, when you would be completing the formal portion of the Fellowship? How will this opportunity help you amplify and accelerate your goals? (Limit: 2,500 characters)

Chief Narrator: ability to set a context and portray the big picture - how it all comes together.

Ascend seeks leaders able to weave powerful narratives that inspire others to action and can influence innovations in practice, policy, and systems change. At Ascend, we also believe that the voices and perspectives of families inform good programs and policies.

4) Please upload a 3-5 minute video that responds to the following two questions:

What is your personal story and how does it inform your leadership? What drives you in your current role and informs your big idea at this moment in time?

Please note, the file upload limit is 30mb. If your file is larger than that (which is likely), please choose one of the following two options:

1) Upload a word document with a link to your file (if it is housed on google, dropbox, etc.)

2) Upload your file to this dropbox folder:

(https://www.dropbox.com/request/j6pSMQeYrVtn8H8wK9ns)

[If either of those options is creating technical challenges, please send an email to tiana.mccoy@aspeninstitute.org, and we will contact you to retrieve the file.]

The video is a required element but is not starred to avoid error messages if you use the dropbox link or contact Tiana for technical support.

5) Give an example of how you incorporate the voices of those you seek to serve into your work, through co-design, at the decision-making table, and/or through feedback loops. How have these experiences altered your actions and/or your mindset? (Limit: 2,500 characters)

Commitment to Equity, Equality and Inclusion.

At Ascend, we are committed to racial and gender equity, diversity, and inclusion. We realize that equity is a journey, not a destination. In this period of historic racial and social upheaval, addressing racial equity and poverty is essential.

Diversity is the representation of all our varied and intersectional identities and differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, birth gender, gender identity, age, disability, cognitive ability, sexual orientation, national origin, tribe, political beliefs, socio-economic status, geography, communication and learning styles, etc.). We recognize that our understanding of identities is ever-expanding and seek to respect all identities as well as their expression. Overall, we seek to proactively engage, understand, and draw on a variety of experiences and perspectives in everything that we do organization-wide. (Aspen Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan)

Equity is the fair and just treatment of all people and equal access to opportunity, advancement, and resources for everyone. We recognize that such treatment is predicated on the identification and removal of barriers that have prevented full participation and justice for some people and groups. (Aspen Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan)

Racial equity is the substantive alternative to structural racism. It is a social outcomes “picture” in which race is not consistently associated with privilege and disadvantage. The goal of racial equity is to produce fairness and social justice – race would no longer be a factor in the assessment of merit, or in the distribution of opportunity. (Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change)

Inclusion is the act of creating an environment where any person, or group, can feel welcomed, valued, supported, and able to fully participate and belong. We recognize that a truly inclusive environment welcomes, embraces, and respects differences while fostering a culture of belonging through actively and consistently inviting the contributions of every person. (Aspen Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan)

Through the Fellowship, we invite leaders to individually and collectively deepen their awareness, evoke new perspectives, explore blind spots, and strengthen their leadership and equity capacity. We seek leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit, deep commitment to racial and gender equity, and an inclusive mindset, who are on a lifelong journey to expand their understanding, impact, and influence around equity and inclusion and ensure that families are at the center of change.

6) What has been your journey (challenges and insights) in advancing equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion in your leadership and work? What are your stretch goals in realizing justice? What keeps you up at night around equity and opportunity, especially racial equity, right now? (Limit: 2,500 characters)

Generosity.

When we look at the history of transformational leaders, they are often characterized by active generosity to their peers, those they serve, and society as a whole.

7) How do you define generosity in the context of leadership, power, and influence? (Limit: 1,500 characters)

8) What is an example of generosity in your work and leadership? With your staff, board, the communities in which you work, or broader networks? (Limit: 1,500 characters)

THANK YOU for your time and for giving us the opportunity to learn more about your work and vision!