The U.S.–ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship
Following the U.S-ASEAN special summit in 2022, Johns Hopkins SAIS launched the U.S.-ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship program as an innovative public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks to elevate rising leaders in the region to benefit their countries and communities, instill the importance of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship, and deepen ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia broadly.
In August 2023, the inaugural year of the Fellowship brought 31 high-achieving mid-career public service professionals from a variety of government sectors — up to three from each of the 10 ASEAN countries and two from the ASEAN Secretariat —to Johns Hopkins SAIS for an intensive leadership development program. Read more about the inaugural cohort here.
The second cohort of the U.S.-ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders during their visit to The White House.
The second cohort of the Fellowship was held in May 2024 for three weeks, and focused on strengthening leadership, decision-making, and communications skills, as well as building Fellows’ understanding of contemporary international issues such as emerging technologies, maritime security, energy transition and climate change.
These impressive cohorts included distinguished leaders from their government’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Women’s Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Energy, including respective National Security Councils and Coast Guards, among other government entities.
Fellows had the opportunity to learn about U.S. approaches to these issues, like climate change and emerging technologies, as well as U.S. views on the Indo-Pacific, through interactions with Johns Hopkins faculty, thought leaders in the public and private sector, and experts on U.S. engagement in the region. During the second cohort, for example, Fellows had high-level engagements with experts from the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council at The White House, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, The World Bank, U.S. Coast Guard, CSIS, the Heritage Foundation, and an array of academic experts.
Governments and other interested parties are encouraged to engage with the ASEAN member country missions in Washington to recommend suitable candidates for this Fellowship. As the selection committee seeks to build a cohort that reflects ASEAN’s diversity, recommendations of outstanding female candidates or those from underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged.
Participants should be high-achieving mid-career officials. Suitable nominees will generally have at least 10 years of government service, public policy advocacy, non-governmental organization management, or similar experience; and will have demonstrated a track record of leadership, with experience working on issues that relate to regional or global policy challenges. The program is open to officials from any ministry or organization. Participants must be proficient in spoken and written English.
Johns Hopkins SAIS is pleased to partner with the ASEAN Committee in Washington (ACW), which works with member states to nominate candidates for the fellowship. Johns Hopkins SAIS then convenes a selection committee to determine the final cohort. At least one Fellow will be selected from the ASEAN Secretariat.
The third cohort of the U.S.-ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship is provisionally scheduled to take place in the spring of 2025.
The inaugural cohort of the U.S.-ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders gathered for an opening reception at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, (2023, August 8).
