The U.S.–Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship
At the first-ever U.S.–Pacific Island Country Summit in September 2022, the White House announced that Johns Hopkins SAIS will host a newly-created U.S.-Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship as an innovative public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks to elevate rising leaders in the Pacific region to benefit their countries and communities, instill the importance of the U.S.-Pacific relationship, and deepen ties between the United States and the Pacific Islands region broadly.
In October 2023, the inaugural year of the Fellowship brought 29 high-achieving mid-career leaders from 16 Pacific Island countries and territories – up to two from each country/territory – to Johns Hopkins SAIS for an intensive leadership development program. This unique program was designed to help Pacific leaders understand the Washington policy context, inform DC-based experts about Pacific priorities and issues, and strengthen partnerships and open communication between Pacific Island countries. Read more about the inaugural cohort here.
The second cohort of the U.S.-Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders during their visit to The White House.
The second cohort of the Fellowship was held in October 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 climate, development, public health, and maritime topics.
These impressive cohorts included distinguished leaders from public, private and non-profit sectors, including diverse representation from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, Health and Human Services, and Climate Change and National Resilience; as well as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Pacific Community, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, senior business figures, and local NGOs leaders.
Fellows had the opportunity to learn about U.S. approaches to key issues facing the Pacific Islands, as well as U.S. views on Oceania and 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 Asia Society, U.S. Coast Guard, CSIS, the Heritage Foundation, the World Bank, and an array of academic experts. They discussed U.S. models and best practices in public management while building leadership capacity in areas such as data-driven decision making, strategic communication, and navigating the multilateral development system.
The program consisted of classroom and extracurricular activities to help high-achieving mid-career leaders develop these skills, drawing on faculty from SAIS and other divisions of the university, and experts from the policy community.
Governments and other interested parties are encouraged to provide recommendations for candidates for this Fellowship. As the selection panel seeks to build a cohort that reflects the diversity of Pacific Island countries and territories, recommendations of outstanding female candidates or those from underrepresented communities are encouraged.
Participants should be high-achieving mid-career leaders from the public, private, or non-profit sectors. Suitable nominees will generally have at least seven years of relevant work experience and will have demonstrated a track record of leadership. Participants must be proficient in spoken and written English.
Applicants from the following countries and territories are invited to apply: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Johns Hopkins SAIS will convene a distinguished selection panel that will choose up to two participants from each of the Pacific Island countries and territories. The panel will consult closely with government officials in the region, the Department of State, and other key experts and stakeholders.
The application link will be released in Spring 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and participants will be notified of the selection committee’s decision.
Interested candidates must apply through the online application, which will become available in Spring 2025. At least one letter of recommendation, a personal statement, and CV/resume along with the general application form is required to apply.
This fellowship is fully funded, and will cover participants’ roundtrip economy travel, lodging, travel medical insurance, food, visa fees, and program materials and activity expenses, to include a per diem to cover incidentals.
Fellows from the inaugural cohort of the U.S.-Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders during their time studying at the new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center.
