Celebrating the NXT-GEN Fellows
Last week, the inaugural class of The HOW Institute For Society’s NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership reached a meaningful milestone. The Fellows, extraordinary individuals with uncommon humanity and boundless talent, are the first cohort to complete the Fellowship. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate their achievement.
For the past six months, these Fellows engaged in deep introspection and self-reflection, wrestling with the nuances, tenets, and application of moral leadership. Their efforts have been informed and augmented by a series of workshops, case studies, and through their interaction with each other.
In addition, the Fellows learned directly from recognized leaders as part of a speaker series. Harvard Professor Gautam Mukunda began the series by presenting a case study on moral leadership. He was followed by the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Admiral James Stavridis who spoke about how he brought together different nations in common cause by applying the principles of moral leadership. Later, UN Global Compact Founder Georg Kell, Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz, and NYU Center for Business and Human Rights Director Michael Posner shared what they learned in their respective fields and how they came to the realize the importance of moral leadership in accomplishing their objectives. Mastercard Vice Chairman Walt Macnee concluded the series by sharing his journey to positions of formal authority and the lessons in moral leadership he learned along the way.
Following these seminars, the Fellows put the knowledge and skills they gained into practice by designing impactful practicums that exemplify moral leadership in action. The impact of these projects was particularly profound because of the dedication of the Fellows and the engagement of the organizations where each of the Fellows worked.
Joining the Fellows for their graduation was Zainab Salbi, a renowned humanitarian and author, who offered a final piece of wisdom. Gleaned from her own inward journey, she realized that to truly affect change one must first embrace values and live them as a commitment from the heart rather than a simple acknowledgment from the head. For Zainab, preaching forgiveness was easy, yet hollow, compared to forgiving those who had hurt her in her own life. Her lesson echoed Plutarch’s adage that only what we achieve inwardly can change outer reality.
With the completion of the Fellowship, the inaugural cohort is continuing their own journeys. They have already demonstrated their commitment, and I am humbled and awed by their aspirations, goals, and devotion to realizing them.
At a time when moral leadership is needed more than ever, these individuals have answered the call. They rose to meet the challenge by grounding themselves in the tenets of moral leadership — and they are not alone. Striving for positive change, young people everywhere are building moral authority and creating meaningful movements.
Together, we can sustain this energy and transform our world for generations to come. So I hope you will join me in congratulating the Fellows on their accomplishment, and more importantly, continuing to support them in their lifelong endeavor:
Arun Acharya, Mastercard
Rich Audet, Mastercard
Ryan Beaudry, Mastercard
Aaron Bence, Unilever and the Center for Open Hiring at Greyston
Melissa Corcia, Unilever
Shantae J. Edwards, World Economic Forum Global Shaper
Sarah Endres, Global Health Corps
Maria Escobar, Mastercard
Marcia Ferreira, Mastercard
Frank Fredericks, World Economic Forum Global Shaper
Sara Hansen, Unilever
Lisa Harshman, Unilever
Philip Honovich, Mastercard
Zack Ingerman, Mastercard
Nicole Katzman, Mastercard
Brian Kennedy, Unilever
Jennifer Lowe, MasterCard
Saeed Manoochehri, Unilever
Kyle Marsh, Unilever
Ramazan Nanayev, World Economic Forum Global Shaper
Victor Nordenson, MasterCard
Anshul Pandey, MasterCard
Carie Rubury, Global Health Corps
Kanika Sodhi, Unilever
Kaitlin Triano, Mastercard
Jose Vargas, Mastercard
Kara Wendling, Unilever
Sarah Zapiler, IntegrateNYC
