PHILADELPHIA, July 9, 2024 – Eisenhower Fellowships has selected ten ascendant American leaders from diverse professional fields for its 2024 USA Fellowship Program, offering them unique opportunities to travel overseas to meet and exchange ideas with top global experts in their areas of expertise.
The 2024 Eisenhower USA Fellows include a civic engagement expert from the Texas Education Agency, a public policy leader working on racial justice, the CEO of a Chicago-based public charter school network and a media company founder dedicated to social advocacy.
Starting this fall, these accomplished leaders will embark on their international journeys to engage in immersive studies, share best practices and foster innovative solutions to pressing global issues. Their travels will take them to countries on four continents where they will connect with local leaders, gain new perspectives and return with insights to enhance their work in the United States.
King Adjei-Frimpong, a civic engagement expert from the Texas Education Agency, will travel to South Africa and Belgium to explore strategies for enhancing democratic participation and civic engagement, focusing on minority and rural communities.
Andrew Bergman, an advocate for workforce development and economic empowerment, will travel to India and the Netherlands to study mental health workforce development programs, aiming to create a behavioral health aide program and scale it nationwide to address the shortage of mental health professionals in underserved areas.
Cielo Castro, a public policy leader focusing on racial justice, will visit South Africa and Colombia to learn about truth and reconciliation processes and effective civic engagement, aiming to apply these insights to advance racial justice in the U.S.
Jamie Holcomb, a museum CEO focused on early childhood education, will travel to the United Kingdom and Italy to study early childhood education methodologies and innovative museum design, with plans to implement these insights in developing a new state children’s museum in North Carolina.
Constance Jones, CEO of a Chicago-based public charter school network, will travel to Ghana and Brazil to study community engagement and violence prevention strategies, which she aims to implement at Noble and eventually share across the U.S. education system.
Caroline Klibanoff, a civic engagement advocate specializing in youth involvement, will visit Australia and New Zealand to explore innovative approaches to youth participation in democracy, with plans to develop a national youth advisory bureau for the U.S. 250th anniversary.
Aija Mayrock, a media company founder dedicated to social advocacy, will travel to Indonesia and Japan to explore innovative approaches to aging and mental health support, aiming to create a media network that highlights the experiences and challenges of older adults.
Samuel Murphey, a strategic leader in economic development, will visit France and Chile to explore public-private partnerships and their role in addressing social challenges, seeking to implement successful models in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Aaron Rosen, a foreign policy and disinformation expert, will travel to Finland and Romania to study best practices in combating misinformation and enhancing media literacy, aiming to implement these strategies to bolster trust in democratic processes in the U.S.
Jonathan Webb, a leader in women’s health and nursing, will visit Ireland, Northern Ireland and Kenya to explore strategies for improving maternal health outcomes and creating economic empowerment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals and those recovering from addiction.
Following their travels abroad, the Eisenhower USA Fellows take their place within EF’s worldwide network of more than 2,500 leaders from government, business, civil society, education, science, health care, the arts and journalism. Upon returning home, they will share their insights and experiences to drive impactful change in their respective fields.
“We congratulate these outstanding young American leaders for their selection into this life-changing program and welcome them into the ranks of our influential network of professionals leading transformative change around the world,” said Eisenhower Fellowships Chairman, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. “We look forward to their returning home to apply what they’ve learned to better their communities.”
Now in its 71st year and named for America’s 34th president, Eisenhower Fellowships brings together innovative leaders from diverse fields and nations to tackle big challenges and better the world. Since 1953, more than 2,500 mid-career leaders from 115 countries have benefited from the unique, customized experience of an Eisenhower Fellowship.