2. The Mandela Washington Fellowship
Investing in the Next Generation of African Leaders
President Obama launched the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) in
2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and
prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and
security across Africa.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of YALI and
brings leaders to the United States each year for leadership training,
academic coursework, and mentoring.
The Presidential Precinct is among an elite group of institutions chosen
by the U.S. Department of State to host the Mandela Washington
Fellows.
The Presidential Precinct hosts a six-week program focused on civic
leadership for 25 of the total 500 Fellows each summer; all Fellows and
host institutions are invited to collaborate on the Presidential Precinct
Network. In 2014, we welcomed our inaugural class of 25 Fellows from
18 countries to the Presidential Precinct.
Nearly 1/3 of
AFricans
are between
10 and 24.
About 60% of
Africa’s
population is
below 35.
Mandela Fellows with opening ceremony guests
The University of Virginia, June 2014.
3. Fellowship Offerings
- A six-week Academic and Leadership Institute: Fellows are placed at U.S. colleges and universities for academic
institutes. Institutes will focus on skills development in one of three areas: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic
Leadership, or Public Management.
- A Summit with President Obama in Washington, DC: At the conclusion of the academic and leadership institute,
all Fellows will participate in a Presidential Summit. The Summit will take place in early August 2015.
- An optional 6-week U.S. Professional Development Experience: As part of the Fellowship application, individuals
may apply to participate in a Professional Development Experience (PDE) at a U.S. company, civil society organiza-
tion, or public sector agency in the United States. 100 Fellows will be selected for the U.S.-based PDEs that will take
place from mid-August to late September 2015.
- Activities in Africa: Fellows will have the opportunity for continued professional development after they return
to Africa, including networking opportunities, internships with institutions in the public, private and non-profit
sectors, one-on-one mentoring with industry leaders, travel grants, access to seed funding, and community service
activities.
2015 MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOWS
More than 80,000 young women and men, aged 25 to 35, have applied for the Mandela Washington Fellowship
since the launch of the program in 2014. They have proven track records of leadership in public, private, and civic
organizations; and demonstrate a strong commitment to contributing their skills and talents to building and serv-
ing their communities.
4. THE INSTITUTE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PRECINCT
The focus of the Presidential Precinct program is Civic Leadership. Each week includes academic sessions,
hands-on problem-solving workshops, site visits, community service activities, and cultural enrichment ac-
tivities. In addition, teams of university students, faculty, and business leaders will work with participants to
address the practical problems they are dealing with in their organizations.
Week 1
We open our program focusing on Network Building & Innovative Civic Leadership
to develop a strong sense of trust and understanding among our Fellows. This
week serves as the foundation upon which Fellows begin the process of defining
their challenges and articulating potential solutions through innovative case studies
and Fellow collaboration projects.
Week 2
The next week focuses on Challenges in Leadership including the development
of concrete leadership skills necessary for our leaders to achieve their vision of
strong democracies, civil societies, and flourishing economies. These two weeks
take place at the University of Virginia and UVA’s Morven Farm and will draw on the
expertise of UVA’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the Social Entre-
preneurship @ UVA Initiative, the Department of Politics, and the Darden School of
Business.
Week 3
The third week introduces the fundamentals of Skillfully Navigating Politics with
discussions of revolution and regime change. These sessions take place at Ash
Lawn-Highland, the historic home of James Monroe, fifth U.S. president and early
leader in U.S. geopolitical strategy, and Monticello, the inspiring home of Thomas
Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Week 4
The fourth week will be spent at the home of James Madison, Father of the U.S.
Constitution, to examine the topic area of Building a Strong Civil Society. President
Madison’s home, Montpelier, is uniquely positioned with the historical backing and
current academic placement of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution to
engage our Fellows in a world-class discussion.
Weeks 5 and 6
The fifth and sixth weeks focus on Approaches to Development, with an emphasis
on community participation and transparency, and Mobilizing Resources to Achieve
a Mission, with an emphasis on developing data literacy and communication. These
two weeks take place at the College of William & Mary, the nation’s second oldest
institution of higher learning and the alma mater of Presidents Thomas Jefferson
and James Monroe. The curriculum during these two weeks will be supported by
the AidData Center for Development Policy, the Institute for the Theory and Practice
of International Relations, and the Reves Center for International Studies.
5. PROGRAM IMPACT
Opening Doors for Enduring Investments and Connections
The relationship with Mandela Washington Fellows does not end with the closing of the program. Through
the Presidential Precinct Network, all 500 of the 2014 Mandela Washington Fellows continue to engage with
a powerful network of experts representing government, business, academia, and civil society. With mem-
bers from more than 100 countries, this global virtual meeting place provides an exclusive and secure online
resource that enables members to learn new skills, find expert advice, exchange ideas, access professional
development resources, and solve the most pressing challenges in their communities.
“I’m now part of a network of leaders who are partners in the quest to make
Africa a better continent...”
-Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye
Mandela Washington Fellow 2014, Nigeria
Editor of Punch Newspaper
Recipient of the prestigious Knight International and WAN award
95%
85%
80%
80%
65%
60%
50%
negotiation
communication
public speaking and advocacy
mediation
program management
of respondents gained new skills
during the program including...
YALI 2014 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS*
100%of respondents made plans to collaborate with
international fellows as a result of the program
100%of respondents see the Presidential Precinct
Network as a way to better collaborate with others
*Data Source: Presidential Precinct 2014 Mandela Washington Fellowship (YALI): Program Impact Evaluation Survey
“The Presidential Precinct helped me better understand American
history and philosophy through the lens of its founding fathers, build
a powerful network of connections, provide exposure to some of the
best universities in the U.S., and helped me realize the critical role I
play in the advancement of democracy in my home country.”
—Emmanuel Ndlovu
Mandela Washington Fellow 2014, Zimbabwe
leadership
6. IMPACT OF OUR SPONSOR
The Presidential Precinct’s 2014 Mandela Washington Fellowship program was an extraordinary success
thanks to AECOM’s generous support of the program.
AECOM donated nearly $300,000 to support the development and execution of the
program. In addition to providing financial support, AECOM contributed greatly to the
academic portion of the program. Throughout the six-week program, AECOM clients
and executives shared their knowledge on a variety of topics including sustainabili-
ty, infrastructure financing, program management, geographic information systems,
and international development models. The Fellows were inspired and enlightened
by the international dialogue, critical thinking, and collaborative problem solving skills
demonstrated by AECOM executives Anne Ellis, Gary Lawrence, Tim McManus, Kevin
Carlson, Zsolt Nagy, Maryna Storie, David Wall, and Joe Wambia. The Fellows were
impressed with AECOM’s understanding of the challenges on the continent as well
as the company’s ability to help their clients address these challenges. Every session
was punctuated by engaging dialogue as the Fellows internalized the lessons and de-
lighted in the opportunity to expand their personal networks with AECOM executives
and clients.
“I have been teaching for over 20 years and I must say that the two
days I spent at the Precinct represented my most enjoyable and
dynamic classes ever thanks to their enthusiasm, insight, questioning
and vision.”
-Tim McManus
Senior Vice President, AECOM
“Not every company would
invest in Africa’s future
leaders, but we did.”
7. Fellowship Duration:
2014 - 2018
Total Project Cost:
$370,000
Contact:
Neal Piper
info@presidentialprecinct.org
Precinct Partners:
The University of Virginia
The College of William Mary
James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
James Madison’s Montpelier
William Short’s Morven
Board of Directors
Francois Baird
Chairman, Africa at Edleman
Sarah Bon-Harper
Executive Director, Ash Lawn-Highland
Leslie Greene Bowman
President, The Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Bertrand P. Collomb
Former Chairman CEO, Lafarge
Stewart Gamage
Director, Morven
Steve Hanson
Vice Provost for International Affairs
The College of William Mary
Kat Imhoff
CEO, The Montpelier Foundation
Jeff Legro
Vice Provost for Global Affairs
The University of Virginia
Jim Murray
Managing Partner, Court Square Ventures
Founder, The Presidential Precinct
Tim Sullivan
President Emeritus
The College of William Mary
THE PRECINCT AT A GLANCE
Neal Piper
Managing Director
Christine Mahoney
UVA Site Lead
Stewart Gamage
Morven Site Lead
Christa Dierkshiede
Monticello Site Lead
Sara Bon-Harper
Highland Site Lead
Scott Ickes
WM Site Lead
Doug Smith
Academic Director
