To address today’s global problems, young leaders must participate in political and policy debates about access and power.  At the same time, given the rapidly changing demographic patterns reshaping Europe and the United States, international leadership networks must be inclusive and representative.   GMF is working on a number of levels to meet changing circumstances and ensure new generations of leaders are equipped to meet global challenges.  We are, for example, working to include the new generation of minority leaders on both sides of the Atlantic in our leadership development programs, and working closely with minority leader networks, enabling GMF to access diverse pools of talent. 

 GMF has also been working to convene representatives from different groups to share best practices.  At the December 11 event, participants included both directors of minority young leader networks and directors of international young leader networks.  Together, we exchanged best practices in several areas of key importance to networks: recruitment, evaluation, use of social media, sustainability, and alumni roles.  In addition, the International Leadership Association presented its initiatives to the group and invited attendees to consider membership.  Our guest from the corporate sector, a Marshall Memorial Fellow from 2001 named Kevin Carter who is now Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Ahold, an international retailer based in the Netherlands, worked with the group on the concept of “empowered networks” and establishing a vision for next level leadership.  Finally, Michael Cappello, MD, Director of the Yale World Fellows Program and his team guided the group to consider how all of the networks present could best establish synergies that will allow them to collaborate together and to thrive individually well into the future.