Fellows Program

The World Affairs Council Fellows Program offers a unique professional development opportunity to a small group of greater Seattle's business and community leaders. The Fellows convene monthly for private roundtable discussions with carefully selected high-caliber international experts who offer unparalleled insight into current global issues, in addition to meeting throughout the year for additional Council events and dedicated networking opportunities.

Hear what former Fellows have to say about the program!

Meet our 2024-2025 Fellows!

Read the bios of our current Fellows cohort here.

Benefits

• Monthly (September-June) off-the-record, private roundtables with international experts to build greater understanding of global issues with local relevance.
• Quarterly networking receptions with the cohort to build ties within the group as well as support for additional Fellows-led opportunities (workplace tours, informal gatherings, group discussions).
• Productive connections and dialogue among participants representing business, government, military, education, and non-profit sectors.
• Year-long World Affairs Council membership with further opportunities to participate in substantive policy discussions, invite-only events, and networking.
• Access to the extensive Fellows program alumni network where participants continue with quarterly breakfast discussions, drive ongoing conversations, identify new opportunities to strengthen their network, and serve as proactive leaders and bridge builders in their respective communities.

Applications

Each summer, the World Affairs Council selects a Fellows Program cohort from individual application submissions and nominations placed by sponsoring organizations, corporate members, Fellows Program alumni, and Council members. Selection is based on current and future leadership in the community, commitment to attend the cohort's programs, the candidate’s interest in international affairs, and ability to contribute to the discussions.

Check back in the spring for our application to the 2025-2026 cohort!

Review and share our one-pager for the Fellows program.

Upon acceptance into the program, all Fellows will be asked to take a short intake survey about interests and any potential scheduling constraints. The program fee is due by September 15.

Program Fees

The total cost for the program is $2,500 for Fellows from the private sector and large non-profits. For Fellows from small non-profits and the public sector, the program cost is $2,000. Fellows are usually sponsored by their companies, but are welcome to self-fund as well. Limited scholarships may be available to help offset or cover the program costs. Please see the Fellows application form for details.

Previous sponsoring organizations include:

• Amazon
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Boeing Company
• Bryant Christie
• Consulate General of Canada in Seattle
• Foster Garvey PC
• Hispanics in Philanthropy
• Landesa
• Microsoft Corporation
• Milliman
• Northeastern University
• Onyx Strategic Insights/Expeditors
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Pfizer
• Perkins Coie
• Port of Seattle
• RAND Corporation
• Starbucks
• Umpqua Bank
• U.S. Department of State
• U.S. Navy
• University of Washington
• Weyerhaueser

2023-2024 Speakers

Read the bios of the 2023-2024 cohort here.

• Ambassador Ryan Crocker, nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon
• Dr. Robert Gates, 22nd Secretary of Defense (2006-2011), formerly president of Texas A&M University, director of the CIA (1991-1993)
• Mai'a K. Davis Cross, Dean's Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy; Director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Northeastern University
• Chidi Blyden, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation; formerly Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs
• Brian Concannon, founder and executive director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
• Michael Swaine, senior research fellow on East Asia, China, and defense policy at the Quincy Institute.
• Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, formerly Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times
• Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, Embassy of Cuba in the USA
• Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution; Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Lawfare

2022-2023 Speakers

Click here to meet the 2022-2023 Fellows cohort.

• Ambassador Ryan Crocker, nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon
• Ambassador Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of Finland to the United States; previously Ambassador of Finland to the Russian Federation
• John Demers, Corporate Secretary, Boeing, as well as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Finance & Strategy and Environmental & Enterprise Operations, former United States Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division
• Juan Lavista Ferres, Vice President, Chief Data Scientist and Lab Director, Microsoft AI for Good Research Lab
• Naima Green-Riley, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and the School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University; Nonresident Fellow, Digital Forensic Lab, Atlantic Council
• Ambassador Michele J. Sison, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
• Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, the Republic of Armenia, and the Kyrgyz Republic.
• Richard Ragan, UN World Food Program's Country Representative to Yemen; Senior United Nations Staff Member; former WFP Representative to Bangladesh, Libya, Liberia, Nepal, Tanzania, North Korea, and Zambia.
• Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service.
• Ambassador Yohannes Abraham, U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN; Ambassador Brian McFeeters, U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia; Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines

2021-2022 Speakers

Read about the 2021-2022 cohort on our webpage here.

• Alice Hill, Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations
• Emma Belcher, President, Ploughshares Fund
• General Barry McCaffery, National Security and Terrorism Analyst, NBC News
• Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future of Iran Initiative
• Ambassador Douglas E. Lute, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO
• Farah Pandith, Author, Foreign Policy Strategist, and former Diplomat
• Jon Czin, Director for China, National Security Council
• Ambassador Johnnie Carson, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs
• Suzan DelBene, U.S. Congresswoman
• Jean-Arthur Régibeau, Belgian Ambassador to the U.S.
• Chris Inglis, National Cyber Director and Advisor to the President on Cybersecurity
• Lina Yoon, Senior Researcher, Asia Division of Human Rights Watch 
• Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Program at Brookings and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs, National Security Council
• Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense

2020-2021 Speakers

Read about the 2020-2021 cohort on our webpage here.

• Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense
• Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security
• Lieutenant General Nina Armagno, U.S. Space Force's director of staff for headquarters
• Jacob Lew, former Secretary of the Treasury
• Ambassador Mike McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia
• Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO
• Leila Zerrougui, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and former Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ambassador Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
• Ambassador Ronald Kirk, former U.S. Trade Representative
• Susan Thornton, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs