The 2022 Professional Fellows Congress Advances Good Governance, Economic Empowerment, and Civic Engagement

Publication Date: October 24, 2022
Publication Location: Washington, DC
Contact: Abby Henson   |   [email protected]

World Learning and the U.S. Department of State will host more than 150 business and community leaders (professional fellows) from 42 countries in Washington, DC, for the 2022 Professional Fellows Congress. The congress serves as the capstone event for the Professional Fellows Program and takes place November 1-3 under the theme: “The Power of Purpose: Global Leaders Navigating a Reconnected World.”

The Professional Fellows Program is an exchange program that advances good governance, economic empowerment, and civic engagement between Americans and citizens of other countries. During a five-week professional placement with U.S. companies and social enterprises in more than 20 U.S. states, the 2022 fellows collaborated with American counterparts to strengthen leadership development, deepen relationships, and address shared global challenges. For example, fellows worked with U.S. media organizations to combat disinformation, community organizations to support nonpartisan voter mobilization initiatives, and state and local government agencies to improve communications with key constituents.

The Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, DC, builds on the themes of governance and society, economic empowerment, and civic engagement and provides opportunities for participants to highlight achievements and brainstorm ways to launch projects in their home communities based on their fellowship experiences. This year’s fellows will join more than 5,000 Professional Fellows Program ExchangeAlumni who have completed the program since 2010.

“The congress celebrates the fellows’ achievements during their fellowship, equips them with new skills and information to implement their plans upon their return to their home countries, and fosters their commitment to global leadership,” says Dr. Patricia Harrison, World Learning’s divisional vice president for global exchanges and the project director for the congress. “These fellows are ready to put into action what they have seen and experienced in the U.S., which in turn creates a powerful network of alumni for this program.”

The Professional Fellows Congress is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by World Learning in collaboration with 11 partner organizations.

World Learning Inc. is a thriving global organization made up of World Learning, a global development and exchange nonprofit organization, The Experiment in International Living, the nation’s most experienced provider of intercultural exchange programs abroad and virtual for high school students; and School for International Training, offering accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad, including the comparative International Honors Program, and internationally focused master’s degrees, certificate programs, and a doctorate through SIT Graduate Institute. For more than 90 years, the organization has delivered international education, cultural exchanges, and sustainable development. For more information, visit worldlearning.org.