Recruiting for the 2009-10 Acumen Fund Fellows Program is off and rolling! The application closed this past Monday, October 20, with a pool of 342 candidates representing 49 different countries.
“Its truly exciting that we have such strong evidence now of Acumen Fund’s brand going worldwide, with a pool that is heavily weighted internationally!” said Abigail Keene-Babcock, Acumen Fund Talent Associate.
Now in its fourth recruitment cycle, the program has attracted applicants from Afghanistan, Finland, Mongolia, Iran, Georgia, Malta, Ukraine, Jordan, Liberia and Sudan, among other countries. By region, representation breaks down as follows:
38% from countries in Asia/Southeast Asia/Middle East
29% from countries in Africa
26% from US/Canada
6% from Europe
1% from Latin...
Editor’s note: Guest blogger Heather Lord is an erstwhile consumer behavior analyst currently working in the international human rights sector. Last week, she joined the 2009 Acumen Fund Fellows for their retreat.
By Heather Lord
I don’t know what you did this past week, but I just spent three days spying on the 2009 class of Acumen Fund Fellows. In my academic and professional life, I have been obsessed with the factors leading individuals and groups to act for good, for evil, and for pleasure, so I couldn’t resist crashing the Fellows’ session on social contract theory as they trotted out my old buddies Hobbes, Grotius and Rousseau. Imagine Jacqueline, Deepti and the Acumen Fund Fellows sitting in a cozy circle tucked deep into the old sofas of a country house living room...
Deepti shushed me; gave me the look – let’s get started, she was trying to say. I kept talking anyway. Then Abigail shushed me; same look. I still kept talking. Finally, Hali gave me a nod – the presentation was starting. I finally shut up, and politely asked Jason Rzepka from Pop!Tech to come in and have a seat. Through the shushings, Jason and I were using the last few minutes of pre-event networking to catch up on his work – a yearly conference held in Maine. But neither he nor I had come to Gibson Dunn’s 48th floor offices (sidenote: thanks to Gibson Dunn for letting us use their amazing space) to talk about Maine. We were there for a presentation by the returning class of Acumen Fund Fellows.
Why would someone from Pop!Tech – and about 50 others – be interested...
We are excited to announce that the application process for the 2009-2010 class of Acumen Fund Fellows is now open. Applications will be accepted online until noon EST on October 20, 2008. Detailed information about the program and application the process, as well as bios of current and past fellows, can be found on our website. To apply directly, please click here.
We are looking for dedicated individuals with the moral imagination, the practical skills and the leadership potential to effect real change. The program thus far has been a resounding success – both for the Fellows and the Acumen Fund enterprises they support. Fellows have called their time with the program a life-changing experience, allowing them to build critical business skills and a better understanding of the...
Acumen Fund Fellow John Tucker was interviewed by VisionSpring’s Miriam Stone. Read the full interview here, in which John reflects on what he’s learned over the past year working in India as a Fellow. Good stuff....