Social impact innovator will oversee unique international leadership accelerator program

WASHINGTON, DC – April 12, 2021 – The Atlantic Council today announced that Jonah Fisher has been named director of the Millennium Leadership Program, the Council’s innovative, world-class leadership accelerator for future global leaders. Fisher brings to the role years of experience on the frontlines of entrepreneurial social impact and peacebuilding movements, having served in leadership positions at prominent nonprofits in the United States and Israel. In his new role, he will help catalyze the Council’s commitment to foster the next generation of principled global leaders through international engagement and problem-solving.

Previously, Fisher directed GATHER, the social innovation arm of Seeds of Peace, a global leadership development organization committed to transforming legacies of conflict across the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and the United States. A graduate of Brown University, Jonah founded the first social innovation coworking space in Tel Aviv, led leadership programs at a social innovation think tank, and launched a microfinance organization in Rhode Island.

The retirement of the baby boomer generation will precipitate the largest generational shift in leadership the world has ever seen. Fostering the next group of global leaders to shape a more free, prosperous, and just world is one of the defining challenges of our time. The unprecedented events of 2020 highlight that the next generation of global leaders must be equipped with the skills and values to lead, manage, and solve complex challenges in uncertain times. The Atlantic Council’s Millennium Leadership Program aims to do this by connecting and empowering rising leaders. Each year, over a thousand individuals between the ages of 25-35 apply to the program’s flagship initiative—the Millennium Fellowship. Each annual class of approximately 20 fellows is selected through a highly competitive process. These fellows commit to leveraging the experience to accelerate their own transformation as leaders.

“The Millennium Leadership Program sits at the very heart of the Atlantic Council’s mission of shaping the global future together,” said Fred Kempe, Atlantic Council President and CEO. “Jonah Fisher is passionate about cultivating talent from around the world so the leaders of tomorrow can successfully navigate the complex global challenges we face this century. His unique combination of skills, empathy, and integrity along with his drive to unlock the potential of individuals make him the perfect fit to take this program to the next level.”

Jonah Fisher is passionate about cultivating talent from around the world so the leaders of tomorrow can successfully navigate the complex global challenges we face this century.

Fred Kempe, Atlantic Council President and CEO

The Millennium Leadership Program welcomes fellows from all countries and all sectors. The 2020 class includes elected officials, government officials, journalists, military personnel, academics, policy experts, scientists, artists, executives, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders. Together with its predecessor, the Young Transatlanticist Program, the Millennium Leadership Program enjoys 500 alumni from over 80 countries.

“As the world re-emerges from lockdown, economic upheaval, and public health challenges, there is a greater need for new leaders to model the vulnerability, resilience, and collaborative-spirit that this moment calls for,” said Fisher. “In the face of extraordinary polarization, both within the United States and across the globe, the Atlantic Council is the perfect nonpartisan platform to convene and train young leaders across nationalities, sectors, and political ideologies. As the director of the Millennium Leadership Program, I hope to unleash the innovation and wisdom of our growing community of leaders to address the issues of tomorrow.” 

To learn more about the Millennium Leadership Program, please visit here. For media inquiries, please contact press@atlanticcouncil.org.

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