We are delighted to introduce the newest cohort of Momentum Fellows! Cohort four of our Momentum Fellowship program kicked off in September 2021 and includes an incredible group of emerging leaders of color in philanthropy. We are very excited about this group of fellows and have made some important changes to the structure of the Momentum Fellowship program this year.
Momentum Fellowship Program Changes
After some program reflection and evaluation, we changed the structure for this cohort to include only fellows who are currently in philanthropy and have been in their roles for less than three years. We thought our program could be more impactful for emerging leaders of color if we focused exclusively on those who have established roles in foundations. In addition to this structural change, we look forward to offering curriculum changes.
These past two years have been challenging for us all, but those challenges have been unique for communities of color. The racial reckoning facing our country has impacted Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and individuals in ways that require a safe and affirming space to process, share in community, and strategize advancing racial equity in ways that meet the urgency of this moment. For these reasons, the personal development portion of the Momentum Fellowship curriculum will focus primarily on identity, racial equity, decolonization and supporting fellows in bringing their whole selves into their roles and their work. The lived experience, culture and values that we bring to the workplace as BIPOC staff can often be challenging to navigate within the sector of philanthropy, but we believe that these are some of the greatest assets the fellows have. We will work together to understand how bringing together our personal identities and professional skill sets into our roles can contribute to the much-needed change toward racial equity for ourselves, our work and our communities.
In addition to personal development, the professional development portion of the program has taken on some changes as well. Navigating cohort three through the pandemic introduced the fellows to small group professional coaching in addition to their individual professional coaching sessions. Due to the positive impact of including two types of professional coaching, we’ll be continuing that with this cohort. Importantly, individual and group coaching is provided by wonderful, experienced BIPOC professional coaches. The professional coaching aspect of the program has consistently been named as a highlight of the program and we are excited to expand this valuable practice for this cohort.
Meet the Fellows
A special thank you to our sponsors for the Momentum Fellowship Cohort Four. The foundations that invested in this program, both new foundations and past supporters, and their staff are what makes this work possible. Below you can virtually meet each of the fellows joining us for cohort four.
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Jolenta Coleman-Bush |
Adrienne Heile |
Dominique Hilliard |
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Amy Huang |
Laura Isiordia |
Zahyr Lauren |
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Anna McGovern |
Monserrat Padilla |
Ruby Ramirez |
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LaShanda Robertson |
Gene Yoon |
