“The Bush Foundation believes the well-being of our region is directly impacted by investing in individual leaders,” said Bush Foundation Leadership Programs Director Anita Patel. “We look to these 24 Fellows to help shape a better future for their communities.”
A total of 684 people applied for the 2019 Bush Fellowship. The 24 Fellows were selected through a multi-stage process involving Bush Fellowship alumni, Bush Foundation staff and established regional leaders. Applicants described their leadership vision and passion and how a Bush Fellowship would help them think bigger and become more effective leaders.
The Bush Foundation will accept applications for the 2020 Bush Fellowship beginning September 24, 2019. The Bush Fellowship is open to anyone age 24 years and older who lives in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or one of the 23 Native nations that shares the same geography.
More than 2,300 people have taken advantage of the Fellowship to become better leaders through a self-designed learning experience, academic program, or travel and research across the country to build connections with thought leaders on topics critical to their community. The Bush Fellowship counts among its alumni playwright August Wilson; James Beard Foundation Book Award winner Sean Sherman; former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson; author and storyteller Kevin Kling; Amelia Franck Meyer, named one of People Magazine’s 25 Women Changing the World; South Dakota poet laureate Lee Ann Roripaugh; Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins; and former special assistant to President Obama for Native American affairs Jodi Gillette.
