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Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute announces 10th cohort

Thirty-three new fellows have been accepted into the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute, an innovative fellowship program designed to help mid-career leaders thrive in their next chapter by providing opportunities to learn, reflect, and contribute through engagement with the Stanford academic community.

A police chief, a math evangelist, a mental health researcher, and the port director of the country’s third-largest seaport are among the leaders to become fellows in the 10th cohort of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute. This year’s fellows will be joined by 10 partners, bringing the cohort to 43 members. Class members bring diverse expertise from a variety of fields including the arts, education equity, environmental justice, international relations, and technology. Fifty-one percent of the fellows identify as male; 49% as female; 23% are international, representing seven countries; 26% were first-generation college students. Since 2015, 331 individuals have completed the program.

The fellowship, which is designed to help mid-career leaders renew their purpose in preparation for roles with social impact, provides programming and resources to support physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, as well as a new community of colleagues and a robust network of Stanford faculty and staff. Fellows explore new interests and opportunities to contribute through nine interdisciplinary purpose pathways across Stanford’s seven schools. Throughout the year there are mutually beneficial opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, learning, and mentoring with Stanford student organizations.

Fellows take courses across the university alongside undergraduate and graduate students, and engage with schools, centers, and institutes across the campus, including the Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford Center on Longevity, the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy, and numerous accelerators and entrepreneurial initiatives. Through the dciX initiative, DCI alumni and current fellows work with students and faculty on deeper dives into common areas of interest and impact such as sustainability, impact investing, and social justice.

As DCI has become established at Stanford, students and faculty have welcomed these experienced students as valuable resources that enhance the teaching and learning experience.

“DCI fellows bring different ideas to class, creating lively, interactive conversation, and students learn just so much more as a result of it,” said Walker Seymour, ’23.

“I am thrilled to welcome another extraordinary cohort of fellows to the Stanford campus. I have been impressed by the many ways in which the DCI community engages with and supports students and initiatives across campus, as well as the ways in which the Stanford experience has inspired fellows to contribute post-DCI,” said DCI Faculty Director Richard Saller.

DCI Profiles of Impact describe the diverse ways in which program alumni have gone on to address important societal issues at the local, national and global level.

Read more about the Stanford DCI Class of 2023 fellows and partners.