Applications for the 2027 class of Presidential Leadership Scholars are open. Apply now.
All the latest Scholar stories, updates from the modules, program news, and more.
Danielle Rugoff is working to bridge divides in language with her new initiative, Purple Lexicon. It’s designed to flag words that may carry political weight for certain groups so that communicators can be more intentional and effective when they speak or write.
Danielle Rugoff
Class of 2024
The combined effect of the broad heterogeneity of our cohorts, the focus on a more interactive approach to leadership, the inclusion of projects of variety of scales and stages of development, and a program experience curated to promote relationships among the Scholars has produced remarkable outcomes.
Amy Kroll
Class of 2020
Rani Elwy, 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholar and professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, shares her passion for health-related policymaking and legislation and four impactful lessons she learned throughout PLS.
Rani Elwy
Class of 2024
Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, speaks about her experience as the longest-serving presidential senior advisor in history, the importance of mentorship, and what she considers the secret sauce of leadership.
Recap of the class of 2024 final module in Philadelphia.
“Knowing that I would have an opportunity to navigate and network with individuals who are all go-getters and leaders in their community, and to have a network as expansive as PLS – it was something that I could not shy away from.”
Melva Wallace
Class of 2016
"I believe that people are good, and more people together are better, and PLS has been the most transformative and enduring proof of that deeply held belief."
Maya Smith
Class of 2022