CSIS Hosts Ninth Annual Women’s Global Leadership Program

Washington, DC – March 1, 2024 – The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) this week kicked off the 2024 Women’s Global Leadership Program (WGLP), a year-long fellowship for senior-level professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of critical geopolitical trends in order to thrive in a complex global environment. The 26 accomplished executives in this year’s cohort are leaders in the security, energy, aerospace, finance, materials science, research and development, government, and nonprofit sectors.

The 2024 cohort convened at CSIS headquarters in Washington, DC, for a week of seminars led by CSIS scholars and specialist coaches to hone their executive leadership and communication skills. Fellows also exchanged perspectives on key global issues, such as security in the Indo-Pacific and the regulation of advanced technologies. They will reconvene throughout the year for monthly videoconferences, interactive online programming, and two additional two-day, in-person conferences in the summer and fall.

WGLP addresses specific challenges faced by women executives as they navigate their path to top leadership positions in a global environment defined by change, complexity, and competition. Key to the year-long experience is the development of a deep network as fellows share insights from their respective fields and backgrounds. This year’s cohort joins an extensive alumnae network of over 175 senior-level professionals working across industries and continents.

“The leaders who join WGLP are recognized as world-class problem solvers and innovators in their respective fields. This year gives them the opportunity to shift their focus both further out and closer in: to lift their sights to critical global contexts beyond their day-to-day and to reflect with trusted peers,” shares Barbara Petzen, director of learning with the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy.

CSIS is dedicated to producing solutions to complex policy challenges and developing leaders that are committed to a more secure and prosperous geopolitical landscape. As Donatienne Ruy, director of the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy, notes, “While programs like WGLP are crafted to serve the amazing professionals who join us, they are also hugely beneficial to CSIS. This is the way we walk the talk of leadership development, and also how we connect with stakeholders who contribute to policymaking.”

This year, the following companies and organizations are represented: Battelle, Bechtel, Boeing, Bridgewater, Chevron, the Cohen Group, the Community Education Group, Dow Chemical, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, KPMG, the Inter-American Development Bank, Leonardo DRS, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Northrop Grumman, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the U.S. Air Force, and Woodside Energy.

To learn more about the Women’s Global Leadership Program, click here.