Business and Society Program

First Movers Fellowship Criteria

Who Are We Looking For? Mid-career business professionals recognized as top talent in their companies. Successful candidates will have demonstrated passion and capacity for working at the intersection of business growth and positive social and environmental change. Most will work in core business functions within their companies: finance, marketing, design, leadership and organizational development, etc. They should, indeed, be FIRST MOVERS: extraordinary institutional entrepreneurs who have the vision, tenacity, and courage to achieve remarkable changes in business practice and impact.

We are looking for candidates from diverse backgrounds in terms of industry, functional responsibility, race, religion, gender and location. Candidates from non-profit organizations will not be considered.

In addition, candidates will be required to:

• present a new idea/business plan they urgently want to implement in their companies that will move the company further into the zone where business growth and social well-being intersect.
• commit to being fully engaged in the Fellowship program which includes attending three seminars during the year-long Fellowship and working throughout the period to turn their ideas into reality.
• demonstrate enthusiasm for supporting other Fellows in their work and collaborating with colleagues in their own companies to leverage their own learning and accomplishments.
• have support from their companies to participate in the fellowship program
• be fluent in English.

THE NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

The nomination period for the next class of First Mover Fellows opens on December 1, 2011.

Candidates must be nominated by peers, leaders in their industry or our academic partners. (Self-nominations are not accepted.) Nominators are asked to submit a nomination form stating their reasons for recommending the candidate and a résumé indicating the candidate's name, physical address, email and phone contacts, educational background, career path, current position, and any additional information that help us evaluate their qualifications. The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2012. However, we will begin interviewing the first round of candidates as early as December 1, 2011. Interviews of promising candidates will continue through February, 2012.

Candidates selected for the second round are invited to complete an application form that includes a description of the idea that they want to turn into action if selected to be a First Mover Fellow.

The First Movers Fellowship staff select the finalists who are presented to the First Mover Design Team in March, 2012. Those selected to be in the 2012 Class of Fellows by the Design Team are notified sometime in early May, 2012. Public announcement of the next class of Fellows is scheduled for late May, 2012.