World Affairs Council of Atlanta Announces the 2027 Global Leadership Fellows Cohort

ATLANTA, Ga. — Aug. 5, 2026 — The World Affairs Council of Atlanta is pleased to announce the 2027 cohort of the Global Leadership Fellows program, welcoming 13 emerging leaders selected from the program's largest and most competitive applicant pool to date.

Now entering its third year, the 10-month Global Leadership Fellows program equips rising executives with the knowledge, perspective and leadership capacity to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. Through immersive Master Classes, leadership coaching, executive engagement and an international immersion in Germany, Fellows explore the forces shaping today's global landscape, including technology, capital, civil society, international business, governance and policy, and geopolitics and diplomacy.

“The Global Leadership Fellows program was created to address a gap I saw in Atlanta: a need for stronger connections among emerging leaders committed to leading with a global mindset,” said Rickey Bevington, president of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. “By bringing together professionals from diverse sectors, the program helps cultivate the global awareness, civic engagement, and cross-sector relationships that empower leaders to make a lasting impact in Atlanta and beyond.”

"Leadership today isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions, integrating diverse perspectives, and making thoughtful decisions in an increasingly interconnected world," said Elena Fernandez, program manager for Global Leadership Development. "Our goal is to help Fellows develop the mindset and framework to lead through complexity — not simply react to it."

Throughout the program, Fellows engage directly with senior executives, policymakers, diplomats, and NGO leaders while working collaboratively to examine real-world global challenges from multiple perspectives. Rather than relying on traditional lectures, each Master Class combines expert instruction, executive panel discussions, interactive case studies and leadership coaching to help Fellows translate knowledge into practice. 

"The program transformed how I understand complex global challenges. I now see them as interconnected systems shaped by diplomacy, capital, governance, technology, civil society, institutional capacity and — most importantly — the people and communities navigating them. It taught me that global leadership isn’t about viewing challenges from a distance, it's about understanding how local realities and global forces intersect," said Jared Evans ’26.

"The more I engage with different perspectives and real-world situations, the more I realize how much there is to question, relearn and refine," said Shy Mahagaonkar ’26.

The 2027 cohort will participate in monthly Master Classes hosted by leading organizations including UPS, BlackRock, CARE, the Consulate General of Ireland, Dentons and Atlanta City Hall, before traveling to Germany for an international immersion that brings classroom concepts to life through direct engagement with leaders in business, government and civil society.

The World Affairs Council of Atlanta congratulates the following professionals selected for the 2027 Global Leadership Fellows cohort:

• Gigi Bastien, Assistant Professor, Morehouse School of Medicine

• Malik Brown, Managing Director, Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center Initiative

• Heena Chavda, General Manager, Global Communications, Delta Air Lines

• Jocilyn Gilbert, Orders Processing Coordinator, Progress Learning

• Rod Goldsmith, Regional Cybersecurity Leader, YKK Corporation of America

• Osay Imarhiagbe, Lead Design Architect, AT&T

• Victoria Krauss, Associate Director, The Carter Center

• Amanda Larson, Technical Coordinator, Knowledge Management & Communications, CARE

• Janelle Mendoza-Guerra, Writing Supervisor, Georgia State University

• Laura Mitchell, Nurse Practitioner, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

• Ana Moreira, Supply Chain Manager, International, GoTo Foods

• Amelia Thompson, Founder, RenewToday

• Edward Wang, Clinical Assistant Professor, Georgia State University

About the World Affairs Council of Atlanta

The World Affairs Council of Atlanta is a non-partisan, non-profit organization established in 2010 by Atlanta’s foremost corporate and civic leaders. Our mission is to empower Atlantans to lead with world-class knowledge and global relationships. Through dozens of high-caliber events each year, we convene business executives, diplomats, students, and engaged citizens to explore the most pressing global issues of our time. Based at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, the Council serves as a vehicle for the University’s commitment to important civic and political institutions.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•