Graduate Fellows

For many of our Graduate Fellows, serving overseas or working with the international community is a large part of their public service journeys. In this blog post, we are excited to highlight perspectives of some of our Fellows who have previously or are currently serving abroad, sharing an inside look at what these unique experiences are really like.

Washington, D.C. - The Rumsfeld Foundation is delighted to introduce its 2026 Graduate Fellows.

Last month we convened female leaders in our Graduate Fellowship Network for our second annual Women’s Leadership in National Security, Defense and Public Service event. In this blog post, we highlight some key moments from the evening as well as reflections shared by our speakers and participants underscoring the impact of this special gathering.

The Rumsfeld Foundation hosted its 13^th Annual Graduate Fellowship Network Conference in Washington, D.C. on September 18^th–19^th, 2025. As the flagship event of the Foundation’s Fellowship Program, the conference brought together network members from across the country, including current 2025 Graduate Fellows, program alumni and Advisers.

As part of our Graduate Fellowship Program, the Foundation established the Alumni of the Year Award in 2022. The Award recognizes an alum who has demonstrated a commitment to public service, benefited the public good, and personifies the leadership qualities that the Rumsfelds hoped to encourage through the Fellowship's efforts. 

Washington, D.C. - The Rumsfeld Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of its 2025 Graduate Fellows.

Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, May 3^rd the Rumsfeld Foundation welcomed members of its Graduate Fellowship Network to Annapolis, Maryland for its annual Spring Retreat which included a full day of keynote speakers and interviews, roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and more.

For this post in our Service Series, we were pleased to interview Sheriff Almakki, one of our 2023 Graduate Fellows, who recently joined the U.S. State Department as a newly minted Foreign Affairs Officer. We asked Sheriff to reflect on his journey to public service, including his graduate education at the University of Michigan, his longtime interest in refugee affairs, and the impact of his experience within our Graduate Fellowship Network on his professional development. 

This fall, the Foundation was pleased to recognize an alumna who has exhibited extraordinary intellectual ability, integrity, and leadership in public service. We were delighted to award the 2024 Alumna of the Year Award to Dr. Meg Reiss.

Washington, D.C. – The Rumsfeld Foundation hosted its 12^th annual Graduate Fellowship Conference in Washington, D.C. on September 12^th-13^th. As the Fellowship Program’s flagship event, the conference assembles its network from across the country including current 2024 Graduate Fellows, Fellowship alumni and program Advisers.