Hello Henry Crown Fellows,

As we embrace 2025, I want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible milestones and connections we achieved together last year. From welcoming the 2024 Ante Up Class to launching new alumni programs, the Henry Crown Fellowship - driven by each of you - demonstrated the power of shared purpose and collective impact. I encourage you to explore our 2024 Annual Report for more highlights from an extraordinary year.

As the next year unfolds, we are excited to celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of the Aspen Institute while deepening our efforts, fostering even greater connections, and continuing to amplify the impact of Fellows. On behalf of the Henry Crown Fellowship team, thank you for being a part of this journey from success to significance to impact. As always, we invite you to stay connected and let us know how we can continue to support you. 

In Fellowship,

Tonya Hinch
Executive Director
2007 We Go To Eleven Class

Launched by HCF 2015 Adriana Cisneros, Soy niña, soy importante is a Fundación Tropicalia initiative supporting at-risk girls in the Dominican Republic with a mission to protect childhood experiences, guide them in making timely life choices, and educate the community as a whole on women's rights. Starting as a summer camp in 2013, the program has grown to include year-round activities including at-home programming, a Saturday club for mentorship and skill-building, and career development for summer camp alumni. In addition, soy niña, soy importante led to the establishment of a local office for the National Children's Rights Agency to provide critical resources for victims for violence. The program continues to evolve to meet the needs of girls in the Dominican Republic.

HCF 2013 Christopher Gergen has over 25 years experience building, scaling, and supporting systems-based solutions in communities globally. He is a founder many times over, creating and leading organizations that address the whole of economic inequality. Learn more about his approach to systems change in action here.

HCF 2021 Carly Zakin, co-founder and co-CEO of theSkimm, was recently featured in Aspen’s In Focus video series on Leadership. Zakin reflects on both the company’s evolution over the past 13 years, her own leadership journey, and how she’s navigated the challenges of scaling a start-up, embracing uncertainty, and seeking out new mentors. Her insights on leadership offer valuable lessons for professionals at any stage of their career. Watch the full video above.

You don’t have to be featured in the news for us to share information on your venture, achievements, and social impact. Please email Esther M. Turner if you have an update that you’d like to share with the Fellowship.

Know My Story & Understand for Action: Personal Reflections on the Middle East Conflict from AGLN Fellows
3rd Wednesday of the Month from February - July
10am EST | 5pm IST
Indicate Interest

This Fellow-led and organized program invites all AGLN Fellows to participate in an intimate virtual series where we will listen deeply to a range of personal stories from diverse voices all around the world about how the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has affected them. This series, which will run February through July, is designed to create a brave space for vulnerability, curiosity, empathy and understanding, offering us the opportunity to connect with one another as human beings behind the headlines and labels. Through learning about each other’s lived experiences, we hope to continue to deepen trust across the Aspen Global Leadership Network as a prerequisite to any next steps, including collective action.

This series, while open to all, will consist of private, curated sessions exclusive to AGLN Fellows. We are looking for Fellows who can commit to the entire series. Each 60-minute session will center on deep listening to two Fellows sharing their personal stories prompted by a facilitator, allowing for time after each for the facilitator to share a few questions from participants.

This series is intentionally designed not to be a dialogue but an opportunity to listen and learn. By engaging in this series, we aim not only to broaden our perspectives but also to cultivate a deeper sense of solidarity and shared humanity. We look forward to coming together in this meaningful journey of connection and growth. From this understanding, we aspire to build on this foundational experience toward action, individual and collective. 

The final session in July will be a debrief session whereas a community we’ll have the chance to discuss what we heard and codesign what next steps could be. 

Session 1 - February 19

• MELI Class 5 Forsan Hussein & HCF 2003 Jacob Ner-David 
• Facilitated by HCF 2004 Nike Irvin

Session 2 - March 19 

• Fellows announced soon
• Facilitated by HCF 2008 Chadia El Meouchi 

Session 3 - April 16

• Fellows announced soon
• Facilitated by HCF 2015 Elizabeth Faraut 

Registration Details and Norms

If you are selected to the cohort, we require: 

1. Your cameras to be on for the entire 60-minutes.
2. You make every effort to attend each session. 
3. That you will respect the confidentiality of the space, including for trust and security reasons. 
4. That you will be open to listening and learning with an open heart.  
5. Participants will be invited to share questions directly with the facilitator during each Fellows’ personal story.

If you are interested in joining the cohort, indicate it on the form here. Due to limited space and a need to balance the mosaic of participating Fellows, completion of the form does not necessarily imply participation. Participation will be confirmed via email by February 7.

GenAI: What Boards Need to Know
February 19, 2025 | 11:00am ET | Online
Register

Through our partnership with Deloitte, register for their Global Boardroom Programming, which explores into the critical role of boards in navigating the evolving landscape of AI and GenAI oversigh. As many organizations move past the piloting stage and integrate GenAI more broadly into strategy and operations, how involved are boards in overseeing their organizations’ approach to AI and GenAI? How are they balancing their time to help ensure all pressing boardroom topics get the time and attention they deserve? And how confident are they that their AI implementation is transparent, safe, and responsible with the appropriate guardrails? This event will feature board members from Alphabet, Salesforce, HSBC, Guardian life, and more. 

HCF Venture Affinity Group Call
February 19, 2025 | 12:00pm ET | Zoom
RSVP

Join us for the next HCF Venture Affinity Group Call on February 19^th, featuring HCF 2017 Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni’s Ice Creams. Jeni will introduce her newest company, Floura, a company transforming food waste into high-fiber snack bars made from rinds, cores, and skins of fresh produce that would otherwise be discarded. In 45 minutes, you’ll hear Jeni’s pitch, engage in Q&A, and have an opportunity to ask questions related to your own startup journeys.

LA Regional Dinner
February 27, 2025 | 5:30pm PT
RSVP

We're excited to bring back our regional Dinner & Discussion series. We're grateful to have HCF 2019 Toni Ko as our first host of the year, offering an evening of community, solidarity, and Fellowship for those in the Los Angeles area. This dinner is open to Fellows and their spouses/partners. Space is limited. 

For more information or to host a dinner in your area, email Sean Meade

HCF Pride Seminar
May 16-18, 2025 | Minneapolis, MN 

Join us in the dynamic Twin Cities in May of 2025, for the first-ever LGBTQ+ seminar for the Henry Crown Fellowship. This weekend is designed to create a space for openness, growth, and mutual respect as you delve into your diverse paths as leaders, mentors, and community members. This seminar is for Fellows who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Please reach out to Sean Meade if you are interested in attending or would like to support in any way.

Aspen Ideas Festival
June 25 - July 1, 2025 | Aspen, CO
Early bird registration ends March 1, 2025

The Aspen Ideas Festival explores critical issues as well as uncovers ideas that spark wonder. Panels, interviews, lectures, and interactive sessions will delve into topics shaping the AI revolution, business and the economy, the role of art throughout all aspects of our lives, geopolitics, sports, leadership, and more.

Resnick Aspen Action Forum
July 22- July 25, 2025 | Aspen, CO
Registration opens February 5

Each summer, the Resnick Aspen Action Forum offers the opportunity for AGLN Fellows to come together with high-integrity, action-oriented leaders to leaders to reflect, refresh, and recommit to confronting some of society’s greatest challenges.  

Start making plans now!
Space is limited as we cap at 100 Fellows
Registration opens July 30, 2025

Join us October 8-9 for our next Henry Crown Fellowship multi-class gathering in Austin, TX. We’ll gather around the seminar table to expand our viewpoints through readings and lived experiences shared intergenerationally. This is a great way to develop relationships across classes as you’ll stay in the same cohort for each seminar session. Our time together will also provide time to deepen your understanding of the ongoing impact work and how we can collectively advance as leaders, making meaningful impact in our respective communities. This is for Henry Crown Fellows only. 

Draft Agenda*
Wednesday, October 8

• 12:30pm – Registration 
• 1:00pm – State of the Henry Crown Fellowship Opening Plenary
• 2:00pm – Seminar 
• 5:00pm – Dinner on your own (organized by class)

Thursday, October 9

• 8:30am – Breakfast
• 9:30am – Seminar
• 12:00pm – Lunch 
• 1:30pm – Impact Sessions
• 4:00pm – Closing Plenary 

Immediately after the Fellowship Forum, you are invited to stay on for the Fellowship Fund Investor Summit hosted by HCF 2013 Joshua Baer, Lawton Cummings, and the Capital Factory team. The Summit offers an exclusive chance to delve into the world of Henry Crown Fellow entrepreneurs, and it will be topped off with VIP access to the Austin City Limits Music Festival October 10-11.

What you can do now: 

1. Book your hotel room. All sessions take place at the Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, which is in the same building as the Omni. HCF will not have a rooming block so book early to lock in your rate. Here is a list of a few hotels within a 10-minute walk of the Omni. Booking your hotel does not guarantee your registration for the Fellowship Forum.
2. Start talking to your classmates to plan your class dinner on Wednesday, October 8. If you want to sponsor a group dinner or cocktails for all, please email Esther M. Turner.  

Thank you to Joshua Baer and the entire Capital Factory team for hosting us at their office! 

*Agenda subject to change.

We have exclusive WhatsApp groups for Henry Crown Fellows to coordinate meetups, exchange ideas, and explore together while attending global gatherings and events. Stay connected with your fellow Fellows and make the most of your experience! Embrace the power of Fellowship - click the links below to join the conference groups. 

• SXSW | Austin, TX (March 7-15)
• Skoll World Forum | Oxford  (April 1–4)
• TED | Vancouver (April 7–11)
• Milken Global Conference | Los Angeles, CA (May 4–7)

Fellowship connections are being made across the country and beyond. Fellows continue to come together in unexpected ways on their journey to impact. 

• HCF 2018 Sarah Kauss joined Floura Inc.
• HCF 2023 Mariana Matus Garcia named to Asbury Communities.
• HCF 2021 Neela Montgomery appointed to National Retail Federation.
• HCF 2022 Jason Schmitt selected for AMS Fulfillment.
• HCF 2018 Melanie Whelan invited to FIGS.

In an effort to help Henry Crown Fellows learn more about the rest of the Aspen Institute, we’re bringing the Institute to your inbox – one program at a time. With more than 50 programs, the Aspen Institute is addressing some of the world’s most complex problems.

Aspen Strategy Group (ASG)

The Aspen Strategy Group’s mission is to convene decision makers in resolutely non-partisan public and private forums to address key foreign policy challenges facing the United States. The ASG organizes its annual Summer Workshop, hosts Track II dialogues, and presents the annual Aspen Security Forum where domestic and foreign government officials, business executives, leading academics, and noted journalists convene for three and a half days to discuss solutions to the most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges of our time.