Training the Next Generation of Leaders
For over 75 years, Coro’s Fellows Program in Public Affairs has transformed emerging leaders through immersive experiences, cross-sector connections, and a powerful alumni network to drive lasting impact in communities nationwide.
Fellows Program in Public Affairs
The Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a nationally recognized, full-time fellowship that launches the next generation of civic leaders into careers of impact and purpose. Designed for early-career professionals, the Fellows Program combines immersive training, hands-on projects, access to influential change-makers, and cross-sector exposure.
The Fellows Program is the gold standard in public affairs training, with an over 80-year track record of advancing civic engagement and accelerating the careers of remarkable leaders. Fellows gain the skills, networks, and real-world experience needed to lead effectively and ethically, whether in government, business, labor, or the nonprofit world.
What is Coro?
Coro was founded in San Francisco in 1942 by attorney W. Donald Fletcher and investment counselor Van Duyn Dodge, who saw a need for a new generation of citizen leaders who would help our democratic system of government work more effectively. They launched the first class of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs in 1947 to train young WWII veterans in civic leadership skills.
The word “Coro” was created to reflect the founders’ vision for an innovative educational program to prepare citizen leaders. This entirely new concept warranted a new word, free from prior associations, embodying discovery and exploration.
Today, Coro has a national footprint with centers in California (San Francisco and Los Angeles), New York City, and St. Louis.
What is the Fellows Program in Public Affairs?
The Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a full-time immersive leadership development program for emerging leaders. In Southern California, St. Louis, and New York, it runs annually from September through May; in Northern California, from September through March.
Participants can look forward to:
Leadership Forums: Expert-led sessions on effective and ethical leadership practices. Fellows learn and apply strategies in systems thinking, adaptive leadership, communication, critical inquiry, stakeholder analysis, and more.
Focus Weeks: In-depth explorations of pressing regional issues. Through site visits, interviews, and independent research, Fellows take ownership of the learning process and build a deeper understanding of regional challenges.
Leadership Interviews: Closed-door conversations with influential cross-sector leaders provide candid insight into how they navigate challenges and opportunities throughout their careers.
Professional Placements: Fellows gain direct exposure to institutions, build strong networks, and create tangible organizational impact through hands-on, high-level assignments.
Spring Projects: In many Centers, individually-curated projects for partner organizations serve as the Fellowship’s culmination, giving Fellows the opportunity to apply their skills and strategies to high-impact, real-world deliverables.
Program Benefits: Where Civic Leaders Are Made
The Coro Fellows Program is a nationally recognized launchpad for bold, high-impact civic leadership. Fellows undergo immersive, hands-on training that pushes them to grow as leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers.
As a Fellow, you don’t just build skills; you join a powerful, lifelong network of Coro alumni that includes U.S. Senators, elected officials, and trailblazers across business, labor, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector.
Through direct engagement with industry leaders and intensive work on real-world civic and organizational challenges, Fellows accelerate their careers while expanding their influence. They gain critical insight into the political and economic systems that shape our communities and develop the cross-sector leadership skills to drive meaningful impact.
More than a fellowship, this is a transformative experience—one that equips you with the tools, relationships, and confidence to lead wherever your path takes you.
Who Should Apply
Coro values diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews represented in both programming and program participants.
We believe that Fellows learn best from a combination of “mirrors” (similar backgrounds and perspectives to their own) and “windows” (different backgrounds and perspectives from their own).
Ideal candidates…
- are recent college graduates or early-career professionals.
- are committed to becoming ethical leaders and positive change makers.
- welcome learning from multiple perspectives.
Applicants must have obtained a conferred bachelor’s degree before the Fellowship begins in order to participate.
Coro does not sponsor visas of any kind; however, Coro does not discriminate based on citizenship status. Please note, candidates must either be US-based, or hold a United States Visa or official status allowing them to be in the United States for the duration of the program at the time of application.
The Coro Approach
Coro’s approach is about more than leadership training – it’s about transformation. Coro participants learn by doing, gaining the tools, the network, and the mindset to create lasting change.
Instead of jumping to solutions, Coro leaders learn to ask the right questions, embrace reflection, and collaborate across different perspectives, backgrounds, and sectors. They practice curiosity over judgment, empathy over reaction, and vulnerability as the foundation of trust.
Program Cost and Stipend
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is tuition-free, thanks to our generous sponsors. Coro provides stipends to qualifying candidates. Applicants invited to Selection Day will be instructed on how to be considered for stipends. Stipend policies vary by Center; contact each Center for more information.
Application Process and Next Steps
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs has a two-step application process: a written application due on January 11, 2026 and a full-day, immersive judging event called Selection Day.
Each Coro Center operates its own Selection Day. After the written applications are submitted and reviewed, each Center will invite Finalists to participate in Selection Day. In most cases, selected Finalists will be invited to attend Selection Day at the location indicated as their first preference on the application.
Interested in learning more? Submit an interest form today and a representative from one of the Coro Centers will contact you shortly.
The Coro Mission
Coro’s mission is to strengthen the democratic process by preparing people for effective and ethical leadership.
Coro provides the tools, the lifelong network, and the practice that people need to activate meaningful change at every level. Coro leaders gain a deeper understanding of how the world works, the skills to navigate tough challenges, and a network of engaged and influential peers to help them move forward.
Coro Centers
Connect with your local Coro center to learn what makes their Fellows Program different.
Notable Alumnni
Senator Alex Padilla
John Sage
State Controller Malia Cohen
Andrew Kimball
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Paris Patterson-Garner
Senator Michael Bennet
Derek C. Blackwell
Senator Tim Kaine
Benedict Hur
What Former Fellows Say
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
“I owe much of who I am and how I got here to the enriching experience that Coro, and my fellow Coro Fellows, gave me. As a Coro Fellow, I learned the value of being an effective leader using critical thinking skills. I benefited from being exposed to real-life situations and diverse schools of thought.”
Nicolas Zevallos
“The Fellows program provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the intricacies of Los Angeles, reflect deeply on my personal goals and values, and develop a toolkit to be an ethical and effective leader. The experiences I shared with my Cohort left an indelible mark on me—and I will continue to draw on the lessons I learned from them for years to come.”
Luis Ornelas
“The Fellowship has felt like a gift in that I was given the time, space and environment I needed to learn about a broad array of issues that impact people’s lives in the Bay Area. I feel more knowledgeable about how various sectors operate, how they collaborate, and hw to create change. My network has grown significantly and it has been diversified in ways that I previously could not have imagined.”
Smita Bhattacharjee
“The Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs has positively impacted my professional trajectory by providing me with exposure and hand-on experience across multiple sectors. That combined with the cohort experience pushed me beyond a capacity that I thought was unattainable. The structure and rigor of FPPA is transformative and I am honored to call myself an alum.”
Livi Logan-Wood
“I can’t imagine what I would be like as a person and as a professional without having completed Coro … Coro showed me what it’s like to lead from behind, to lead next to somebody, and to lead in front of people. My previous definition of leadership had been solely the person in front – a spokesperson, the person in charge – and Coro not only humbles you, but it showed me a different side of myself.”
Elizabeth De Leon Bhargava Esq.
“Every day we are living in a city where our problems are real in size and number. Every single year the city has twelve people come together to think about how to make New York City better.”
Shabazz Stuart
“I came to Coro because I wanted a way to operationalize my undergraduate training with real world, hands-on experience. The multi-sector perspective that I gained during my time at Coro, and the deep network, have played a pivotal role in my work since the fellowship to address real urban challenges.”
Ross Morales Rocketto
“It was a transformational experience for me. The training component, I think, probably gave me 10 years’ worth of education that I would have had no other way to get in a span of nine months … I can say, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that I use the things that I got out of Coro literally every single day and couldn’t be happier that I did it. I am 20 years into my career and I have not seen another way to get the level of access that I was able to have in Coro so early on and learn so much from it.”