I’m officially a State Policy Network’s Generational Liberty Fellowship alumnus. Woohoo!
I completed the program at the 29th annual SPN Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL last week. In this blog post, I’ll briefly share my experience and explain why fellow center-right professionals should apply.
What is State Policy Network (SPN)?
SPN is one of the most premiere center-right policy think tanks out there. They desire to create an “America where all people can flourish because collaborative, entrepreneurial leaders have secured lasting social change, personal freedom, and economic opportunity at the state and local level.” Moreover, SPN’s mission “is to catalyze thriving, durable freedom movements in every state, anchored with high-performing independent think tanks.”
What to Expect Participating in the GLF
If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
Earlier in my career, several of my friends who completed the GLF program recommended I apply. So I did. I had previously applied to the GLF program in the past but wasn’t accepted. However, I wasn’t deterred. Maybe I didn’t have enough experience under my belt? Yet I knew if I applied again, perhaps my luck would change. This year, I applied with a little more experience under my belt and voila — I got the email acceptance. And right before I age out too. Whew! Finally, I was going to participate in GLF.
When I arrived at the J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL on Sunday, August 29th, I knew I was in for a great week. Bonus: Hurricane Ida thankfully didn’t touch us and asinine COVID-19 restrictions didn’t stall the event.
The takeaway: I came away making new friends, reconnecting with long-lost friends, and taking away valuable information from the conference.
My class comprised over 40 liberty-minded young professionals spanning different ages, experiences, issue areas, and geographic regions. Let me say, my fellow participants are some of the nation’s brightest up-and-coming young professionals across public policy. And many are barely into their mid-20s. Very impressive! While I was one of the few in journalism/media present, I naturally meshed with the group since I focus on public policy in my reporting work. I knew some fellows from social media or political conferences long ago, but appreciated the opportunity to mix and mingle in the age of COVID-19. I also haven’t attended a political conference as an attendee in AGES. Most of the time I’m working them on behalf of clients, so this was a nice change of pace. And after spending the weeks on the road for reporting, it was a nice way to top off my busy summer travel schedule.
I thoroughly enjoyed our pre-conference session(s) with SPN speakers. I even took away a few new media and branding tips to bring home with me to incorporate into my business. I especially enjoyed the breakout sessions and panel on conservation too.
Does this sound like fun and something you’d like to apply for? Here’s what the Generation Liberty Fellowship scholarship entails:
Generation Liberty Fellows (GLF) receive a stipend to cover attendance, travel expenses, and full access to SPN’s 29th Annual Meeting – the country’s premier freedom movement event. The Annual Meeting draws state-based leaders, practitioners, and innovators from all 50 states to discuss best practices, develop new skills, share expertise, and sharpen new ideas and strategies.
In addition to the full Annual Meeting program, Fellows have access to exclusive pre-event sessions tailored just for rising leaders, including:
-Leadership and professional development training, designed to sharpen the skills you need to have meaningful impact and continue growing as a leader,
-Private discussions of some of the most pressing issues facing states today and the solutions currently being tested at the state level, and
-Invitation-only networking sessions.
After the conference, as a Generation Liberty Fellow alum, you will be part of a nation-wide alumni network of over 500 leaders across the country. GLF alumni have started new nonprofits and are working in a wide range of roles in state and national nonprofit organizations. There are GLF alumni working in all levels of governments, at the state and national level, and are represented in a wide range of private sector industries as well.
As a GLF alumni, you’ll have ongoing access to SPN’s leadership and professional development training resources and a community of state-based leaders and experts throughout the year. Alumni are also eligible to apply for scholarships for future SPN Annual Meetings.
What are the qualifications? Here’s what the GLF website lists:
Thank You, SPN
There are several people to thank for this unique experience.
First, I have to thank Heather Pfitzenmaier, SPN’s Senior Talent Program Advisor, for her leadership. She’s been someone I’ve leaned on across the years and I’m grateful she gave me this opportunity to attend.
Finally— a thank you to SPN donors, whose financial support allowed me and my fellow 2021 Generation Liberty Fellows to come to SPN Annual Meeting on scholarship. That’s very much appreciated and valued. You aren’t going unnoticed!
Going Forward
My fellowship journey doesn’t stop with SPN.
As many of you know, I’m currently a Visiting Fellow with Independent Women’s Network and Young Voices Contributor through December 2021. Make sure you’ve bookmarked my links with IWF and YV, respectively.
Thanks for your support!
-Gabriella