Training and building a network of civil society leaders from across the developing world to advance democratic change in societies at risk or in transition.
The Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program on Democracy and Development is a training program hosted annually by Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Launched in 2005 and formerly known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program, it brings together a group of approximately 28-30 mid-career practitioners from transitioning countries who are working to advance democratic practices and economic and legal reform in contexts where freedom, human development, and good governance are fragile or at risk. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, our program participants are selected from among hundreds of applicants every year for the significant contributions they have already made to their societies and their potential to make an even greater impact with some help from Stanford. We aim to give them the opportunity to join a global network of now nearly 500 alumni from 97 countries who have all faced similar sets of challenges in bringing change to their countries.
The Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program provides an intensive 3-week on-campus forum for civil society leaders to exchange experiences and receive academic and policy training to enrich their knowledge and advance their work. Delivered by a leading Stanford faculty team composed of Michael McFaul, Kathryn Stoner, Francis Fukuyama, Larry Diamond, and Erik Jensen, the program allows emerging and established global leaders to explore new institutional models and frameworks to enhance their ability to promote good governance, accountable politics, and find new ways to achieve economic development in their home countries.
Our fellows live on the Stanford campus for the duration of the program and spend their time in classes with CDDRL faculty that are tailored to the interests and experiences of each cohort. Esteemed guest lectures are also presented by individuals from the greater Stanford community, like Law School Professor Pamela Karlan, Hoover Institution Director and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Saumitra Jha, among many, many others. Outside of Stanford, the program has included visits by Eric Schmidt (former CEO of Google), the chairman of the National Endowment of Democracy, foundations that fund international development, and members of different branches of the governments of the United States and the state of California.
Since its creation in 2005, the Summer Fellows Program has been generously funded by Bill Draper, the late Phyllis Draper, and Ingrid Hills. It became the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program in 2023, in honor of an endowment gift from Sakurako (Sako), ’82, and William Fisher, MBA ’84, that will secure the program’s future in perpetuity.
