Henry Crown Fellowship Program

Program Overview

The Henry Crown Fellowship Program, established in 1997, seeks to develop our next generation of community-spirited leaders, providing them with the tools necessary to meet the challenges of corporate and civic leadership in the 21st century.

The program is a unique mix of intellectual and personal development seminars designed to broaden the perspectives of the participants and hone their skills in values-based leadership. It honors the memory of Chicago industrialist Henry Crown (1896-1990), whose legendary career was marked by a lifelong commitment to honor, integrity, industry and philanthropy. View photos from the tenth year anniversary celebration.

The Program

Each year a class of 20 Crown Fellows is chosen from among young executives and professionals nominated for their potential to provide leadership at the highest levels of corporate and civic responsibility. The selected candidates are men and women between the ages of 25 and 45 who have already achieved considerable success in the private or public sector.

The two-year program is made up of a variety of seminar components and leadership development activities under the guidance of skilled Aspen Institute seminar leaders and senior mentors. It involves 22 days of seminar meetings plus the time allocated for individual community leadership projects.

Individuals cannot apply to the Crown Fellowship Program on their own: they must be nominated by recognized leaders of the business and professional communities or by Fellows, Senior Mentors, members of the Henry Crown Fellowship Board of Overseers or The Aspen Institute Board of Trustees.

Executive Director

Peter A. Reiling is Executive Director of the program and a Henry Crown Fellow (Class of '98). He also serves as the Aspen Institute's Executive Vice President for Leadership and Policy Programs. Prior to joining the Institute he was President and CEO of TechnoServe, and was an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and guest lecturer at the Institute for Developing Economies in Tokyo.