It's been five years since the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and the Global Fellows Network began our journey together. Recently, leadership programs officer Xiomara Enriquez reflected on the impact of this partnership in a letter to the network. This community continues to thrive because of what you bring to the table: the time you spend supporting one another, exchanging ideas and driving collective action, as well as your vision and commitment to positive change across the world. Read the full letter. 

 

With that spirit in mind, this month’s newsletter highlights the leadership development opportunities that are helping to shape the network’s future — from transformative trainings to regional gatherings. 

 

Leader as Convener Trainings: What does it look like when we think of leaders not as visionaries and deciders, but instead as connectors who bring people together and help communities work together to build solutions to their most pressing challenges? A series of “Leader as Convener” trainings, based on Peter Block’s teachings, helped Global fellows reimagine their roles in their communities.

CO-ACT Leadership Program: For over a year, the CO-ACT (Connect, Collaborate and Act) Leadership Pilot Program has been helping fellows and community leaders build their leadership skills. The program pairs coaches from the International Coaching Federation with fellows to incredible result. Learn more in the blog below, and find out how this program is expanding across the network in the News from the Network section. 

IREX and HIP/NAP Summits: In April, Enriquez presented at the IREX Impact Fellowship Summit about the resilience of networks during challenging times, and WKKF sponsored the first-ever joint conference of the Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) and Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) in New Mexico this June. At a reception to kick off the June event, Global Fellows from across the region gathered to connect with each other and with WKKF. Read more in the News from the Network section below.  

 

Coming up! This July, fellows from Latin America and the Caribbean will gather in Mexico City for COPERA, a racial equity training for community leaders. We’ll also soon be opening applications for Global Fellows interested in attending Georgetown University’s New Strategies-Rising Forum or Cazumbada in Brazil. 

Embarking on a Transformative Leadership Training

On June 4, 15 Global Fellows attended a webinar to introduce the Leadership CO-ACT Interregional project, a collaborative effort between fellows from Southern Africa as well as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Inspired by the collective energy created at the Global Leadership Forum in South Africa in 2023 and supported by WKKF, members of the GFN and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Costa Rica Chapter designed and implemented the Leadership CO-ACT Pilot Project to develop competencies among fellows and communities working with them to connect, collaborate and act collectively for positive social change.  

 

Five Global Fellows who attended the forum, led by María Sáenz (Costa Rica), provided technical input into the pilot project design, namely Tania Pierre-Charles (Haiti), Marco Aurelio Sosa (Colombia), Silvia Diez Urdanivia (Mexico) and Meylin Alvarado Sánchez (Costa Rica).  

  

Following the overwhelming success of the pilot project, it was expanded into an interregional project involving Southern Africa and LAC fellows, in which two fellows and ICF coaches, Shanaaz Majiet (Southern Africa) and Sáenz (LAC), joined hands to develop leadership competencies among actors serving communities that face exclusion and discrimination based on race and gender.   

  

The interregional project will be in two phases, with phase one (June to November 2025) focusing on developing the leadership competencies of 20 Global Fellows from Southern Africa and LAC. Each fellow will define which competencies they want to develop, assess the degree of progress and define how they will apply their learnings in their efforts to promote race and gender equity and social justice. The second phase (January to December 2026) will focus on community leaders and fellows with lived experience of discrimination becoming leader-coaches and applying their coaching skills to strengthen their organizations and communities.  

 

Coaches provide their services pro bono, are accredited by the ICF and participate in cultural competence “share and reflect spaces” to enhance their ability to support diverse communities effectively.   

  

Southern African fellows who attended the interregional project briefing session expressed great interest in participating in the project. Lindelwa (Lee) Moyo, a Southern African fellow, noted that he had previously received coaching from Majiet, and it helped him embrace a new leadership role with confidence and purpose!  

In June, WKKF staff and Global Fellows joined more than 1,200 leaders from across the U.S., Latin America and Tribal communities for the Hispanics in Philanthropy and Native Americans in Philanthropy joint conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was the first time these two organizations hosted a joint conference and the “Land of Enchantment” was the perfect backdrop as these two communities have long been coexisting and collaborating in New Mexico.  

 

New Mexico has been one of the Kellogg Foundation’s named priority places for nearly two decades. Over the years, the foundation has supported many local leaders through its signature programs, including the Community Leadership Network. Fellows from across the generations joined the conference and a WKKF-hosted welcome reception on the opening day. Paul Martinez, WKKF’s chief leadership and human capital strategist, shared opening remarks acknowledging the room full of the foundation’s grantees, partners and of course, fellows:  

 

Whether its Native leaders working to reclaim their language or Latine organizers fighting for health care access, our job is simple: to echo their voices, support their goals and follow their lead. Because we believe in the power of community. 

 

We also believe leadership is a social process. Our founder, Will Keith Kellogg, once said, “I’ll invest my money in people.” That principle is as true today as it was when he first spoke it. …By bringing people together, we turn individual efforts into collective power – and that’s how movements grow… 

 

I know right now is a particularly difficult time for local leaders. I want you to know that: we see you, and we honor your commitment and your compassionate hearts. I hope that tonight and this week can be a time for you to lean on your comrades – and to be refreshed and inspired for the journey ahead.  

 

While we’re here to enjoy and celebrate tonight, let’s also remember: we are part of something bigger. It’s not just about one group or one place — it's about a shared effort to build a future where all children and families can live with dignity and opportunity. 

The Global Fellows Network continues to bring fellows together for unique opportunities to connect, learn and grow as they lead in their local communities and beyond.  

 A Landmark Apology: Guadalupe Tzopitl’s Fight for Racial Justice and Dignity  

 

For Guadalupe Tzopitl Montalvo (KPFL-02), the path to justice has been long and steep. As an Indigenous woman from Zongolica Sierra in Veracruz, Mexico, Lupita faced racial discrimination and abuse from the very institution she sought to serve: the Veracruz Institute for Adult Education (IVEA). What began as a hopeful step into public service as head of Indigenous education quickly became a painful experience of exclusion and mistreatment – all because of her Nahua identity.  

Refusing to stay silent, Lupita documented her experience and filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Veracruz. After years of bureaucratic struggle and institutional silence, her case was taken up by the National Human Rights Commission, which ruled in her favor. Among its recommendations: a public apology by IVEA.

 

That apology came six years later, on April 28, 2025. It was the first time IVEA issued an institutional apology in a Nahua community – a powerful precedent in the fight against systemic racism. Surrounded by family, allies, human rights advocates and community members, Lupita stood with dignity as her truth was acknowledged.  

 

The event was attended by high-ranking officials, including the director of IVEA and representatives of the Human Rights Commission, with a Náhuatl interpreter present. While Lupita recognizes that no apology can undo the harm, this act represents a historic step forward for Indigenous rights in Mexico.  

Lupita, motivated by this journey to find justice, also contributed to the publication “Pueblos indígenas frente al racismo mexicano: Caja de herramientas para identificar el racismo en México II,” (“Indigenous Peoples Confronting Mexican Racism: A Toolbox for Identifying Racism in Mexico II”), a collection of reflections by young Indigenous leaders (available in Spanish only). Her courage continues to inspire action, accountability and hope across the GFN and beyond.

• Annual Snapshot: In an opening letter for the 2025 Annual Snapshot, WKKF President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron wrote about how our strong roots give us the power we need to persevere during challenging times. She emphasized the importance of building solidarity across the communities and lifted up Global Fellow Ze Min Xiao’s work to support multigenerational leadership in Utah as an example.

• CLN Graduates Join GFN: We’re excited to welcome 79 new graduates from the Community Leadership Network into the GFN! This year's graduates include a diverse group of storytellers, mental health experts, artists, lawyers, Tribal leaders and more. During the 18-month fellowship for U.S. leaders, fellows developed their leadership skills and built strong connections that will help them address racial inequities and advance racial healing.

Resources

• GFN Repository: Have you appeared on a podcast, hosted a workshop, written a book or produced other materials about your work that could be of interest to other Global Fellows? If so, we encourage you to share them with the network! Please submit your recommendations to the GFN repository. 
  
  

  Strategic Communications Hub: Want to make your voice heard and connect with your government leaders but unsure where to begin? We've got you covered! Watch this informative video that includes a step-by-step plan to help you effectively communicate with these leaders.  

In April 2025, Global Fellows from across Mexico gathered for a tag-along with members of the GFN team in Mérida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán.  

 

Have you connected with other Global Fellows lately? If so, please share your pictures on OpenChange. 

 

We would love to hear stories about how you all are collaborating as well. Please share your experiences and any relevant photos or videos to globalfellowsnetwork@wkkf.org. We look forward to celebrating your collective efforts!  

 

W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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