< Back to News From the Fellows Program

William G. McGowan Fund Announces 2017 Fellowship Class

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund has announced the 10 recipients of its prestigious 2016 fellowship awards. Fellows hail from the nation’s leading graduate business programs; they’re top-tier second-year MBA students, who exhibit outstanding leadership potential as well as strong dedication to ethics and public service.

The 2017 McGowan Fellows are Muhammad Ali Akhtar, University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business; Tom Allin, Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business; David Dierker, Carnegie Melon University Tepper School of Business; Jonathan Chun-Hung Fung, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Samantha Allyn Fahrbach, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; David Anthony Gross, Duke University Fuqua School of Business; H. Kay Howard, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; Emily Lampert, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School; Alfredo J. Rivera Rios, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business; Evan Zehnal, Columbia University Columbia Business School.

Fellows receive a full-tuition scholarship for their second-year studies, the largest cash award given by a program of this kind, as well as mentoring throughout the academic year from a prominent business leader selected by their home school. Fellows also participate in a social impact group project. This year’s project will focus on building a business case for insurance providers to cover the ELM or Eat-Love-Move lifestyle management approach as a viable therapy in the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

But expectations reach beyond a single project. “The Fund believes that these bright and accomplished next- generation leaders will improve organizations, communities, and society, efforts that directly align with the values and mission of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund,” said Diana Spencer, executive director of the Fund. “We are so proud to welcome them as the Class of 2017.”

The McGowan Fellows Program was established in 2010 by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, a Chicago-based family foundation, whose grant-making interests are in human services, education, and healthcare and medical research. The purpose of the program is to create a select community of highly talented, emerging business leaders who are dedicated to ethical leadership and service, reflecting the spirit and interests of William G. McGowan, former chairman and CEO of MCI. There are currently 60 program alumni who hold notable positions worldwide.