A Scholarly Leadership Experience within the Global Center for Respectful Disruption Leadership
June – December 2026 | Highly Selective | 5 Innovation Fellows
The Global Respectful Disruption Leadership (GRDL) Innovation Fellowship is a selective global leadership and creative scholar experience designed to accompany and amplify the Global Respectful Disruption Leadership Speaker Series.
The Fellowship brings together a small cohort of scholar-practitioners, educators, innovators, and creative leaders who are exploring new ways to advance Respectful Disruption Leadership (RDL) across institutions, communities, and global learning ecosystems.
Through collaborative inquiry, mentorship, and applied leadership exploration, Fellows contribute to the growing intellectual foundation of the Respectful Disruption movement while developing original scholarship, creative work, or applied leadership practice.
Only five Fellows are selected for each cohort in order to support meaningful collaboration, deep dialogue, and sustained leadership development.
2026 Fellowship Application
June–December 2026 | Highly Selective | 5 Innovation Fellows
A Companion to the Global Respectful Disruption Leadership Speaker Series
Priority Deadline: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Applications received after May 24 will be considered on a rolling basis, with initial review beginning around June 1, 2026. Fellows will be announced by Monday, June 8, 2026.
Fellowship Overview
The GRDL Innovation Fellowship is designed for individuals who are ready to move beyond participation toward creation, experimentation, and leadership within the Respectful Disruption ecosystem.
Running from June through December, Fellows engage in a multi-layered leadership and scholarly experience that includes:
• Full participation in the Global RDL Speaker Series
• Monthly Innovation Sounding Boards to explore ideas, tensions, and emerging insights
• Development of a Respectful Disruption Leadership Action Plan
• Creation of a final scholarly or creative capstone
• Contribution to the evolving RDL Competencies and intellectual framework
Selected works may be published through the Respectful Disruption Open Journal and presented at future Respectful Disruption events.
What Fellows Do
Throughout the Fellowship, participants engage in collaborative exploration and applied leadership development through:
Innovation Sounding Boards
Monthly sessions where Fellows test ideas, analyze Speaker Series insights, and explore emerging themes related to Respectful Disruption Leadership.
RDL Action Plan
Each Fellow develops a leadership Action Plan addressing a real-world systemic challenge using the principles of Respectful Disruption Leadership.
Scholarly or Creative Capstone
Fellows produce a final scholarly or creative work that contributes to the broader RDL knowledge ecosystem.
Submissions may include:
• Academic scholarship
• Practice-based leadership frameworks
• Creative work such as narrative, poetry, visual art, multimedia, or film
• Hybrid scholarly-creative formats
Selected works may be featured in the Respectful Disruption Open Journal and future RDL publications.
Fellowship Community
The Fellowship intentionally cultivates a small global community of scholar-leaders who are committed to:
• Advancing new thinking around leadership and systems change
• Expanding the intellectual foundations of Respectful Disruption Leadership
• Building collaborative global learning networks
• Supporting innovation in global education and community engagement
Fellows become part of the broader Respectful Disruption ecosystem, which includes the Global Summit, GRDI initiatives, and the Global Center for Respectful Disruption Leadership.
Fellowship Timeline
June 2026 — Launch & Orientation
Fellowship orientation, community agreements, and activation of the cohort.
July–October 2026 — Innovation & Development
Monthly Innovation Sounding Boards, Speaker Series engagement, and development of Fellows’ Respectful Disruption Leadership Action Plans and capstone projects.
November 2026 — Community Engagement
Participation in community programming and collaborative learning events.
December 2026 — Completion & Recognition
Final scholarly or creative capstone submissions and Fellowship recognition.
Fellowship Recognition
• Receive recognition as a Global Respectful Disruption Leadership Innovation Fellow
• Have opportunities to publish their work through the Respectful Disruption Open Journal
• Contribute to the evolving RDL knowledge ecosystem
• Present your capstone or creative project at the annual Global Respectful Disruption Summit
APPLY TODAY!
Applications for the 2026 GRDL Innovation Fellowship are now open.
Priority Deadline: May 24, 2026
Applications received after this date may be considered on a rolling basis depending on available Fellowship spaces.