DePodesta Fellowship

The John DePodesta Leadership Fellowship Program, now in its sixth year, has supported the development of thirteen fellows from the University of Minnesota. Graduate students specializing in business, public policy, sociology, or education have the unique opportunity to collaborate with established educational organizations in order to co-design or launch innovative ventures seeking to improve access and quality of postsecondary education. 

Annually, the program disburses initial feasibility grants of $15,000 to a maximum of four students. Additional funding of up to $75,000 is made available to students who show significant progress with their initiatives, exhibit potential for making a substantial impact in the education sector, and pledge to operate their ventures full-time for a minimum of one year following graduation. Notably, two past fellows have once again received an extra $75,000 each to further their projects during 2025, reflecting the program's commitment to nurturing impactful educational innovation.

Winter at the Carlson School

2 DePodesta Fellows Receive Additional $75,000 in Funding

Minneapolis-based ECMC Group, in partnership with the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management, has announced two recipients of the 2025 John DePodesta Leadership Fellowship Program.  These University of Minnesota graduate students will continue to pursue their entrepreneurial ventures for another year and receive $75,000 of additional funding to support the ongoing development and testing of their startup concepts.

 

2025 DePodesta Fellows

Rachel Palmer Headshot
Rachel Palmer, MS - Social Work

Proposed Venture: Following over a decade of experience teaching Native American secondary school students on the Winnebago, NE reservation, and in Sioux Falls, SD, Rachel is testing a peer-led and mentor-supported affinity group framework for first generation college students.  Rachel will be working with the Minneapolis Community & Technical College to expand on their initial 2024 pilot program and further test her concept for To Gather.

Logan Grayson headshot
Logan Grayson, MBA

Proposed Venture: A member of the Air National Guard currently earning his MBA at Carlson School of Management, Logan is working on a venture to reduce the barriers for deployed and re-stationed service members to continue their education while abroad.  Between deployments, Logan will work with the Minnesota state government agencies, military agencies, the University of Minnesota and teaching platforms to advocate for veterans while seeking to improve access to flexible resources as veterans pursue their post-secondary education.

Previous Fellows

See our previous DePodesta Fellows by year.

Jackie Liu

Proposed Venture: While earning her second master's degree from the College of Education and Human Development, Jackie will be testing an online leadership curriculum for upcoming college graduates and early-career women in partnership with the Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University in Suzhou, China.

 

Logan Grayson

Proposed Venture: A member of the Air National Guard currently earning his MBA at Carlson School of Management, Logan is working on a venture to reduce the barriers for deployed and re-stationed service members to continue their education while abroad.

 

Rachel Palmer

Proposed Venture: Following over a decade of experience teaching Native American secondary school students on the Winnebago, NE reservation, and in Sioux Falls, SD, Rachel is testing a peer-led and mentor-supported affinity group framework for first generation college students.

Nida Yamen

Proposed Venture: Develop a video-based digital literacy curriculum that is able to impart knowledge for utilizing basic digital and software tools. The goal is to utilize existing video content to better develop a workforce with essential digital skills required to secure stable employment.

 

Enet Mukurazita

Proposed Venture: Through a digital platform, provide educational services to create a collaborative research network that enhances the inclusive and equal participation of women graduate scholars in higher education worldwide.

 

Zeke Jackson

Proposed Venture: Identify barriers and develop alternatives to better utilize available capacity within post-secondary education institutions for high school students. The goal is to reduce the cost of post-secondary education and increase the access to underrepresented groups.

Sarah Adams

  • Proposed Venture: Increasing Spanish Oral Proficiency to Build Cross-Cultural Relationships. Through this project, Adams will expand a Spanish language instructional company she founded in 2020, which focuses on the practical value of oral communication across cultures.

Sheetal Digari

  • Proposed Venture: Orienting Graduate Students for a Multi-Culturally Diverse Classroom and Career. For this project, Digari will develop a multicultural orientation module that will provide a supportive learning environment and experience for students of all backgrounds and help students smoothly transition into careers.

Ashley Watson

  • Proposed Venture: Early Interventions to Reduce Higher Education Drop-Out Rates. This project seeks to address persistently high dropout rates in higher education by designing interventions during the first two pivotal years.

Cassandra Silveira

  • Proposed Venture: Creating IT-centered postsecondary programs for autistic young adults.

Ryan Wold

  • Proposed Venture: Technologies used for mentor program management.

Jessica Thompson

  • Proposed Venture: Utilizing design thinking workshops to co-create programs with students that improve the academic success of first generation students.

Leah Battin

  • Proposed Venture: Developing partnerships and programming to increase the diversity of students attending graduate business schools.

Contact

Phone: 612-625-9225
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