This event is hosted by the Systems Practice Community – not SCEU! We love their sessions, though, and there’s synchronicity to share. Find out more information about the Systems Practice Community, and this session, join their google group: https://groups.google.com/g/systems-practice-community
In this gathering, IREX, the Impact Fellowships Network (IFN), and Mountaintop International will lead an interactive session exploring how fellowship programs cultivate systems change leaders, and how we can better measure and strengthen that work. We'll open with a 20-minute introduction to IFN, Mountaintop International, and the new IFN 2026 Impact Study, a yearlong collaborative research initiative drawing on insights from 1,630 fellowship alumni and community partners across 141 countries on how fellowships support change at the individual, institutional, community, and systems levels.
Then we'll ask YOU (the community) to offer your advice. In breakout rooms, participants will brainstorm and discuss solutions to three live challenges facing the fellowship field:
What cutting-edge strategies from the systems change space could help fellowship programs better measure, capture, and communicate their impact?
How can fellowship curricula best evolve so Fellows build the skills they need to lead systems change?
How can fellowships partner with others to strengthen systems impact?
About the Speakers
Reed Shafer-Ray is a social entrepreneur helping local leaders solve local problems by empowering them to create systems change in their home communities. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Mountaintop International, a nonprofit that builds the inner capacity, or "human infrastructure," of leaders worldwide so their communities can flourish. Through its fellowships, Mountaintop supports the world's most promising leaders with intensive leadership training at institutions like the Harvard Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, and USIU-Africa, 1:1 mentorship and professional coaching, and ongoing access to funding, visibility, and a global peer network. The organization currently serves 124 Fellows across 37 countries, along with a community of more than 24,000 people in 181 countries who receive online leadership development support.
Philip Davidovich is the senior technical advisor for leadership and digital development. He leads initiatives that strengthen social impact ecosystems through community building, digital innovation, and evidence-based design. Sitting in IREX's Center for Technical Excellence, he serves as Project Director for the Impact Fellowships Network (IFN) – an initiative that strengthens the global fellowship sector – and provides technical expertise on digital development initiatives that support organizational growth and workforce development – working closely with IREX's strategic partner, Development Gateway: An IREX Venture. Philip brings over 12 years of experience in international education and global development. At IREX he has designed training content that builds data fluency within organizations, developed digital solutions that improve program delivery, and leveraged approaches in social network theory that inform engagement strategies for leadership communities. Prior to IREX, Philip served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, supporting business and workforce development programming.
Tanisha Washington is a technical specialist at IREX with expertise in participatory evaluation, qualitative research, and learning-focused program improvement. For the past two years, she has supported the Impact Fellowships Network as a research manager to support the monitoring, research, evaluation, and learning (MERL) of the initiative which focuses on working with practitioners across the impact fellowships field to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and stronger fellowship practices. Tanisha has led and contributed to evaluations for organizations including IREX, Habitat for Humanity International, and ChildFund International, bringing a strong background in mixed-methods research and evidence-driven learning.