Leadership Fellows

William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows enthusiastically take up key positions on a team responsible for providing every first-year MBA student the opportunity to enhance his or her leadership potential. Values core to the program are trust, curiosity, optimism, diplomacy, service, teamwork and development of self and others. Leadership Fellows (LFs) are service-oriented and highly committed students that learn concrete leadership strategies, apply those learnings to support the development of first-year Learning Teams, and habitually reflect on how they can improve as students of leadership.
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William P. Lauder Leadership Fellows Symposia —

The Leadership Fellows program is built on the philosophy that great leaders are, above all, coaches and mentors who dedicate themselves to teaching others to reach their full potential. William P. Lauder W’83 models this belief through the Leadership Fellows Symposia, a forum where William shares practical insights and principles of leadership that LFs can apply to their work with the Wharton MBA first year Learning Teams. Through fireside chats and small-group discussions, William encourages LFs to be lifelong learners and continuously pass on their knowledge to others.

Following the example of his popular Wharton course – MGMT896: Decision Making in the Leadership Chair – William brings prominent guest speakers to the Symposia to share their advice and firsthand experiences. Michael O’Hare, Executive Vice President and Global HR Officer of The Estée Lauder Companies, recently spoke to the Leadership Fellows about leading large organizations through transformations at a global scale. Michael’s advice to the students: One-on-one meetings are almost always the most effective way to gather intel about a team’s performance. William agreed: “It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO or a junior manager – leaders at every level of the organization have to make time for regular touchpoints with people.”

William P. Lauder

William P. Lauder, W’83, is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, the Lauder Institute Board of Governors, the Wharton Leadership Advisory Board, and a lecturer in the Wharton School. Mr. Lauder has committed $4 million to endow the William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows Program.

Leadership Fellows Will:

  • Be part of a community of peers dedicated to personal and professional growth
  • Increase your own level of self-awareness and receive feedback from peers, staff, and faculty
  • Define leadership development goals and track progress for self and others
  • Participate in rigorous training focused on coaching techniques and team-building skills
  • Deliver an intensive learning experience to first-year students designed to promote  personal and team performance
  • Plan and lead development activities for both individuals and the cohort throughout the year
  • Gain experience in team development, conflict resolution, and group facilitation

Contact

Gwendolyn McDay, Director of Leadership Learning & Development
gmcday@wharton.upenn.edu

Amelia Kaselaan, Program Manager
kaselaan@wharton.upenn.edu