THE FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE

Field Work
The sabbatical experiences have ranged from seminars at the leading business schools to leadership development programs, best practice sites and personal coaching. One Fellow studied organization leadership with Dr. Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning. Another took an eight-week Spanish immersion program in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to gain cultural knowledge and language ability. Yet another completed an improvisational theater program with the Second City troupe in Chicago to gain greater facility in speaking extemporaneously in front of groups.

All Piper Fellows appreciate their sabbatical coursework and travel, site visits and reflection time. More than anything though, they value the new relationships—some of these are outside the Valley but most are relationships among the class of Piper Fellows as well as organized experiences with former Piper Fellows. The shared advice and support are invaluable.

Mentoring
Each new Piper Fellow is matched with a former Piper Fellow during the fellowship year. The mentor-mentee match is based on the skills the new Fellow hopes to develop. These mentor relationships can cross fields and prior experiences to create opportunities for exceptional learning.

Fellows Meetings
From the beginning, Piper Fellows decided they didn’t want to limit their experience to a single year; they wanted to continue the ongoing support and shared experiences. To that end, there are informal breakfast meetings as well as several meetings with community leaders and visiting thought leaders. A one-day retreat for each new class in January begins the Fellowship experience.