General Information

(compiled with the input and advice of Janet Eissenstat, Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows)

The White House Fellows Program is designed to give young leaders in virtually any profession a chance to experience and understand the U.S. government from the inside.

All professions are equally viable – firefighters and teachers have been White House Fellows, in addition to high-powered, rising-star MBAs. The Program is looking for people who are actively involved in their communities and in the world around them, so self-selection does tend to favor professions associated with public service of one sort or another. However, it is the individual rather than the professional commitment to community involvement that is important.

There are no age limits, but the Program is looking for individuals who are relatively young, but old enough to have solidly and impressively established themselves in their profession. This is because the insight and experience gained as a White House Fellow is intended to be utilized over the course of a Fellow’s subsequent professional life.

As with most prestigious fellowships, don’t automatically be intimidated. To get a better idea of what makes a White House Fellow and whether you would be competitive, you can find profiles of recent Fellows on the Program’s website - www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.

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