Earlier this month, the Powell School hosted members of this year’s cohort of International Eisenhower Fellows — Eva Bordos, Sofia Geyer, Thais Lazzeri, and Yasemin Siralifor — for an inspiring panel discussion. The Eisenhower fellows talked about their individual projects and career trajectories, and highlighted the relevance of multicultural exchanges and collaboration.
Eva Bordos, executive director of DemNet Hungary, discussed her work leading the country’s first citizens’ assemblies and building deliberative democracy in a challenging political environment. She emphasized the urgency of civic participation in Hungary’s shrinking democratic space and reflected on how U.S.-based models of deliberative democracy could help strengthen democratic resilience in Central and Eastern Europe.
Sofia Geyer, founder and CEO of The Human Lab, shared how she blends neuroscience, ethics, and behavioral science to help organizations drive responsible innovation. With a background in psychology, Sofia spoke about the training program she developed during her fellowship to infuse ethical and critical thinking into innovation processes—a framework she plans to scale across Latin America to support human-centered, sustainable progress.
Thais Lazzeri, an award-winning journalist and founder of the Brazilian impact studio FALA, spoke about the role of storytelling in driving systemic change. She shared moving examples from her reporting on human trafficking and her recent projects around democracy and climate justice. During the fellowship, Thais laid the foundation for launching a Climate Information Integrity Hub at COP30 in Brazil—an ambitious effort to promote accurate climate narratives and influence global policy.
Yasemin Sirali, chief sustainability officer at the multinational FIBA Group, discussed her leadership in embedding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy across 72 subsidiaries. She highlighted the creation of a $10 million climate adaptation fund she is spearheading to support local businesses in building climate resilience, noting how private sector action can play a vital role in advancing sustainability at scale.
Powell School students asked questions about geopolitics, sustainability, and ways to advance similar projects in their local community, as well as asked for professional advice on how to build networks and expertise.
The Eisenhower Fellowship identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents. Annually, between 40 and 50 mid-career leaders from all fields around the world are selected as International Eisenhower Fellows to travel to the United States for an intensive four-to-six-week fellowship. General Powell was a strong supporter of the program, and established the tradition of an annual visit of Eisenhower Fellows to the Powell School as an opportunity for our students and EF Fellows to connect, exchange points of view, and get inspired.
