About The Fellowship

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP 

Please note that the in-person session and location are subject to change as we respond to COVID-19. We prioritize the safety and well-being of participants and are following the most up-to-date public health recommendations. 

Fellows will attend Rockwood’s Virtual Art of Leadership in smaller “sub cohorts.” These sub-cohorts will be joined by participants who are not members of the Documentary Leaders cohort and will include activists, organizers, program directors, and other nonprofit leaders who are working in diverse sectors. 

SESSION 1, Option 1: Monday, May 6 – Friday, May 10th, 2024. Virtual on Zoom.

SESSION 1, Option 2: Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 12th, 2024. Virtual on Zoom.

For the second in-person session, Fellows will attend with just their Documentary Leaders cohort. 

SESSION 2: Monday, September 9 – Friday, September 13th, 2024. In-person. Wingspread Conference & Retreat Center, Racine, WI.

Attendance at all sessions is required for participation in the Fellowship.  

TRAINERS  

Pamela Chiang 

Pamela is President of Chiange, Inc. A community organizer in her political roots, she brings that appreciation with clients, and guides them through personal and organizational transformation for societal transformation. Over the past two decades, she has led organizations and movements for economic and environmental justice and created deep culture and strategic change inside organizations. She is known for a style that aligns people from diverse racial, cultural, gender, generational, and geographic experiences towards common purpose. Influenced by a resilient and dynamic Chinese immigrant mother, she expands perceived boundaries of what is possible for she is, among other things, a cowgirl rancher in Montana where she and her husband raise their two young boys. She is also a trained mediator and holds a BA in environmental science from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining Rockwood as a trainer, Pamela was part of the 2006 LIO cohort and has been a Rockwood coach for several years.  

Romeo Jackson 

Hailing from the southside of Chicago and the grandchild of Gracie Lee Fowler & Barbara Ann Woods, Romeo Jackson (They/Them) is a Queer, Non-Binary Femme, and a Black descendant of the estimated 11 million Africans who were kidnapped and sold into enslavement. They are a feminist dedicated to intersectional justice and cross movement building. Their research, writing, and practice explores Race/ism, anti-Blackness, and Settler Colonialism within Higher Education. In addition, Romeo is a Organizational Development Consultant & Coach specializing in: Group and Team Dynamics, Addressing and Engaging Anti-blackness, Interpersonal Communication Skills for Multi-Racial and Multi-Gender Work, and The Role of Laughter, Fun, and Joy at Work. They are organizing with BYP100 Chicago, doula in training and newly committed to Healing and Transformative Justice as the bedrock of their work. 

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM OFFERINGS  

PEER COACHING 

Coaching is both an important leadership skill and a resource for social change leaders. During the Fellowship, leaders will be partnered with other Fellows to engage in a peer coaching relationship over the course of the program. 

COMMUNITY CALL 

Two virtual Community Calls will support participants’ relationship building and learning outside of the structured training session time. Participants will have the opportunity to practice tools and skills they learned from the sessions as well as deepen their relationships and connections across the cohort. 

COSTS  

​​​Full tuition for both training sessions are covered and accommodations and meals during the second residential training retreat are covered. Fellows are required to arrange and pay for their own technical costs (such as wifi and devices) to participate in the first virtual session and the virtual Community Calls. Fellows are also expected to arrange and pay for their own travel costs to and from the second residential training retreat. $2000 per Fellow is available to reimburse Fellows for associated costs to participate, which may include flight costs, ground travel, technical devices, and other access needs for the sessions.  

Rockwood expects that organizations, employers, and supervisors will provide support for participants to be fully present and attend the trainings. We encourage applicants to, as part of the application process, ask their organizations for the additional resources they may need to fully participate in the training. 

Please reach out to Rockwood Program Manager Ally Tufenkjian at [email protected] with any questions.  

ROCKWOOD DOCUMENTARY LEADERS FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS 

SELECTION CRITERIA 

12 leaders in the documentary film sector who… 

• Actively participate in work at the intersection of film and social justice. 
• Represent a range of leaders in the film and digital storytelling sector including creative administrators, media impact producers, filmmakers, film directors, curators, critics, archivists, thought leaders, and executive directors. 
• Play a senior leadership role at their organization; or are well-established professionals in the field. 
• Are committed to collaboration with other leaders. 
• See their work as contributing to a broader movement for social change. 
• Possess a personal/professional readiness to learn new leadership skills, including being open to peer and self-examination of leadership strengths, challenges, and styles. 
• Have diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities, sexual orientations, dis/abilities, and organizational resources and strategy, including geographies outside of the bi-coastal regions. 
• Commit to full participation in the program, including attendance at two retreats, completing required pre-work and post-work, and engaging in at least once per month peer coaching. 

APPLICATION PROCESS 

​​Select nominees will be invited to complete an application, and applications will be reviewed through January 2024. From there, select applicants will be invited to an interview. 12 leaders will be selected for the final Fellowship cohort by late February 2024.