TMA Civic Fellows Go To Washington
(Washington, D.C.) – On May 1, members of the 2025-2026 cohort of student TMA Civic Fellows gathered in Washington, D.C. for a retreat to mark their successful completion of the program year. This was the fourth group of students to graduate from the program since it was first launched in the spring of 2022.
Each year, college and university presidents from member institutions of Transform Mid-Atlantic are invited to nominate one deserving student from their campus to participate in the program. From August 2025 through May 2026, the fellows have participated in various opportunities to deepen their understanding of responsible leadership and sustainable community-driven solutions to complex place-based challenges. The cohort met each month for sessions with guest speakers, including a variety of experts, leaders, and changemakers across diverse sectors and backgrounds. Guest speakers from this year’s program included:
- Cammie Jones-Friedrichs, Director of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, American Council on Education
- Jeff Griffin, Executive Director, Franciscan Center of Baltimore
- Allie Cavanagh, Legislative Advisor, Office of U.S. Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth
- Parisa Norouzi, Founder & Executive Director, Empower DC
- Kate Foster, Senior Director of Trail Development & Equity, Rails to Trails Conservancy
- Mary Cromer, J.D., Deputy Director, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
- Crystal Harden-Lindsey, Vice President of Community Impact, Baltimore Community Foundation
- Sarah Lester, President & CEO, Cornerstone West CDC / West Side Grows Together
In between each monthly session, the fellows met in small groups to reflect on their learning, build community, and plan their capstone projects. Each student designed and proposed an individual capstone project focused on an issue or challenge of interest to them and relevant to their own campus or community. They received feedback from TMA staff members Anthony Wagner V and Martha Fitzpatrick Bishai. During the spring semester, the fellows completed their projects culminating in the design of individual yearbook pages telling the “why,” “what,” “how,” and “what next” of their projects. In May, the cohort’s Capstone Project Yearbook was published digitally on the TMA website. Projects from the cohort creatively addressed a myriad of issues and topics. Emma Craddock, a senior at Frostburg State University, conducted research on how a truancy court - a type of problem-solving court - in Allegany County, Maryland might help support students who are chronically absent from school and their families. Washington College's fellow, Zoe Brookbank, created a zine outlining how small liberal arts colleges can develop infrastructure and resources for composting to significantly reduce food waste.
“This year’s capstone projects are a wonderful reflection both of the Fellows’ diversity of interests and their common commitment to making a difference," says Martha Fitzpatrick Bishai of TMA. "Not only did they bring discernment and determination to their own projects, but they approached their peers’ projects with enthusiastic curiosity and a spirit of mutual support. It was a joy to work with them!”
At their end-of-fellowship retreat in May, the fellows reflected on the program year, enjoyed a guided tour of the Capitol Building, and met with representatives from the office of United States Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland. “The retreat in D.C. is always a highlight of the year,” says Anthony Wagner of TMA. “Not only is it an opportunity for the whole group to finally meet in person, but it’s a celebration of the hard work they have put into designing and implementing their projects and sharing the story of their impact.”
The fellowship program, which will enter its fifth year in 2026-2027, is a critical avenue for developing a community of young leaders from the region’s diverse higher education sector committed to building more just and engaged communities. Throughout the program, the fellows learn about the concepts of responsible and reciprocal community engagement, as well as sustainable development vis a vis the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“The TMA Civic Fellowship was an extremely rewarding experience that helped me think about civic leadership in the Mid-Atlantic region in a different way,” says Shawn Wu, the 2025-2026 fellow from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “Each session had such engaging speakers who had relevant experience to my interests in leadership and community and how their experiences tied into other sectors of personal and professional development.”
TMA will announce the 2026-2027 cohort of civic fellows in the month to come and invites the community to follow along as they begin their participation in the program in August 2026.
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About Transform Mid-Atlantic:
Transform Mid-Atlantic is a non-profit membership association of public, private, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, including many HBCUs and minority serving institutions. Transform Mid-Atlantic provides leadership to colleges and universities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia by advocating, supporting, and encouraging institutional participation in academic and co-curricular based public service and civic engagement programs.