Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship - Transform Mid-Atlantic

CivF 22-23 Collage 14

The Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship (TMACF) is a program geared toward engaged student leaders throughout the region. Nominations are accepted each spring for the following academic year. Each of TMA's member presidents is invited to nominate one student from their campus for the Fellowship.

Participation in the Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship will provide students from across the region high impact opportunities to develop their leadership skills and understanding of civic and community engagement so that they may better serve as leaders in their communities and collectively create solutions to our region's most urgent problems. This fellowship is a key avenue to develop student leaders who are engaged global citizens, actively contributing to the creation of equitable, healthy, sustainable, and socially just communities.

Current and Past Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellows

2026-2027 Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellows

TMACF Capstone Project Yearbook Library

2024-2025 TMACF Program Capstone Yearbook Page Backgrounds

Program Components

Click to learn more about the program!

Now entering its fifth year, the Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship (TMACF) is our regional network's flagship student-centered program and offers dedicated young leaders in our region the opportunity to develop new knowledge, understanding, skills, and experiences that complement their curricular and community-engaged activities. Previous TMA Civic Fellows have gone on to pursue careers in the public service, governmental, non-profit, and corporate sectors or have decided to attend graduate school. The 2026-2027 cohort of fellows will join a vibrant and growing network of program alumni representing the diversity of our region's communities and campuses, including those who have attended and graduated from 2-year, 4-year, public, private, HBCU, and minority serving institutions.

In addition to receiving pre-fellowship summer advising and a certificate of completion and graduation cord at the conclusion of the program, the 2026-2027 fellowship will consist of:

Nine virtual monthly gatherings, including sessions with regional and national experts focused on issues related to society, the economy, the environment, and governance, as well as leadership development, sustainable change making, and advancing equity through lifelong civic and community engagement in the Mid-Atlantic region;
An in-person end-of-year retreat hosted by TMA in either Baltimore or DC;
Networking and relationship building as part of a regional cohort of young and engaged leaders;
Advising and mentoring by TMA staff, institutional representatives, and partner organizations;
A final capstone project (designed with the assistance of TMA staff);
Additional workshops, professional development experiences, and recognition!

2027-2028 TMA Civic Fellowship Nomination Process

Scroll below to learn about general nomination guidelines and stay tuned for information about nominations for the 2027-2028 program year! Nominations will open in January 2027.

Each year, TMA member institution presidents are invited to nominate students from their campuses to participate in the program. Please read below for more information about student eligibility and the nomination process:

Matriculation Requirement: The nominee must be enrolled at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution during the semester of their nomination, with one or more full years of study remaining at the institution at the time of nomination;
In-Region Requirement: The student must plan to be in-region for the full academic year (i.e. not planning to study globally during the fall or spring of the program year)
Additional Requirements:
- The student must be nominated by the president of their institution;
- For institutions with both undergraduate and graduate programs, presidents are encouraged to recommend the most deserving student, with preference given to undergraduates;
- Nominees from institutions that exclusively confer associate's degrees should either have one year of academic studies remaining at their institution or plans to transfer to a 4-year institution in MD, DC, DE, WV, or Northern VA.

Have questions? Want to learn more about this program and how your campus can participate? Scroll down to read some FAQs about the program and/or contact Director of the TMA Civic Fellowship Program Anthony Wagner V via email at wagner@transformmidatlantic.org.

Past TMACF Program Guest Speakers

Ms. Parisa Norouzi Executive Director, Empower DC

Photo Source: London School of Economics

Dr. Duncan Green Sr. Strategic Advisor, Oxfam Great Britain

Rev. Dr. Craig Mathies President, Somerset County (MD) Board of Commissioners

Photo Source: Delaware Community Foundation

Ms. Yolanda Rushdan Senior Program Officer, Delaware Community Foundation

Ms. Sofía Bermúdez Representative from Argentina, UNESCO SDG4 Youth Network

Dr. Brett Theodos
Senior Fellow, Urban Institute

Mr. Salim Adofo President, Advisory Neighborhood Commission, D.C. Ward 8C

Photo Source: Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College

Mr. Robert Burns
Director of Non-profits, Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College

Dr. Max Klau
Chief Program Officer, New Politics Leadership Academy

Ms. Alexandria Wilcox Senior Legislative Assistant, United States Senate

Hon. Sandy Hunt
Mayor, New Martinsville, West Virginia

Ms. Amanda Workman Scott Director, Community Engagement, WV Community Development Hub

Ms. Ava Richardson Director of Sustainability, Baltimore Office of Sustainability

Mr. Dylan Wahbe Associate Product Manager, Hack Club & Former Student Leader, Sunrise NYU

Ms. Liz Bowie
Education Reporter, Baltimore Banner

Mr. Elson B. Nash
Director, School Choice & Improvement Programs, US Dept of Education

Ms. Maddie Beller
Maryland Engagement Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Mr. Jeffrey Griffin
Executive Director, Franciscan Center of Baltimore

Ms. Cammie Jones-Friedrichs
Director of the Carnegie Elective for Community Engagement, ACE

Ms. Allie Cavanagh
Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth

Additional Benefits

Click to learn about other benefits of the TMACF Program!

In addition to these program components, Civic Fellows also receive:

Individualized pre-fellowship summer advising by TMA staff;
Recognition through TMA website and media;
Opportunities to serve as student leaders and mentors with TMA after the close of the Fellowship year;
Information about post-fellowship leadership and skills-based development opportunities and individualized career and national service program communications, including about TMA’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program;
Certificate of completion and TMACF graduation cord;
Letters of recommendation on TMA letterhead;
And more!

FAQs

What should I take into consideration when selecting a TMA Civic Fellow?

Nominate a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership through their civic and community engagement or research and an ability to coordinate collective efforts to overcome community- or societal-based challenges through their work with other students, campus members, or the community at large. In line with Transform Mid-Atlantic’s strategic initiatives, your institution’s nominee should understand the importance of cross-cultural engagement and advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) through their work – as well as their individual role in contributing toward collective systemic change.

We encourage you to recognize a student whose leadership and efforts might otherwise not be raised up, and we encourage presidents to give preference to students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

Your institution’s 2026-2027 Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow nominee should:

Be enrolled at a Transform Mid-Atlantic member institution during the Spring 2026 semester.
Be nominated by your institution’s president, with input from TMA campus SAGE members and other community engaged stakeholders encouraged.
Be an associate's degree, undergraduate, or graduate student. Please remember that each institution is allowed to nominate just one Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow. Presidents at institutions that enroll both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to select an undergraduate student.
Have one year or more of undergraduate or graduate education remaining. (i.e. nominees should be enrolled at their nominating institution for the entire 2026-2027 academic year).
Nominees must plan to be in-region for the full 2026-2027 academic year (i.e. not planning to study globally during the fall or spring)
Nominees from institutions that exclusively confer associate's degrees should either have one year of academic studies remaining at their institution or plans to transfer to a 4-year institution in Maryland, Washington, D.C., or Delaware.
Commit to writing a brief statement about their work and future plans to Transform Mid-Atlantic during their fellowship year.
Receive the support and advisement of their institution’s Senior Advisory Group for Engagement (SAGE) liaison or other campus-based designee throughout the 2026-2027 Fellowship year.

When does the fellowship year start?

The fellowship year follows the academic calendar and will officially begin September 1, 2026. It will end on May 30, 2027. Fellowship gatherings and events will take into consideration scheduling considerations of the academic calendar. TMA staff will host a welcome event in Spring 2026 and 1:1 advising meetings with each fellow during Summer 2026 to get to know the cohort and prepare for the year ahead.

Do Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellows receive a monetary award through the program?

Is the cost for transportation to the in-person gathering for Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellows covered by TMA?

How does my institution nominate a student for the Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellows Program?