All across the world, Caldwell Fellows alumni embrace the call to servant-leadership.
Staying Engaged.
Caldwell Fellows alumni remain active in the life of the program by attending alumni conferences, assisting in the anual selection process, hosting trips to their cities of residience and coaching current Caldwell Fellows. Continued engagement with current Fellows is a significant way that many alumni find their own development challenged and nurtured.
2026 Caldwell Alumni Conference
This year’s Alumni Conference invites you into a day of reflection and renewal centered on the question: How do we lead with integrity when the ground beneath us keeps shifting?
Our world needs what you bring: the capacity to act with moral courage, to build relationships across dividing lines, to persist in the long work of positive change. You’ll leave not just with renewed clarity about your own values and leadership, but with concrete skills and connections to Caldwell alumni affinity groups that extend the work beyond this single day and help connect us throughout the year.
We are fortunate to explore these ideas with remarkable Caldwell alumni guides.
Kevin Clark (Class of 1989), a leading expert in broadening participation in STEM and promoting diversity in children’s media, including with Netflix, PBS, and NSF, will explore how remaining authentic to his values has shaped his decision-making and how he navigates uncertainty.
Marianne Romanant (Class of 1994), the lead pastor at Light of Christ United Methodist Church in Charlotte, will share wisdom on sustaining moral clarity and building community across differences.
Jim Arnold (Class of 1974) will trace the deep roots of our program’s history, reminding us that the work we do today stands on decades of commitment to developing leaders of character and consequence.
Rob Squires (Class of 2008) will join other alumni in a conversation about how the compounding impact of day-to-day leadership in our homes, neighborhoods, organizations, and workplaces makes a substantive difference in our world.
Katie Brooks (class of 2020), a College of Design grad, artist and art teacher, will help us close out the day through engaging our creativity as a tool for reflection.
But this Caldwell alumni conference is not a lecture series. It creates space for honest conversations that happen when people who share a common foundation make sense of their scattered experiences together. While many institutions struggle to maintain their relevance, the Caldwell Fellows program remains vital and alive. This conference is part of that vitality—an opportunity to learn together, support one another, and renew our commitment to servant leadership.
Many thanks to the team who planned this year’s conference.
Cary Strickland ‘07
Sonja Jones ‘11
Ryne Crout Jones ‘12
Sarah Amend ‘08
Alumni engagement opportunities
Caldwell Fellows Selection Process
Each year, Caldwell Fellows alumni and friends are the backbone of our intensive new student selection process. Each year, we need help with reviewing applications and interviews at both the semi-finalist and finalist stages. It truly takes a village to ensure we select students who show the greatest potential for developing in the practices of servant leadership.
Caldwell Fellows Gala
The culminating celebration of Selection Weekend, the Gala is an occasion to dress snazzy, reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and enjoy the company of the community of Fellows from across the generations. Venues change, but the fun doesn’t.
Caldwell Alumni Brunch
The day after Selection each year, we invite alumni who are still in town and interested to join us for a more informal brunch. A time to catch up and enjoy fellowship at the conclusion of an action-packed Selection season.
Caldwell Conversations
Alumni and current Fellows come together each year for this daylong conference that runs concurrent to the Selection process. The event is an opportunity for alumni to connect with current Fellows, sharing their wisdom and expertise, while also rekindling their understanding of and commitment to the values of servant leadership. The theme changes each year and the event is often planned and facilitated by alumni.
Caldwell Fellows Coaching Training
Coaching is an approach to development that is rapidly becoming a core practice of the Caldwell Fellows. Keenly aligned with servant leadership, the active listening, emotional intelligence, support and challenge of coaching builds strong teams through strengthening individuals. The Caldwell Fellows program supports a number of alumni to become certified professional coaches each year in return for three years of volunteer coaching of current Fellows.
Urban Adventure Hosts
Each year the Caldwell Fellows Program takes current students to cities across the US to explore, engage with alumni, and learn more about graduate and professional opportunities in those cities. Each Urban Adventure includes visits to alumni sites of employment, a alumni dinner gathering, and potential urban explorations led by intrepid locals. This is a fun and informal way for alumni to give of their time and connections.
The community of Caldwell Fellows doesn’t allow personal growth to stay internal. I was challenged to use my increased self-awareness to better serve people around me.
Lydia Allen (’15)
Math Teacher, Western Alamance High School Elon, N.C.
