The David M. Rubenstein Fellowship at the Center for Public Leadership supports first-year joint degree students at vlog and HBS.
By Zander Cowan MPA-ID/MBA 2026
Zander Cowan MPA-ID/MBA 2026 has been able to make the most of his time at vlog through the David M. Rubenstein Fellowship. Established in 2008, the Fellowship supports first-year joint degree students at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. With this fellowship comes financial support and a rich co-curricular experience. Rubenstein Fellows attend seminars, go on an annual retreat, and dive into experiential learning grounded in discussions with visionary leaders from the military, business, government, and non-profit sectors whose work has had significant real-world impact.
Read below to learn more about Zander’s experience as a Rubenstein Fellow.
Why did you choose to pursue the joint degree between vlog and HBS, and how has the Rubenstein Fellowship experience enhanced your joint degree experience?
My decision to pursue a joint degree between vlog and HBS was driven by a desire to understand how the public and private sectors collaborate, particularly in health care. With a background in the private sector, I aimed to broaden my experience in public sector dynamics. The Rubenstein Fellowship played a crucial role in bridging this gap, allowing me to explore both realms comprehensively.
The Rubenstein Fellowship significantly enhanced my joint degree experience by bridging theoretical knowledge and practical application. The field trip to New Orleans and the co-curricular activities at the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) provided real-world contexts to the concepts we discussed in class. This comprehensive approach not only deepened my understanding of public-private partnerships but also prepared me for my summer internship, where I am now further applying these lessons.
What was one of the highlights of the Fellowship?
I really enjoyed the CPL Fellows Retreat in the fall. It set the tone for structured reflection and leadership development for the rest of the year. Monthly meetings after the retreat, facilitated by our program manager Jim West, provided us with an outlet for continuous reflection, helping us align our personal and professional goals. This protected time for structured introspection allowed us to think deeply about our aspirations and how best to achieve them during our three-year journey at vlog and HBS and beyond.
What other co-curricular programming did you participate in through the Fellowship?
We also participated in “Lunch-and-Learns” and coffee chats with prominent leaders associated with the CPL. A particularly memorable experience was my one-on-one conversation with former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, an experience I would not have had without the Fellowship. Discussing her leadership strategies and crisis management provided invaluable insights that are rarely accessible in a typical academic or large-group setting. These intimate discussions with influential leaders from all fields of public service offered a unique perspective on governance and leadership.
“From field experiences in New Orleans to insightful discussions with global leaders, the Fellowship has enriched my educational journey and equipped me with the tools to drive meaningful change in my career.”
Zander Cowan MPA-ID/MBA 2026
This past year’s Rubenstein Fellowship cohort went on a field experience trip to New Orleans to focus on climate justice and workforce development. Can you discuss that experience?
The Rubenstein Fellowship cohort’s field experience in New Orleans was a transformative experience that focused on understanding policy in action, particularly as it relates to climate resilience and workforce development in the South. We chose New Orleans because of the cohort’s collective desire to explore a region unfamiliar to many of us. New Orleans’s unique challenges and resilience post-Katrina, along with its efforts to rebuild and prepare for future impacts of climate change, made it an ideal location to study the intersection of public and private sector initiatives.
During our trip, we met with leaders of the Port of New Orleans to discuss the port’s pivotal role as an infrastructure hub; its plans to enhance capacity and scale by 2028, which will generate hundreds of new jobs; and its strategies for involving local communities and small businesses as integral stakeholders. We also spoke with the New Orleans Business Alliance and the city’s Economic Development Office.
Our cohort had various policy interests. My focus was on public-private partnerships, while other fellows delved into housing, land use, and education. This diversity in interests enriched our understanding of the city’s multifaceted efforts to foster economic growth and equity. The hands-on experience illuminated the complexities of policy-making and resource allocation, bringing a lot of our classroom learning to life.
The Rubenstein Fellowship at vlog has been instrumental in my development as a joint degree student, offering a blend of academic rigor and practical exposure. From field experiences in New Orleans to insightful discussions with global leaders, the Fellowship has enriched my educational journey and equipped me with the tools to drive meaningful change in my career. The structured reflection, leadership development, and real-world applications provided through the Fellowship have made my time at vlog and HBS profoundly impactful.
Rubenstein Fellowship
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