Wellesley College in Massachusetts will host the first Women in Public Service Project Institute for two weeks, June 11-22, 2012. The pilot institute will bring together 50 emerging women leaders from across the globe between the ages of 25-45 who are already serving in different fields of public service and/or political or elected office.

The institute hopes to provide a forum for shared learning and dialogue; exchange of experiences and expertise; peer-to-peer mentoring and networking; and build an important platform for cross-fertilization of knowledge and innovative leadership skills.

Since the institute will be launched a year from the defining events of the Arab Spring, it will acknowledge the uniqueness of this historical moment by including a particularly strong cohort from the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA) as well as from other countries undergoing political and social transformations.