The AdoptUSKids Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program is open to people from cultural, ethnic, and racial groups who have historically had a disproportionate number of children in care, including:
- American Indian Alaska Native
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latino
Characteristics and qualifications of fellows
MPLD is open to people from cultural, ethnic, and racial groups who have historically had a disproportionate number of children in care. The program requires that you have five or more years of experience working in the US child welfare field, as the fellowship is designed for emerging leaders. Candidates should also have a minimum of an undergraduate degree.
In addition, MPLD candidates should be:
- Promising leaders who have a reputation for intellect, thoughtfulness, and collaboration.
- Comfortable interacting in virtual collaborative spaces, such as video conferencing and online courses.
- Able to devote time away from home/work to focus and actively participate in MPLD.
- Committed to pursuing systemic change for children and families who are moving toward adoption, guardianship, or kinship or who have already achieved permanency.
- Interested in advancing their skills and knowledge of adoption, guardianship, and kinship.
- Motivated to become transformational leaders.
- Committed to personal growth and learning and being part of a community of learning.
- Committed to attending all virtual and in-person meetings, being present, and being engaged.
- Committed to put their acquired leadership skills into action upon completion of the fellowship.
- Willing to complete an action research project during the fellowship. Read more about action research projects (102 KB PDF).
Application instructions
The applications are open as of April 1, 2024, for our next cohort, which begins Fall 2024. Applications are due by June 3, 2024.
Step one—create and gather materials needed to apply
1. A current resume that includes:
- Education (listing degrees and dates awarded).
- Professional employment (listing dates and titles).
2. An essay that is up to two double-spaced pages and provides the following information:
- Overview of yourself and why you want to be a MPLD fellow.
- What you hope to gain from participating in the fellowship.
- An issue or challenge that you would like to address with your action research project and why this is an important topic for your organization. You will work on this project throughout the fellowship; read the action research project description before completing this essay (102 KB PDF).
3. Contact information for a supervisor who can recommend you for this program and speak about your leadership qualities.
4. A signed notification of application by your direct supervisor or agency administration. Download the notification of application (100 KB PDF).
Step two—complete our online application form and upload your materials
Before starting, please review the form and be sure that you have the information and materials you need to complete your application.
Apply now
Questions?
Please send us an email: mpld@adoptuskids.org.