A Message from the Chair: Announcing the Tony Patiño Fellowship Leadership Accelerator

In my last update, I shared four strategic priorities that will shape the Fellowship over the coming decade. Among them is evolving the Tony Patiño Fellowship from a scholarship that recognizes past leadership into a program that also actively develops leaders for the future. Today I’m excited to share our first major step toward that goal.

Beginning this coming academic year, we will pilot the Tony Patiño Fellowship Leadership Accelerator. This annual, immersive long-weekend residency will bring together all 18 Fellows-Elect from UC Law SF, UChicago Law, and Columbia Law. Our aim is to move beyond credentialism to meaningful leadership formation, supporting Fellows-Elect as they sharpen their leadership philosophy, skills, and practices, and build lasting relationships with one another and with leaders in the field.

The program will operate on a three-year rotating cycle, so every Fellow-Elect experiences all three modules over the course of law school:

Module 1 — Judgment & Moral Courage: the inner foundations of leadership, including ethical reasoning, self-awareness, and decision-making under uncertainty.
Module 2 — Leading in a Fractured World: leading through conflict and polarization, and building coalitions when consensus is hard to find.
Module 3 — The Craft of Leadership: the practical skills effective leaders deploy routinely, such as active listening, giving and receiving feedback, communicating across differences, and leading without formal authority.

Our pilot program will take place in Chicago in January 2027. Over a long weekend, Fellows-Elect will engage in small-group dialogue, case discussions, guest conversations, and structured reflection. The retreat will be part of a year-long arc that includes virtual salons and other opportunities to extend and apply the lessons.

Board Vice Chair and Chicago chapter leader Doug Weinberg developed the concept and will oversee its launch, together with a steering committee including Valerie Kelly (Chicago ’07), our Program Director Molly O’Donnell, and me.

We will keep you updated as the program takes shape. In the meantime, if you have comments on the program or ideas for outstanding speakers, facilitators, or partners aligned with this vision, or if your organization might be interested in financial or in-kind (e.g., office space) sponsorship for some or all of this program, please reach out to Molly at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

This is a big step forward in honoring Francesca’s vision of developing lawyer-leaders of integrity who serve their communities and their profession with distinction. We could not take it without this community and we are grateful for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Nathan Christensen
Chair, Tony Patiño Fellowship