ATLANTA – State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) was recently selected to participate in the 2027 Rodel Fellowship. The Rodel Fellowship is a leadership development program for elected leaders, seeking to strengthen democracy and public leadership in the United States.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as one of just 24 leaders from across the nation for the Rodel Fellowship Class of 2027,” said Rep. Barnes. “I look forward to everything I will learn over the next two years and to bringing those lessons back to my work in Georgia. This fellowship is an opportunity to strengthen my leadership, deepen my understanding of different perspectives and become an even more effective legislator. Most importantly, I look forward to building the relationships and skills that will help me work more effectively across the aisle, find common ground and deliver meaningful results for the people of Georgia.”
Each year, the program selects 24 state and local leaders, divided between the political parties, to come together for a series of three multi-day seminars held over a two-year period. Working with leading scholars as moderators, the fellows read and discuss classic texts dealing with ethical values, democratic principles and wise and effective leadership. Those texts include the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the United States Constitution and writings by Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.
The Rodel Institute is a nonpartisan center for leadership and intellectual growth, aiming to help America’s most promising leaders deepen their commitment to democracy and the rule of law and work together to address some of the nation’s most important domestic and international challenges. The Institute’s programs convene diverse leaders from across the country and the political and legal spectrum in an effort to find common ground, build enduring relationships and encourage the understanding and cooperation needed to move our nation forward.
Since its founding in 2005, the Rodel Fellowship has helped over 450 state and local elected officials reach their full potential as public servants. These fellows have gone on to serve as U.S. senators, governors, mayors, party leaders, cabinet secretaries, members of Congress and vice president of the United States.
For more information, please click here.
Representative Imani Barnes represents the citizens of District 86, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves on the Higher Education, Public and Community Health and Technology and Infrastructure Innovation committees.
###