The Obama Foundation Welcomes 155 New Leaders From Around the World

CHICAGO - Leadership doesn’t always look the same. It can mean improving a neighborhood, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, strengthening health systems, protecting the environment, or helping people have a greater voice in their communities.

For 155 people around the world, that work will now include the Obama Foundation.

The Foundation has introduced its 2026–2027 class of Obama Leaders, bringing together changemakers from 64 countries and territories across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States. It is the first class announced since the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side.

The new cohort includes 35 Leaders from Africa, 35 from Asia-Pacific, 35 from Europe, and 50 from the United States.

Their work spans government, business, and civil society. Among the class are public officials, children’s rights advocates, health leaders, environmental organizers, educators preserving cultural studies, voter organizers, and people working to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs who have been overlooked by traditional financial institutions.

Leadership That Starts Close to Home

The Obama Foundation’s Leaders program is designed for emerging leaders who are already working to create meaningful change. The program launched in Africa in 2018 before expanding to Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States.

Through leadership development, coaching, group conversations, and cross-cultural learning, participants have an opportunity to strengthen their work while learning from people facing different challenges around the world. The 2026–2027 program runs from September 2026 through May 2027. (Obama Foundation)

President Barack Obama said the program continues to reinforce the importance of listening to people who are closest to the challenges they are working to solve.

“The people closest to a problem usually have the clearest sense of how to solve it,” Obama said.

A New Chapter From Chicago

The timing of this year’s announcement is especially notable for Chicago.

The Obama Presidential Center is now open on the city’s South Side, giving the Foundation a physical home in the community that has long been connected to the Obama story. At the same time, the new Leaders class reflects how far the Foundation’s work now reaches.

The participants are addressing issues that may begin locally but have broader implications, from health and entrepreneurship to civic participation, education, and environmental protection.

After completing the program, the new Leaders will join the Obama Leadership Network, a growing global alumni community of more than 1,800 changemakers across more than 160 countries. (Obama Foundation)

The idea behind the program is ultimately straightforward: meaningful leadership can start anywhere.

Sometimes it begins with a problem in your own neighborhood and the decision to do something about it.

For these 155 new Obama Leaders, that work is now entering its next chapter, with Chicago serving as the backdrop for a growing global network of people turning experience into action.

Learn more about the 2026–2027 Obama Leaders and view the full class at the Obama Foundation Leaders program.

Source: The Obama Foundation, September 9, 2026.