Now more than ever, the path to meaningful, durable change lies in proximity — in being deeply rooted in the communities we serve, and committed to walking alongside them. This means moving beyond surface-level solutions, beyond reactive cycles, and toward a model of leadership grounded in deep relationships, trust, and shared purpose.

Recently, 2025 McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund awardees — all Aspen Institute Fellows recognized for their innovations and inclusive solutions to critical challenges — gathered for a powerful exchange on what leading looks like for them and what they’ve learned from co-creating with community to drive lasting impact. 

From closing critical health access gaps in Guatemala, to confronting mental health disparities impacting youth in South Africa, and improving access to clean water in the United States, what unites them is not just what they do, but how they do it: with humility, collaboration, cultural wisdom, and a long-term commitment to purpose.

These Fellows show that systemic change starts with those closest to the problem — and that collective action rooted in community is our greatest force for sustainable transformation.

Bridging: From Coalitions to Knowledge Systems

The most effective leaders aren’t just solving problems — they’re orchestrating entire ecosystems of change. George McGraw (Civil Society Fellowship), working on water access in the US, discovered that fragmented efforts were the norm — leaving millions without basic water access despite abundant resources. His solution: “We see ourselves as system orchestrators — helping people recognize their place in a shared ecosystem, develop a common language, and align around collective goals.”

Monica Berger González (Central America Leadership Initiative) bridges different worlds entirely. After studying Western medicine in Europe, she realized it lacked the connection she found in indigenous Mesoamerican healing in her native Guatemala. Through Salud Verde, she now weaves scientific evidence with traditional wisdom: “I see myself as a bridge between two knowledge systems that too often speak past one another.”

“I had seen the power of solidarity — how much more we can accomplish when we stop working in isolation“

Renata Soto, Founder, Mosaic Changemakers, Pahara Fellow

For Renata Soto (Pahara Fellowship), who founded Mosaic Changemakers to cultivate a network of BIPOC leaders in the US South, bridging means going beyond surface-level alliances. “I had seen the power of solidarity — how much more we can accomplish when we stop working in isolation and start finding common ground.”

Ubuntu, Walal, and Kapwa: Community-Centered Leadership

Across three continents and distinct cultures, a remarkable pattern emerges: ancient wisdom traditions that recognize our fundamental interconnectedness. From the Philippines to South Africa to Guatemala, these leaders have found that indigenous philosophies — kapwa, Ubuntu, and walal — offer profound guidance for creating lasting change in modern contexts.

Dr. Renzo Guinto (Aspen Global Innovators Group), who founded Planetary Health Philippines to address the intersection of climate change and public health, centers his work on the Filipino philosophy of kapwa—“I see myself in you”—emphasizing deep empathy between humans and the earth. “I tell my medical students: If you graduate from medical school and only have doctor friends, you won’t be equipped to solve today’s interconnected crises.”

Mpadi Makgalo (Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa), who founded HEAL SA to address youth mental health disparities and suicide prevention, leads with Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” After finding that individual therapy models didn’t fit the South African context, she championed community-based mental health: “Young people don’t live in silos. Their healing is intertwined with the environments around them.”

Monica operates through walal: the Mayan concept of “I am you, you are me.” When designing a disease surveillance system in a remote forest, local communities had 20 different words for temperature in their Mayan language. “We co-designed the system with traditional healers, who could detect illness and environmental shifts faster than any doctor — because they read nature with trained eyes we often overlook.”

Staying Resilient Through Collective Power

For proximate leaders, resilience isn’t individual — it’s collective, cultural, and purpose-driven.

Renata frames resilience as creativity: “In moments of rupture, we’re called to build something new. Staying creative is how we stay grounded, keep moving, and avoid burning out.”

George emphasizes the importance of proximity to impact: “Post-COVID, work can start to feel abstract. There’s nothing like watching someone turn on a tap in their home for the first time. Staying connected — to people, to purpose — is what keeps the engine running.”

“When individual strength runs out, it’s the collective power that carries us.“

Monica Berger González, CEO & Executive Director, Salud Verde, Central America Leadership Initiative Fellow

Monica draws strength from her diverse network: “When individual strength runs out, it’s the collective power that carries us. In moments of hardship, we come together — in ceremony, in dialogue, in shared action. Like the roots of a sacred tree, each person brings a different nutrient.”

Mpadi finds resonance in Maya Angelou’s words: “As soon as healing happens, go out and heal someone else.” For her, resilience lives in daily acts of mutual support: “Some days I’m at 100%, other days I’m not — but someone else is. And we carry each other through.”

Across geographies and disciplines, these leaders remind us: resilience grows where connection thrives — through people, purpose, and the shared belief that positive change is possible, together.

Watch the Full Conversations

Want to dive deeper into these insights? Watch our two-part dialogue with the 2025 McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund awardees, where they share more about their leadership journeys, the challenges they’re navigating, and how they’re building sustainable change in their communities.

These conversations offer a rare opportunity to hear directly from leaders who are redefining what it means to create lasting impact — not through top-down solutions, but through deep partnership with the communities they serve.

Part 1: Featuring George McGraw (Civil Society Fellow) and Renata Soto (Pahara Fellow) | Moderated by Yordanos Eyoel (Civil Society Fellow)

Part 2: Mpadi Makgalo (Africa Leadership Initiative – South Africa Fellow), Renzo Guinto (aspen global innovators group), and Mónica Berger González (CENTRAL AMERICA LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE) | MODERATED BY Benson Hsu (HEALTH INNOVATORS FELLOW)

The McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund recognizes promising ventures led by Fellows of the Aspen Institute with significant early momentum and at critical junctures on their path to creating meaningful change. The Fund boosts leaders and their organizations, awarding up to $150,000, annually across five to seven recipients as well as non-monetary support to reach the next level of impact. Launched in 2017, to date, the fund has supported over 35 recipients from around the world. Learn more about the 2025 awardees.