WHF Profile: Erik Malmstrom (2015-16)

Servant leadership has been foundational to my career and life – whether serving in a frontline combat unit as an Army officer or as a mission-driven entrepreneur focused on addressing global economic, environmental, and public health challenges at the intersection of business and government. 

The White House Fellowship was truly transformational in my professional and personal development as a servant leader. 

At the end of the Obama Administration, my job placement in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative working on a number of major trade and investment agreements, many of which ultimately failed to pass, taught me lessons on strategy, coalition-building, and communications that have been seared in my mind forever.

My learnings in my job placement were complemented by an incredible co-curricular program, including twice a week off-the-record roundtables with top leaders in government, business, media, and civic organizations and policy trips to Los Angeles, New York City, and Berlin interacting with local leaders.   

Most importantly, I made lifelong friends in my cohort and the alumni community – diverse in every sense of the word, but all similarly committed to servant leadership and to supporting one another to make a positive and lasting impact in their professional and local communities.

Several years after the completion of my fellowship, I continue to draw on the lessons and relationships of this experience every single day

For those passionate about service, leadership, and servant leadership, the White House Fellowship is an incomparable, life-changing opportunity.