From 2005-2009, the Drum Major Institute Fellows Program sought to counter the domination of the conservative right in the discussion about public policy by cultivating New York City's most talented up-and-coming progressives. DMI's first-rate Fellows program took on the institutes of the right, but not by matching them policy wonk for policy wonk. Instead, we pioneered a new model that gave a platform to progressive leaders working in the communities of New York City. From the founder of Brooklyn's first black-run credit union, to a pioneering advocate for environmental justice and sustainable development in the South Bronx, to the organizer of a grassroots student activist and leadership training organization at Hunter College in Manhattan, quite literally, the DMI Fellows have not only spanned the physical city, but have also specialized in a range of pressing issues its residents care about. With a combination of their talent and experience, and our rigorous research support, communications training, and aggressive dissemination and placement of their work, the DMI Fellows program changed the face of discussion about public policy in this city.