WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
The Women in Leadership Cohort helps women cultivate leadership from the inside out, using a strengths-based, self-aware approach to grow authentic, values-rooted leadership rather than relying solely on roles or titles.
The PAX Fellowship
In-Person Retreat
The Fellowship includes an in-person retreat August 28-30 in Scottsdale, AZ. Canadian Fellows: August 29 in GTA.
15 Virtual Sessions
Contemplation, instruction, and connection for two hours twice monthly at 4PM PST; September 2026 to April 2027.
2 Spiritual Direction Sessions
Attend one-on-one contemplative sessions for mental health and spiritual life from a spiritual director of Color.
PAX Showcase
Contribute within your cohort to the culminating showcase for the PAX community in April 2027.
Monthly Keynotes
Learn from leading voices on contemplative activism and cultural identity.
Group Facilitation
Learn from expert facilitators in your area of focus to further your craft and call.
The Women in Leadership Cohort helps women cultivate leadership from the inside out, using a strengths-based, self-aware approach to grow authentic, values-rooted leadership rather than relying solely on roles or titles. This cohort is an ideal fit for Christian women of color pursuing or working in education, ministry, teaching, and helping professions.
It is designed for women in formal or informal leadership seeking clarity, confidence, and a supportive space to explore their leadership identity and challenges.
Core objectives include identifying one’s unique leadership style, developing an “inner compass,” building authentic confidence, strengthening organizational awareness, and forming a trusted community of peers.
The cohort is facilitated by Tracey Gee, a certified leadership coach, consultant, and author with expertise in CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, the Enneagram, and Cultural Intelligence, and extensive experience coaching diverse organizations.
Sessions run biweekly from September to May and cover topics such as listening to your life, strengths, inner compass work, imagination, alignment experiments, leadership style, and organizational dynamics and strategy.
Fellows receive support through collaborative groups and online spaces, are expected to engage actively, and will take the CliftonStrengths Assessment and receive Tracey’s book as part of the program. They will also contribute to a culmination project.
Tracey Gee
Women in Leadership Cohort Facilitator
Tracey is a certified leadership coach and consultant dedicated to guiding individuals toward transformative self-awareness and meaningful personal and professional growth. Tracey's work is rooted in extensive experience across workshops, speaking engagements, and personalized coaching sessions. She is also a certified facilitator in four frameworks—Gallup CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, Enneagram, and Cultural Intelligence. Her diverse clientele includes UC Berkeley, Firm Foundation, AltaMed, Nomi Network, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and the Miami Heat and is the author of The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires. Tracey is originally from the Bay Area of California and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, children, and dog, Kona. She loves coffee shops and every dog she's ever met.
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Early Admission is open February 16 to February 27, 2026. Early admission is only offered to those on our waitlist.
Open enrollment is open from March 2, 2026 to June 15, 2026, or when enrollment has reached capacity. There are a limited number of spots available in each cohort for a total of 100 fellows. -
PAX Fellowship In-Person Connection + Contemplative Retreat
Aug 28-30, 2026
Virtual sessions will take place on Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm PST / 7pm-9pm EST.Session 1: Sept 8, 2026
Session 2: Sept 22, 2026
Session 3: Oct 6, 2026
Session 4: Oct 20, 2026
Session 5: Nov 3, 2026
Session 6: Nov 17, 2026
Session 7: Jan 5, 2027
Session 8: Jan 19, 2027
Session 9: Feb 2, 2027
Session 10: Feb 16, 2027
Session 11: Mar 2, 2027
Session 12: Mar 16, 2027
Session 13: Mar 30, 2027 Keynote & Survey
Session 14: April 13, 2027 Showcase
Session 15: April 27, 2027 Goodbye Session
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The PAX Fellowship Connection + Contemplation Retreat kicks off the PAX Fellowship and is an integral part of the experience as a PAX Fellow.
Start Date: Friday, August 28 at 4:30pm
End Date: Sunday, August 30 at 1:00pm
Location: Franciscan Renewal Center
5802 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.Canadian Date: Saturday, August 29
Time & Location: TBD in GTALodging, meals, and materials are included in the cost of tuition. Fellows are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the retreat.
Additional details will be included upon admittance to the PAX Fellowship. Should you have any questions about the Retreat and the impact it has on your cohort, please reach out to our Fellowship Director, Rachel, at fellowship@madeforpax.org.
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Tuition per fellow is $2,000. While this figure reflects the true cost of architecting the fellowship, we believe that the opportunity for mentorship and instruction belongs to all Christians of color and are committed to reducing financial barriers to participation. That’s why we’re offering tiered tuition with scholarships ranging from $1000 - $1300, affording you the agency to choose tuition that best aligns with your current financial circumstance.
These tuition tiers are made possible by the generosity of donors and foundations.
Alumni: $700 - two payments of $350 (scholarship amount of $1300)
Tier 1:$800 - two payments of $400 (scholarship amount of $1200)
If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.
Tier 2: $900 - two payments of $450 (scholarship amount of $1100)
Suggested dues for the PAX Fellowship
Tier 3: $1000 - two payments of $500 (scholarship amount of $1000)
If your season allows you to comfortably pay this amount, you'll help offset the lower tier for those for whom tuition represents a greater barrier to access.
Tier 4: $800 - three payments at $200, $300, and $300 (scholarship amount of $1200)
If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible and you’d like a three part-payment plan, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.
The first tuition payment is due within 3 days of acceptance into the Fellowship and is non-refundable. A Stripe payment link will be included with your acceptance letter. For all additional payments, your payment method on file will be automatically charged 25 business days after the first payment has been submitted, and is non-refundable. For Tier 4, your third payment will be charged 25 days after your second payment and is non-refundable.
Beyond our tiered tuition, if finances prohibit your participation, then we encourage you to consider asking your family, church, mentor, or employer to support your continued education by sponsoring your enrollment in the fellowship. Link to a Sponsorship Letter Template will be included with your acceptance letter.Financial Aid
If tuition continues to be a barrier beyond the scholarship tiers and the sponsorship letter, you may answer the financial aid question in the application to be considered for additional aid toward Tier 1 or Tier 4 tuition. Financial aid requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and awarded as funds are available. You will be notified via email on the status of your financial aid request.
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Hospitality and Belonging
PAX draws from Franciscan spirituality rooted in radical hospitality for all God’s image bearers. We honor each person’s God-given uniqueness, background, story, and identity, believing they can encounter the Divine through the created world, others, and experiences. We strive to uplift voices from diverse perspectives through embodied faith expressed under the tent of belonging. We welcome, accept, and affirm every individual’s worth as a reflection of God’s love made plain in creation. Our Franciscan way embraces the primacy of Christ and the richness of Christian faith expressed through incarnational presence. In our effort to pursue justice, peace, and care for all creation, we reject supremacy that harms image bearers or God’s beloved world.
Wonder and Wisdom
We understand that with diversity comes disagreement and tension. Therefore we value thoughtful dialogue and embrace tension, as these are key components of contemplative Christianity. We challenge PAX Fellows to wonder with the topics presented in the PAX Fellowship, and encourage thoughtful prayer and reflection. Our aim is to support Fellows in a deeper relationship with the Divine and others. Fellows are expected to interact constructively with those holding different denominational and theological perspectives. We recognize the difference between healthy disagreement and harmful behavior, therefore we do not allow bullying, harassment, hatred, or violence.
Contemplation and Action
We are contemplative activists. Our practice holds silence and stillness as sacred tools for transformation; personally and collectively. We draw from Black and Brown Christian faith traditions that have long practiced deep reflection, communal prayer, and creative resistance first practiced by the Desert Mothers and Fathers of North Africa and later embodied by the Civil Rights Movement. Contemplation for us is not withdrawal from the world, but a way of grounding our action in love, justice, and presence. Rather than emptying our minds, we fill our mind and heart with the knowledge and presence of Christ in our contemplative practice.
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View syllabus for the Women in Leadership Cohort here.
FELLOWSHIP FAQ
Here are the most frequently asked questions about The PAX Fellowship.
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The PAX Fellowship is for you if you…
identify as a Christian of color, are between the ages of 25-45, and practice a non-syncretic* expression of Christianity
can commit to attending the in-person PAX Fellowship Retreat in August 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ
are able to attend and engage in 15 sessions taking place September 2026 to April 2027
desire to be with Christians of different theological and denominational backgrounds with the shared values of justice, peace, and contemplation
maintain your sense of self in spaces with people of differing perspectives
engage in civil discourse and disagreement respectfully
wish to learn practical ways of Christian contemplation and apply these principles into your everyday life
seek opportunities to deepen your relationship with God
are committed to upholding the PAX values statement for the entirety of your engagement with our community and programming
*We define non-syncretic expression of Christianity as an expression of Christianity that does not blend, incorporate, or combine elements of other religions or belief systems, and is exclusively Christian in nature.
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Each cohort will vary in size, but each cohort will have a minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 15 people. Last year, the Women in Leadership Cohort had 15 Fellows.
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The PAX Fellowship kicks off with an in-person retreat in Scottsdale, AZ.
The PAX Fellowship Connection + Contemplation Retreat is the time to meet in-person with your Cohort and Facilitator, engaging in fellowship, instruction, worship, and community. You will also be able to connect + grow with other PAX Fellows and leaders in PAX community.
Lodging and meals are included in the PAX Fellowship tuition.More details included upon admission to the PAX Fellowship.
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Please reach out at fellowship@madeforpax.org and the PAX Team will get back to you as quick as we can!
TESTIMONIALS
“I learned a lot about my spiritual gifts that I did not know I had and have been reflecting on how I can use them in my position and in my work with others. I also realized I needed this space of BIPOC women. It was missing in my life and I want to figure out how I can maintain it in my life.”
Dana Daugherty
Therapist
PAX Alumni | 2024-2025 Fellow
| 2025-2026 Fellow
“My boldness and confidence increased after the PAX Fellowship because I knew that there were friends cheering me on and encouraging me to show up fully and not let insecurities hold me hostage.”
Luverta Reames
Acquisitions Editor
PAX Alumni | 2023-2024 Fellow
| 2024-2025 Fellow
| 2025-2026 Fellow
“I've never felt like I belonged so deeply... To be connected by Jesus, creativity, faith & justice was just incredible and inspiring. I loved learning from people who I know lived out being spiritually grounded and working from a place of belovedness instead of striving. I left feeling encouraged in the work I want to do, inspired to trust God for more, and to courageously live out who God has genuinely created me to be. I also left with a community of peers to do this with.”
Chealsia Smedley
University Chaplain
PAX Alumni | 2023-2024 Fellow
“The fellowship has influenced both my personal and spiritual life in that it increased my understanding and approach to pursuing social justice and peace in my everyday life and finding ways to enhance and maintain peace through active resting.”
Nathalie Alcime
Educator
PAX Alumni | 2023-2024 Fellow
| 2024-2025 Fellow
