I met Keith Berwick in 2002 while attending the Henry Crown Fellowship Programme in Aspen. I was inspired by his moderation style—his openness, kindness, inclusivity, and no-nonsense approach. It was that experience that motivated me to explore the formation of the Africa Leadership Initiative. In partnership with Ken Ofori-Atta, the late Ali Mufuruki, Romeo Rodrigues, and with the unwavering support of Keith, Peter Reiling, Skip Battle, and Adi Enthoven, ALI was born. The formation, growth, and success of the Africa Leadership Initiative and the ALI Impact Forum are thanks to leaders like Keith.
Keith was a thought leader and selflessly curated the program. His role in developing moderators and future moderators for the African continent and beyond is a legacy of his generosity. He leaves behind hundreds of ALI fellows who have had the privilege of experiencing his moderation and kindness.
Keith showed us all that the journey from success to significance is one we can all achieve.
Thank you, Keith Berwick, for your lessons and teachings.
Rest in eternal peace.
Isaac Shongwe
om I disagree. There is great learning there.” This was his practice, along with his commitment to meeting and spending time with each fellow in a seminar, and “learning something from each one.”
In 2007, after a moderator training session, he asked me on the shuttle to the airport if I would consider co-moderating the Good Life seminar with him. He conceived it as an alumni seminar to allow for deeper inquiry, creating an experience more intentionally focused on the practice of soul-tending, examining the quality of our inner lives, and recommitting to a values-based second half of life. He hoped it would become an essential part of the curriculum—a fifth seminar. We started with what we had and conducted it over several years, learning and growing together.
These experiences taught me that the challenges we want to address in the world must first be explored internally. Keith showed that every person has something to teach, that every human is worthy of love. In his love, he made us a family. The bonds of love are firm and equal, but to experience this, and to hold a space for it, requires inner exploration and an acceptance and loving of oneself. Wherever we are, we meet each other there. If we can be authentic and courageous, we can journey together, standing on the edge of vulnerability and insight—the portal to wisdom.
On my last visit with Keith, days before his passing, I explained an insight I had had during a meditation. I had come to understand that if I want my children to experience freedom, I must look at them with freedom—it is through the gaze that the experience is transmitted. But I realized that I could not gaze at them with freedom unless I myself was free. The practice for me has to be, to be free, in order to give that quality of being to them. This virtuous exchange, as it passes from giver to receiver and back, is one of the greatest gifts I learned in my many hours with Keith. It has made my life an incredible adventure and opened a gateway to wisdom about what it means to be truly human. Keith would describe this exploration with his characteristic words: “We are all, my dear, always in the process of becoming.”
In the end, as a dear friend once told me, when Keith’s spirit grew, his body weakened. As his body weakened, his spirit grew. And when his spirit no longer needed his physical body, he cast it off, and now he can be anywhere and everywhere. We will greet him in the trees, the sunshine, the stars, in time with loved ones, in each other, and most certainly, in the enduring love that persists in this amazing fellowship. We have much to be thankful for.
Heather Sonn (Class II: Kilimanjaro)
I used to tell Keith that he was the fairy godfather of the AGLN, sprinkling his particular brand of magic dust over the programs he was directly involved in, while ensuring that others under his spell became carriers of that magic elsewhere. What was that magic dust? Part of it was his insistence on intellectual rigor in the Western/Aspen classical tradition, combined with a passion for people, possibilities, and life in general—a passion that he maintained indefatigably to the end. Part of it was the hugs, the enthusiasm, and his willingness to go anywhere, at any age, for the Fellowship and the Fellows. All of it was uniquely Keith.
Watanan Petersik (Class II: Kilimanjaro)
Keith was the intellectual and emotional embodiment of the AGLN—a restless intellect and a steadfast believer in our collective capacity to make progress. It is difficult to overstate how he stitched together this global army of the just—or at least that was his aspiration for us all. He believed in being present and would go to the ends of the earth to support fellows and fellowships, even as his health waned. He was a mentor to me personally, as he was to many of us, and I will always be thankful for the great good fortune of having had him in my life. Above all, Keith had faith in human beings, despite the evidence. I was lucky to be able to say goodbye to him in Santa Barbara in May. He never stopped believing, and neither should we.
Dele Olojede (Class II: Kilimanjaro)
I would like to say the following about Keith:
Keith left an indelible mark on my life. I feel privileged to have known him and been inspired by his wisdom, kindness, humility, courage, and service. Keith was a true embodiment of the AGLN leadership ideal. We will keep his dream alive, and he will not be forgotten.
Best, Adi Enthoven (Class II: Kilimanjaro)
Keith embodied the Aspen program for hundreds of fellows over three decades. He built the curriculum alongside James O’Toole, Skip Battle, Todd Breyfogle, Ben Dunlap, and other Aspen notables, and was our inspiration (actually, our aspiration—never equaled) for how to moderate the readings. Keith was always kind and relentlessly cheerful, but his sunny disposition never eclipsed his fierce intellect. He always exhorted us to act, often asking in his forceful roar, “What are you going to do about it?”
Most of all, Keith cared. He cared deeply about the program, about the fellows, and about the Aspen program. He was convinced that the AGLN, in all its manifestations, was the forum through which our deepest challenges could be tackled.
I have a fond memory of talking to Keith over a beer about marathon running. He was assiduously describing his training regime for his next run. “How old are you?” I asked rather forwardly. “Seventy-six,” he replied. Lovely human.
Best, Bruce Robertson (Class I: Inaugural Class)
For me, Keith represented the essence of the fellowship. He brought love, gentleness, and clarity. For him, living a life that contributed to the good of society was non-negotiable. As such, he could challenge us to be more from a place of deep authenticity and wisdom. He leaves a remarkable legacy in all of us whose lives he profoundly touched and in the fellowship he helped shape.
Ann Lamont (Class II: Kilimanjaro)
