47 mayors and 94 senior city officials in this year’s class will receive training to solve pressing local challenges and improve residents' lives. Two senior officials from Burlington will begin their participation in the program in August.
Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak on Thursday announced her participation in the ninth class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, joining 47 mayors total from 17 countries to participate in the professional management training program. Established by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School as a first-of-its-kind program to help close the gap in executive development for the public sector, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative equips mayors and senior municipal officials with the tools and expertise to solve pressing local challenges, strengthen their city halls, and improve outcomes for residents.
Since its launch in 2017, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative has provided training to 359 mayors and over 635 senior municipal officials across 41 countries.
"I am grateful and honored to be participating in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative," said Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. "This program offers the chance to connect with and learn from municipal leaders in the United States and around the world. I am approaching this unique opportunity with a specific year-long focus on accelerating our work to address Burlington's affordable housing crisis. This program will assist the City’s leadership team in identifying new and innovative solutions to build more housing and activate underutilized properties to increase our housing stock, especially for those who struggle to find affordable housing. This work will benefit a range of residents including working families, fixed income folks, new hires seeking housing in our City, larger families needing more living space, and so many more. I am excited to get to work to put Burlington on the map again as an innovative leader among cities in affordable housing."
Housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative brings together Harvard faculty, staff, and students, alongside experts from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global network, to work with the mayors and their senior officials over the course of nine months. Through intensive classroom, virtual, and field-based learnings and offerings, the Initiative helps these leaders bolster their teams’ use of data and evidence, drive collaboration and innovation across sectors, and deliver results for communities. In addition to the core coursework and convenings with peers, after completing the program, each municipality can access additional offerings. This includes education programs for their economic development, civic engagement, human resources, negotiation, and procurement leads; opportunities to host a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow for up to two years; and peer-reviewed-research and instructional materials to help local governments improve key organizational practices.
To kick off their participation, Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak joined Harvard faculty and renowned management leaders in New York City for a four-day immersive classroom experience. Two senior leaders from each of the 47 cities, including Burlington, Vt, will begin their participation in the program in August.
Notable alumni of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative include Mayor Tim Keller of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho; Mayor Jyoti Gondek of Calgary, Canada; Mayor William Cogswell of Charleston, South Carolina; Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, Ohio; Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver, Colorado; Mayor Eddie Melton of Gary, Indiana; Mayor Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester, England; Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, Nebraska; Mayor Paul Young of Memphis, Tennessee; Mayor Andrea Davis of Missoula, Montana; Mayor Freddie O’Connell of Nashville, Tennessee; Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Mayor Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona; Mayor Brett Smiley of Providence, Rhode Island; Mayor Pablo Javkin of Rosario, Argentina; Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio, Texas; Mayor Paige Cognetti of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Mayor Bruce Harrell of Seattle, Washington; Mayor Tom Arceneaux of Shreveport, Louisiana; and Mayor Stefano Lo Russo of Turin, Italy.
About the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative:
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative–a program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University–is a collaboration between Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors and senior city officials to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve the quality of life of their residents. The Initiative has also advanced research and developed new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems. For more information, please visit cityleadership.harvard.edu
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