Institute of Politics to Host Seminar for Newly Elected Mayors of 25 Cities Across America

Continuing the forty-year tradition, the Institute to convene current and former municipal leaders and policy experts to prepare the mayor elects' transition to City Hall.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2019
Media Contact: Kelsey Donohue
kelsey_donohue@hks.harvard.edu
(516) 551-2783

Cambridge, MA – The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the biennial Seminar on Transition for Newly Elected Mayors. Twenty five newly elected mayors from across the country will participate in the seminar from December 3rd to December 5th in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

“For more than forty years, the Institute has hosted this seminar to bridge academia and municipal government, and help prepare newly elected mayors for their tenure in City Hall.” said Mark D. Gearan, Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. "Mayors are on the front line of today’s challenges with more than 85 percent of Americans living in U.S. metropolitan areas. We are proud to provide an opportunity for participants to engage with policy leaders, academics, and current and former mayors to prepare for their own transition to office.”

Over the course of the three day convening, new mayors will participate in sessions dedicated to topics including leading in times of crisis, supporting youth civic engagement, and effective policing. The seminar, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, will be led by current and former mayors, prominent scholars and policy experts. 

Featured speakers and panelists include Mayor Nan Whaley (Dayton, OH), Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Atlanta, GA), former IOP Visiting Fellow and Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, PA), Harvard Kennedy School Dean Doug Elmendorf, IOP Senior Fellow and Washington Post chief correspondent Dan Balz, Black Lives Matter co-founder and IOP Fall 2019 Resident Fellow LaTosha Brown, Activist and IOP Director’s Leader Brittany Packnett Cunningham and New York Times journalist Lisa Lerer. 

Since the first convening in 1975, nearly 400 mayors have participated in the Institute’s biennial seminar. All first-time mayors from cities with populations larger than 75,000 are invited to participate. Previous seminar participants include Mayor Victor Ashe (Knoxville, TN), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN), Mayor Manny Diaz, (Miami, FL), and Mayor Annise Parker (Houston, TX).

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About the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School 

The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School was established in 1966 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The Institute’s mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics and public service. The Institute blends the academy with practical politics and offers students the opportunity to engage on current events and to acquire skills and perspective that will assist in their postgraduate pathways.