Our Mission
The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) invests intensively in the training and development of principled, effective, and just public leaders, integrating academic preparation with practice to build the character and knowledge required to make positive change in the world.
CPL’s Leadership Council is a network of business, philanthropic, and civic innovators committed to the Center’s mission. Since 2013, Leadership Council members have contributed to the life of the Center and the preparation of our next generation of public leaders through vital thought partnership and financial support grounded in their experience as leaders across sectors.
What are the benefits of Leadership Council membership?
- Regular updates on CPL’s research agenda and student activity, as well as innovative leadership insights from noted academics and public leaders.
- Participation in semi-annual Leadership Council meetings and strategy conversations featuring prominent guest speakers and current HKS students and faculty.
- Special invitations to private Harvard events.
- Individualized meetings, student engagement, and speaking opportunities at Harvard designed by CPL staff.
- Esteemed network of global peers committed to collaborative and cross-sector leadership training, development, and practical applications of research.
How are Leadership Council members involved with CPL, HKS, and Harvard University?
- Provide strategic guidance to Center leadership based on their own expertise as leaders.
- Serve as ambassadors of the Center and enhance the reach of our ideas through their networks.
- Help strengthen collaborations for leadership education and research within Harvard and beyond its walls.
- Guide promising students pursuing careers in government, nonprofits, and the private sector.
- Enhance the growth of the Leadership Council by connecting CPL and HKS to potential new donors and LC members.
- Serve as ambassadors of the Center and enhance the reach of our ideas through their networks.
Supporting CPL
Annual gifts from Leadership Council members lay the foundation for philanthropy at CPL. They also provide CPL with the unrestricted resources needed to respond to new opportunities and expand as a global leadership institution. In addition to a commitment to a renewable three-year term and an annual gift, Leadership Council members work closely with CPL to identify additional priorities based on their personal philanthropic interests.