Two emerging public sector leaders from the Greater Boston area will join the Harvard Kennedy School this fall as the 2025 Rappaport Urban Scholars. Executive Director of the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) for the City of Boston Evandro Carvalho and Cambridge City Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui will each receive full scholarships to attend the Harvard Kennedy School’s mid-career master in public administration program.

The Rappaport Urban Scholars Program began in 1981 with funding from Rappaport Institute Founder Jerome “Jerry” Rappaport to advance the education of Greater Boston’s elected and appointed public sector leaders who demonstrate an interest in urban and metropolitan issues, a capacity for leadership, and a continuing commitment to contribute to the well-being of Greater Boston. To date, more than 30 elected and appointed officials have participated in the program. 

2025 Urban Scholars

 

evandro carvalho sized.

Executive Director of the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) for the City of Boston 

Evandro Carvalho is an experienced public service attorney and former state representative in Massachusetts. When he was 15, and knowing no English, Carvalho emigrated from Cabo Verde, Africa to Boston. He graduated from Madison Park Technical Vocational high school and earned his undergraduate degree at UMass Amherst and his Juris Doctor at Howard University School of Law. 

Carvalho began his law career at the prestigious law firm of WilmerHale in their Washington DC office. Since 2011, he has been a progressive leader and public servant in all three branches of government in Massachusetts, including assistant prosecutor in Boston, state legislator, and executive director of the Boston Human Rights Commission. As a State Representative, Carvalho worked on police reform and criminal justice reform, as well as youth issues. Most recently, he served as the General Counsel for the Supplier Diversity Office of Massachusetts.  

As the Executive Director of the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) for the City of Boston, Evandro works to improve the structures of public safety and health through enhancing transparency and accountability within the Boston Police Department (BPD) and building trust between residents and law enforcement across Boston’s neighborhoods. 

Evandro lives in the Ashmont area of Dorchester with his wife Ashley and their daughters Eliana and Anaya, their son Evandro Jr., and their dog, an energetic boxer named Bruno. 

sumbul siddiqui headshot.Mayor of Cambridge

Sumbul Siddiqui is a fifth term city councilor and the current mayor of the City of Cambridge. She previously served two terms as Mayor of Cambridge—becoming the first Muslim mayor in Massachusetts and the first woman to serve two consecutive terms in the role.

During her time as mayor, she led Cambridge through the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on equity and innovation. She raised more than $5 million in emergency relief for residents and small businesses, while strengthening food access, housing protections, and health services. She also launched the Cambridge RISE guaranteed income pilot, which grew into a $22 million program supporting 2,000 families, helping to shape the national conversation on direct cash assistance. Sumbul has led efforts for universal pre-kindergarten, established an Early College program at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and helped pass major zoning reforms to increase affordable housing. Before serving in elected office, Sumbul worked as a legal aid attorney in Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn.

Sumbul was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents and twin brother. She lived in Cambridge in affordable housing, which deeply shaped her commitment to public service. After moving around for college and law school, Sumbul is now back living in Cambridge where she enjoys spending time with her family and their cat, Willow.

What are you most looking forward to in your time as a Harvard Kennedy School Rappaport Urban Scholar?
I’m excited to learn new tools and build relationships with my colleagues. The Rappaport Urban Scholars program offers a unique opportunity to reflect on my public service experience and further enhance my commitment to helping people. I’m especially looking forward to getting to learn from public servants across the country and the world.

2024 Urban Scholars

david leboeuf headshot.Massachusetts State Representative

David LeBoeuf is serving as the State Representative for the 17th Worcester District, which is inclusive of the City of Worcester and the Town of Leicester. His background — as a small business advisor, family advocate for survivors of domestic violence, and community leader successfully boosting access to healthcare and affordable housing — informs his ongoing fight for the causes that matter most to our communities.

David first ran for office in 2018 and was elected after a three-way primary and a general election, being one of only three individuals to flip a legislative seat from Republican to Democrat in Massachusetts that year. In addition to his professional work at the Initiative for the competitive Inner City (ICIC) David was the Board President of the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center, Vice Chair of the African Community Education program, and a board member of the Latin American Health Alliance. He also worked briefly for a state economic development agency and in municipal government.

In the most recent legislative session Representative LeBoeuf passed comprehensive legislation eliminating the waiting period for new state hires to access health insurance. During his career in the House, he has advanced policy changes to improve educational resources for foster children; negotiated the re-opening of mental health beds; increased access to early education apprenticeships; facilitated the conversion of a closed college into a new high school, emergency family shelter, and Head Start; and modified high interest loans that were crippling small water systems. Drawing from his own experiences with addiction recovery, he has become a leading advocate for dismantling systemic barriers to treatment access and reforming the way individuals with substance use disorder are treated within the child welfare and legal systems. His legislative agenda is focused on removing barriers for returning citizens to access professional licenses, modernizing support for students in foster care, eliminating environmental hazards in housing, and advancing consumer focused insurance policies.

David lives in Worcester, MA, where he was born and raised and was the first of his family to complete college. David enjoys travelling, watching documentaries, attempting to be an amateur chef, exploring cities, listening to EDM music, and organizing events for his classmates. 

 

Q+A with Representative David LeBoeuf

What was your experience as a Rappaport Urban Scholar?

It's been such a great opportunity to be back in a classroom setting. As a state rep, you’re usually focused on things like constituent issues or going back and forth between district events, so it was great to have that space to reflect on the public policy work and the public service work I’m doing. It’s also good to be in a space with people who have similar yet very different experiences and to have these great conversations with them. This is especially true in the Mid-Career program, where a lot of folks have had work experience, so they understand what you’re going through, and there is this great sense of camaraderie resulting from that.  It also helps you to see things differently when you're with people from very different backgrounds. It really helps give you the energy and reinforcement you need to keep moving forward in your own position.

What are some of the highlights of your experience?

The relationships have been the number one thing. Having that ability to make friends and to know that you've got a friend and a colleague in almost every corner of the world is such a great thing. You’re given the opportunity to connect with people who you know have a shared sense of commitment to government, public service, and civic engagement, so the relationships aren’t transactional, but much deeper.

I've had some great experiences with professors who have given me advice on how to approach different aspects of my career, or just on thinking through difficult policy issues and leadership challenges. It’s been great to have these different academics as a sounding board who are not solely professors, but people with experience working in government or with government officials.

I’ve really enjoyed the courses as well. I've been fortunate to take some classes where I can quickly integrate the lessons we’re learning into my day-to-day work. Some examples are negotiation coursework, which has helped me work with different communities in my district to broker a deal around a new economic development project, or just working in this polarized time to identify the issues people actually care about to bring people together who might not be likely allies.

Lastly, that feeling of support and community I’ve gotten through the programs has been really special. Often in public service, you feel like you're in a little bit of a vacuum, with the blur of personal and work life and switching between your statehouse persona and your community persona. At the Kennedy School, it's nice to just have that space where I can be myself, pursue academic inquiry, and just enjoy being with other people and learning.

What lessons will you take back with you to the State House and keep with you post-HKS? 

I had a great experience with the course Engaging the Media. It was extremely helpful in understanding how the media works, and it gave me the tools and the ability to share a lot of the things I was working on, as well as aspects of my personal story that I’ve been nervous to talk about. I did an interview with a Boston Globe reporter last year about my recovery journey. And it was a very vulnerable interview, and I wouldn't have been able to do that or even think about doing that if it weren't for that course.

I really enjoyed the U.S. Congress and Lawmaking Class with Professor David King. The course was a lot of fun and I got elected speaker in the simulation. It was interesting to look at different legislative things you might not normally do, or to try a different strategy in a different environment.

[Senior Lecturer] Juliette Kayyem’s Mitigating and Managing a Crisis course was also really important. I have a lot of fires in my district, so being able to know how to have that framework for when I'm dealing with some of these crises that emerge, both in responding immediately and for long-term planning.

I've just loved working with Professor Anthony Foxx. He's been just such a great person to see someone who came from elected politics go into an administrative role and an academic role, and to understand his challenges with balancing family and commitment and connecting local and state issues. I’ve enjoyed so much of the coursework; those are just a few highlights. 

What else stood out to you in your experience as an Urban Scholar?

The peer part of this program has been impactful. You’re given the opportunity to be in a space where you can actually talk to peers about an idea or look to other people that might have research or expertise. You’re also in a place where you can have classmates from other programs and even other schools, who you can work with in the future. If those connections can benefit my city or my state, that’s all great. Additionally, you get these connections outside of your cohort, like the Bradford Scholars, where you get to meet people from the administration who are at a different level or whom you don't always work with. Hearing all these different perspectives and their take on things helps you be a better legislator. 

andy vargas headshot.Massachusetts State Representative 

Andy's story begins with a historic milestone when he was elected to the Haverhill City Council at the age of 22, becoming the city's first Latino elected official.

With a heart dedicated to the welfare of his community, Andy's passion for education and economic development shines through in his roles as Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. A firm believer in the power of education to empower youth, he passed legislation to mandate civics education for all public school students, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.

Another key priority for Representative Vargas is addressing childhood hunger. He successfully passed legislation providing universal free school meals for all students, as well as prior legislation to expand school breakfast participation. This groundbreaking move not only alleviates the burden of hunger but also removes the stigma associated with meal assistance and boosts academic outcomes.

In the realm of housing and zoning, Andy's vision has brought about a transformative change. With his leadership, he championed a housing and zoning code overhaul that mandates multifamily zoning in transit-oriented areas, the most significant zoning reform in a generation.

He has also been at the forefront of the fight against gun violence, spearheading a groundbreaking program on gun violence prevention through a public health lens. This initiative, now backed by an annual $13 million grant, stands as a model for the nation in tackling this critical issue.

With an unwavering commitment to justice reform, Andy has played a pivotal role in modernizing the parole and criminal justice system. Chairing the Commission on Structural Racism in Parole, he laid the groundwork for transformative changes to ensure a fair and equitable system for all. The report contributed to the removal of parole supervision fees, and mandated recording of parole board hearings.

Recognizing the urgent need to combat the opioid crisis, Andy has also worked tirelessly to expand access to naloxone, a lifesaving drug that can reverse overdoses. His efforts in this area have saved lives, bringing hope and healing to families and communities impacted by addiction.

He resides in Haverhill with his wife Rikelma – an educator and unfortunately a Yankees fan. They are parents to a happy boy named Rubén and an energetic Goldendoodle named Merengue.

Former Urban Scholars

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, a 2018 Urban Scholar. Read about her career and life here. 

  • Massachusetts State Representative Bill Driscoll, 2024
  • Massachusetts State Representative Tram Nguyen, 2023
  • Amy Mahler, former Director of SPARK Boston, 2020
  • Massachusetts State Representative Dylan Fernandes, 2020
  • Katie King, Assistant Town Manager, Needham,  2019
  • Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Chair, Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, 2018
  • Senator John Keenan, Chair, Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight, 2018
  • Ramon Soto, Director of Policy, Massachusetts, uAspire, 2016
  • Jennifer Benson, President, Alliance of Business Leadership and former State Representative, 2015
  • Sarah Zapharis, Consultant, 2015
  • Linda Dorcena Forry, Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations, Northeast Region, Suffolk Construction and former State Senator and State Representative, 2014
  • Theresa Lynn, Senior Vice President of Advancement, United Way of Central Massachusetts, 2014
  • Carl Sciortino, Executive Director, Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee and former State Representative, 2013
  • Steven Walsh, Executive Director, Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals and former State Representative, 2012
  • Mayor Joseph Curtatone, City of Somerville, 2011
  • Jeffrey Sanchez, Senior Advisor, Rasky Partners, Inc. and former State Representative, 2010
  • Joseph Driscoll, Senior Vice President, O'Neill & Associates and former State Representative, 2009
  • State Representative Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley), House Chair, Joint Committee on Education, 2009
  • Barbara Salfity, U.S. General Services Administration, 2007
  • Mark Falzone, Deputy Director, National Immigration Forum and  former State Representative, 2007
  • State Representative William Straus (D-Mattapoisett), House Chair, Joint Committee on Transportation, 2007
  • Tim Davis, Deputy Director for Policy Development and Research, Department of Neighborhood Development, City of Boston, 2005
  • Brad Swing, Mayor's Office of Environmental Services, City of Boston, 2004
  • Mayor Joseph Sullivan, City of Braintree, former State Representative, 2004
  • Katherine Kottaridis, Executive Director, Historic Boston, Inc., 2003
  • Barry Finegold, Dalton and Finegold, LLP and former State Senator, 2003
  • Rachel Kaprielian, US Government Relations for McDonalds, former State Representative, 2003
  • Peter Koutoujian, Middlesex County Sheriff, former State Representative, 2003
  • Charles Murphy, consultant, former State Representative    2002
  • Carol Blair, OnwardVia, 2001
  • Joseph LaRusso, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Finance Manager, City of Boston, 2000
  • Jack Hart, Nelson Mullins, and former State Representative, 2000
  • Lillian Shirley, Director, Multnomah County and Portland, Oregon Health Department, 1999
  • State Representative Kevin Honan (D-Brighton), House Chair, Joint Committee on Housing, 1999
  • Bryan Glascock, Senior Advisor for Regulatory Reform, Boston Planning and Development Authority, 1998
  • Honorable Stephen Lynch, U.S. House of Representatives, 1998
  • Antonio Torres, Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, 1996
  • Maureen Flynn, Deputy Director, Boston Home Center, City of Boston, 1995
  • John Munier, Managing Director, Syndicated, MarketStrategies, International, 1994
  • Theresa Bourgeois, Founder, Esperence Consulting, 1993
  • John Mills, Director, National Network of Sector Partners, 1992
  • James Jordan, Criminal Justice Consultant, Strategic Solutions for Criminal Justice Organizations, 1991
  • Honorable Justice Robert Rufo, Massachusetts Superior Court, 1991
  • Charles Yancey, former Boston City Councilor, 1991
  • John McDonough, Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Director of the Center for Public Health Leadership at Harvard School of Public Health and former State Representative, 1990
  • Jeffrey Cronin, City of Pasadena, California, 1990
  • James Brett, The New England Council, former State Representative, 1989
  • Susan Tracy, The Strategy Group, former State Representative, 1989
  • Thomas Bledsoe, Housing Partnership Group, 1987
  • Kevin McCluskey, Associate Director of Athletics, UMass Boston and former Boston School Committee Member, 1986
  • Priscilla Teague, Boston Public Schools, 1986
  • Richard Rouse, Boston, former State Representative, 1986
  • Thomas Vallely, Vietnam Program, Harvard University, former State Representative, 1983
     

In Memoriam

  • Bruce Bolling, MassAlliance, former Boston City Councilor, 1985
  • Thomas Kennedy, former State Senator, 2005