In April, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative gathered mayors from the ninth class of its flagship leadership development program for the first capstone event held in person, on the Harvard campus. Since its launch in 2017, the program, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, has provided training to new mayors and city officials to help close the gap in executive development for the public sector, with a kickoff in-person convening in New York City every July and a capstone session typically held online the following spring. This year, however, the cohort celebrated the completion of ten months of learning and exchange in Cambridge.
“Mayors are making a difference in cities every day but the work is full of challenges. As they celebrated milestones and reflected on progress, they also shared lessons learned with each other and our students,” said Jorrit de Jong, director of the Bloomberg Center for Cities. “The work of mayors has informed our campus-wide research investments and faculty research, in turn, has shaped mayoral leadership. We were pleased to bring mayors, researchers, and students together in person to discuss how city halls can improve the lives of residents.”
Mayors from 45 cities across 16 countries spent three days in conversation with professors from Harvard Kennedy School and other schools and departments across the University. They connected and compared issues with their peers, visited classrooms, and discussed progress in tackling specific issues facing their communities with professors from across the campus.
One capstone highlight was a reception where Harvard students could meet their hometown mayors. For the students, it was a unique opportunity to discuss the work many of them hope to pursue once they graduate. Isabel Mejía Fontanot MPP 2022 of the Bloomberg Center team helped develop the informal gathering from idea into reality, soliciting applications from students across campus to attend.
“We looked for meaningful connections between students and the mayors of 45 cities, large and small, across five continents,” Mejía Fontanot said. “I was struck by how many students already had deep ties to these places. It was incredibly energizing to see that level of interest in local leadership, and to see our ‘matchmaking’ lead to in-depth conversations as Harvard students turn their talents and attention to helping address the challenges cities face.”
For Mayor Andrea Sorce MPA/ID 2016 of Vallejo, California, being back on campus was a surreal experience: “It’s been 10 years since I graduated from HKS. I have so many memories here and it also feels like an entire lifetime has happened since I left.”
Sorce was elected as mayor of Vallejo in November of 2024. When she was elected, she was contacted by the Program for New Mayors, co-hosted by the Bloomberg Center for Cities, the Institute of Politics, and the US Conference of Mayors. “That was an absolute blessing, because I benefited from the program in so many ways,” she said. The following summer she and two senior leaders from her city began the Initiative’s flagship program, embarking on nearly a year of leadership development and capacity-building in city hall.
Before becoming mayor, Sorce taught economics at Diablo Valley College. “I grew up in Vallejo,” said Michael Gaetos, a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, “and I attended Diablo Valley College.” While Gaetos did not know Sorce before the gathering, he eagerly accepted the invitation to meet with her. “It is nice to see all the different kinds of people running for mayors.”
Rodrigo Estrada did know his mayor, Renard Johnson of El Paso, Texas. Estrada, who graduates in May from Harvard Law School, met Johnson when he did an internship in El Paso’s City Attorney Office. “I learned Mayor Johnson would be visiting from my former supervisor in City Hall,” said Estrada, who is also the president of the Texas Club at HLS. “I jumped at the opportunity to come today to see him.”
“I encourage students to think about public service, to come back to communities like El Paso and to work in city government. It is rewarding.”
Cecilia Portillo was born and raised in El Paso and is now at the Graduate School of Design (GSD). While she had not met Johnson before, she also seized the chance to talk with him. “My work and research are on urban planning and civic participation and that is where these decisions are made.”
Johnson said the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative enabled him to work with other mayors across the country and around the world, a unique opportunity for someone in El Paso. “I’ve learned that whether you are in Monrovia, Liberia, or El Paso, we all share the same problems,” he said. “I encourage students to think about public service, to come back to communities like El Paso and to work in city government. It is rewarding.”
For Elizabeth (Clair) Spotts MPP 2027 of Huntington, West Virginia, the reception provided a reunion with Patrick Farrell. “I did Transition Term [an HKS program for students to assist newly elected city and state officials] in 2024 and first met Mayor Farrell on inauguration day,” she said.
“The Bloomberg program has given me a framework to understand what’s ahead of us,” said Farrell. “The peer learning has been excellent. While there are differences in the context for each city, we are all going through similar experiences,” he said.
Spotts is looking forward to her Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellowship, back in Huntington, to work on data tracking for individuals experiencing homelessness, something she started during her Transition Term.
Perhaps the biggest buzz was around Barbara Lee, the former congresswoman from California and current mayor of Oakland. In front of an animated group of students from northern California, Lee recounted the first election she won. “I was the first Black cheerleader of San Fernando High,” she said. “At the time there were rules keeping girls of color out, but I enlisted the NAACP to help me fight for change.” Lee and the NAACP found the rules stated that the student body elected cheerleaders. So, she ran. “And guess what,” asked Lee. “I won. That was my first election at 15.”
Despite her deep experience in government, Lee, who also participated in a panel discussion earlier in the day, appreciated what she learned from the Bloomberg Harvard program. “It really helped me focus on priorities. In a city, you have a lot of priorities,” she said. “While I know Oakland well, being mayor is a whole other world.”
Mayor Andy Fillmore of Halifax, Canada, also had a rewarding experience. The previous mayor, Mike Savage, attended the flagship program. “I watched him grow as a leader and was very happy when the opportunity arose for me to attend,” Fillmore said. “I have loved every moment.”
Micah Weese, in his first year of urban planning at the GSD, is not from Halifax but is excited to be working there this summer as a Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellow. Housing and transportation are his primary focuses. “Halifax is such an exciting area to be in right now, and the opportunity to work with a mayor who is an urban planner means a great deal.”
Fillmore is also a graduate of the GSD. He began his career in Boston working on the Big Dig as an intern urban designer. After returning to Canada, he was elected to Parliament in 2015, representing Halifax.
Shiv Ruparell MPP 2026 is also getting his master's in urban planning at the GSD. Ruparell is from Calgary and is very impressed with Fillmore’s turn from urban planner to mayor. “I think it’s very rare for a wonky urban policy planner to find a successful career as a city leader,” said Ruparell. “There are lots of lessons to learn—from boosting housing to innovative transit solutions—from Canada’s rapidly growing mid-sized cities,” he later said, posting a picture of him, Fillmore, and Mayor Cynthia Block of Saskatoon on social media.
As the reception ended, smiles of appreciation and gratitude could be seen across the room on mayors and their constituents from all around the world.
The final event in the capstone was a discussion of local leaders’ role in addressing global crises in the IOP’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum with mayors Alyia Gaskins, of Alexandria, VA, Dada Sello Morero of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Regina Romero of Tucson, AZ.
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is a program at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. Established by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School, the Initiative provides mayors and senior city officials with research-based insights and tools to solve urban problems and improve outcomes for residents.
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Photography: Mary Schwalm
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