Draft:Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative 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 is part of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, which is located at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Initiative produces research, curriculum and teaching tools, and experiential learning opportunities for (aspiring) city leaders solve problems in cities.

History
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative was established in 2017 and became a part of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University in 2021.

Programs
Each year, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative offers professional development in leadership and management to 40 global mayors and to two senior officials from each mayor’s city. The year-long program combines classroom experiences with broader training and capacity-building. The goals of the program are to foster participants’ professional growth and strengthen the organizational capabilities to make city hall more effective, efficient, and equitable.

Supplemental executive education programs are offered to alumni cities covering key city hall departments and activities including procurement, talent management, negotiation civic engagement, and economic development.

Students
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative supports field labs, fellowships, research assistantships, and other opportunities for Harvard University graduate students and recent graduates of Harvard’s master’s or professional degree programs. As of December 2023, more than 350 students have participated in the Initiative via two-year city hall fellowships, summer fellowships, job opportunities, field lab courses, and thesis projects.