Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has been chosen to participate in the ninth class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a prestigious executive management training program designed to strengthen municipal leadership.
Gaskins joins 47 mayors from 17 countries in a nine-month professional development program, a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School. The initiative was created to address the gap in executive development opportunities for public sector leaders.
“I’m honored and excited to join the prestigious Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative,” Gaskins said. “This program will strengthen our City’s leadership and help us deliver results using the innovation and creativity of both our residents and City staff. Together, we can address our most pressing challenges and create new opportunities for our city.”
The program, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, combines classroom instruction, virtual learning, and field-based experiences. It focuses on helping municipal leaders enhance their use of data and evidence, promote cross-sector collaboration, and drive innovation to serve their communities better.
Since its launch in 2017, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative has trained 359 mayors and over 635 senior municipal officials across 41 countries.
Mayor Gaskins has already begun her participation, attending a four-day immersive classroom experience in New York City alongside Harvard faculty and management experts. Two senior Alexandria city officials will join the program in August, bringing the total number of participants from the city to three.
Upon completion of the program, Alexandria will have access to additional resources, including specialized education programs for department heads in areas such as economic development, civic engagement, and human resources. The city may also have the opportunity to host a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow for up to two years.
