Mayor Breea Clark is one of 40 American mayors selected to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s intensive leadership and management program. Mayor Clark joins a class of dedicated mayors, who will attend immersive, online classes taught by faculty from Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School and featuring other renowned management experts from across the Bloomberg Philanthropies network. With mayors playing a central role in driving social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s program will focus on the skills required to respond to emerging challenges with an emphasis on equity.
The virtual program began on Thursday, July 9, 2020, which Mayor Clark is attending at no cost to the city. Based on case studies developed at Harvard, sessions will focus on the latest management and leadership practices and cover a range of topics on advancing recovery, from developing new policy and driving government performance to leading civic and resident engagement.
“I’m honored and excited to be a part of this year’s class of mayors, and I’m looking forward to exchanging ideas and discussing how to best approach social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Breea Clark said. “When it comes to tackling priority issues for Norman like strengthening our economy and re-envisioning how we provide services to our residents, my team is invested in using data to diagnose problems, collaborating across sectors, and engaging our citizens to address these challenges in a way that makes the most sense for our community.”
The mayor said she believes this program will “enhance my capabilities in these areas, not to mention connect me with other mayors with innovative approaches to social and economic recovery in their own cities that could then be brought back to Norman.”
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative will connect Mayor Clark to some of the university’s top educators, coaching from experts, a network of peers, and technical assistance. The program provides an opportunity to share promising approaches and learn from fellow mayors about the ideas that are already helping to enhance the quality of life in cities around the world.
Launched in 2017, 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 citizens. To date, the Initiative has worked with over 1000 mayors and senior city officials in 350 cities worldwide. The Initiative has also advanced research and developed new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems.