Mayor Stephanie Terry to participate in second Harvard program of her first term

EVANSVILLE — Mayor Stephanie Terry will join mayors from around the world as a participant in the the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

The eighth class of mayors and senior city leaders to participate in the year-long program was announced Monday. It includes 39 mayors and 78 senior leaders from 11 countries including Kenya, Italy and Argentina.

According to the program's news release, 19 participants are from cities with fewer than 200,000 people, 15 from cities with populations between 200,000 and 1 million people and five are from cities with populations over 1 million.

“As national governments increasingly rely on cities to help them achieve their goals, there has never been a greater need for investment in the capacity of mayors and local leaders to do big things,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. “Our Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is designed to help mayors become more effective managers, build strong teams, and learn from the successes of other cities. This diverse class of leaders comes from 11 countries, and we’re looking forward to helping them deliver results for the millions of residents they serve.”

Terry will be one of two participants from Indiana. She'll be joined by Mayor Eddie Melton of Gary, who is also in his first term.

Indiana alumni from the program include U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

The program will include a mix of classroom, virtual and field-based learnings, according to the news release, helping city leaders hone in on use of data and evidence and drive collaboration and innovation across sectors.

As a part of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, the program includes Harvard faculty, staff, and students, as well as professionals from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global network.

"Each city is able to access additional offerings, including executive education programs for their economic development, civic engagement, human resources, negotiation, and procurement leads," the release states, "opportunities to host a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow for up to two years; and instructional research and materials to help city leaders improve key organizational practices."

To kick off, the mayors joined Harvard faculty and management leaders in New York City for a four-day immersive classroom experience.

From July 14-17, the mayors are convening in New York City for the program’s start. Two senior leaders from each of the cities will begin the program in August.

This will be the second time Terry has participated in a Bloomberg Center for Cities program. Earlier in her term she was selected as a part of the second class of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University’s Program for New Mayors: First 100 Days.