North Tidewater News

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, Assistant City Manager Ralph “Bo” Clayton and Director of Human Resources Allison Dichoso have been selected to participate in the seventh class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. They are joining a set of 40 mayors and 80 senior municipal leaders from across the globe who are taking part in the yearlong professional management training program.

Established by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative will cover several topics, including the development of new policies, engaging with residents, poverty reduction, equitable growth and jobs, climate, resiliency, affordable housing, transportation, and infrastructure.

"It is an honor to be chosen to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard Leadership Initiative along with Bo and Allison,” Jones said. “This is an outstanding opportunity for us to engage with municipal leaders from across the world and learn innovative approaches to address complex challenges and improve the quality of life for our residents.”

To kick off their participation, Mayor Jones was one of the 40 mayors, from nine countries and six continents, who recently joined Harvard faculty and renowned management leaders in New York City for a four-day immersive classroom experience. Clayton and Dichoso, along with two senior leaders from each of the cities, will begin their participation in the program later this month. 

This public sector professional development program combines intensive classroom, virtual, and field-based learning to help these city leaders bolster their use of data and evidence, drive collaboration and innovation across sectors, and deliver results. In addition to the core coursework and convenings with peers, each city will also have access to executive education programs for their economic development, civic engagement, human resources, and procurement leads; opportunities to host a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow for up to two years; and instructional research and materials that help city leaders improve key organization practices.

Original source can be found here.