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Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey Selected to Participate in Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

July 26, 2023

Mayor John Dailey has been selected to participate in the seventh class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, joining an accomplished set of 40 mayors and 80 senior municipal leaders who will participate in the yearlong professional management training program.

Established by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School as a first-of-its-kind program to help close the gap in executive development for the public sector, the program equips city leaders with the tools and expertise to expand their problem-solving capacity, strengthen their city halls and improve outcomes for residents.

"Being selected to participate alongside this class of city leaders to exchange ideas and discuss approaches that benefit the communities we serve is an honor," Mayor John Dailey said. "The City of Tallahassee is an innovative municipality. I am excited to share our successes with my peers, discover others' best practices and help create solutions that address the serious issues cities around the world are facing today."

The flagship program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative brings together Harvard faculty, staff and students, alongside experts from Bloomberg Philanthropies' global network, to work with the mayors and senior officials over the course of one year. Through a combination of intensive classroom, virtual and field-based learnings and offerings, the initiative helps these leaders bolster their teams' use of data and evidence, drive collaboration and innovation across sectors and deliver impact for communities. In addition to the core coursework and convenings with peers, each city is also able to access additional offerings, including executive education programs for 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.

"This year's class features a diverse, international group of mayors who are changing their cities and the world, and we're glad to bring them all together in New York," said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. "Mayors face no shortage of urgent challenges right now - from poverty to climate change to public safety. This program is designed to help build their capacity to lead and empower them to act boldly. We look forward to working closely with this new class throughout the year and to seeing the results they'll deliver for the millions of residents they serve."

"The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative creates opportunities for deep connection and sustained engagement with leaders on the front lines in cities around the world, putting knowledge and research to work for millions of individuals," Harvard University President Claudine Gay said. "Along with the broader efforts of the Bloomberg Center for Cities, it exemplifies the convening power of the University and underscores our commitment to openness and collaboration now and in the future. I am thrilled to join Bloomberg Philanthropies in welcoming our seventh cohort of mayors and senior leaders to the program."

To kick off their participation, Mayor Dailey was one of the 40 mayors who joined Harvard faculty and renowned management leaders in New York City in July for a four-day immersive classroom experience. Also participating in the program are two representatives from City Manager Reese Goad's office, Assistant City Managers Abena Ojetayo and Christian Doolin.

Mayor Dailey began his professional career working for the Florida League of Cities, representing over 400 municipal governments before the Florida Legislature and Administration. He also represented municipal governments across the nation before the U.S. Congress and Administration while working for the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Mayor Dailey has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a master's degree in Public Administration from Florida State University, as well as a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the London School of Economics. He has served in multiple local government elected positions since 2006.

Assistant City Manager Abena Ojetayo is responsible for the areas of Fleet, Housing and Community Resilience, Human Resources and StarMetro. Prior to her tenure with the City, she worked internationally and nationally on sustainability, resiliency and development projects including at Cornell University and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She has a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a master's degree in Engineering Management from Cornell University.

Assistant City Manager Christian Doolin is responsible for the areas of Financial Services, Grants and Enterprise Resources, Procurement, Resource Management, Strategic Innovation and Technology and Innovation. He has an extensive background in business strategy, financial and economic modeling, organizational change and process improvement. He has a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, a master's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in International Development, both from American University.

Members of the seventh class of mayors in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative are:

Africa:

  • Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis - Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa
  • Mayor Christopher Pappas - uMngeni Local Municipality, South Africa

Asia:

  • Mayor Fahad Albuliheshi - Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Europe:

  • Mayor Femke Halsema - Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Mayor Alec von Graffenried - Bern, Switzerland
  • Mayor Stefano Lo Russo - Turin, Italy
  • Mayor Damiano Tommasi - Verona, Italy

Oceania:

  • Mayor Tory Whanau - Wellington, New Zealand

North America:

Canada:

  • Mayor Jyoti Gondek - Calgary, Canada
  • Mayor Andrea Horwath - Hamilton, Canada
  • Mayor Joshua Morgan - London, Canada
  • Mayor Mark Sutcliffe - Ottawa, Canada

The U.S.:

  • Mayor Ashleigh Aitken - Anaheim, California
  • Mayor Jim Ross - Arlington, Texas
  • Mayor William Reynolds - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • Mayor Kevin Hartke - Chandler, Arizona
  • Mayor Barbara Buffaloe - Columbia, Missouri
  • Mayor Dean Trantalis - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Mayor Harvey Ward, Jr. - Gainesville, Florida
  • Mayor Mark Salinas - Hayward, California
  • Mayor Bruce Teague - Iowa City, Iowa
  • Mayor Farrah Khan - Irvine, California
  • Mayor Rex Richardson - Long Beach, California
  • Mayor Karen Bass - Los Angeles, California
  • Mayor Craig Greenberg - Louisville, Kentucky
  • Mayor Jared Nicholson - Lynn, Massachusetts
  • Mayor Ulises Cabrera - Moreno Valley, California
  • Mayor Phillip Jones - Newport News, Virginia
  • Mayor Sheng Thao - Oakland, California
  • Mayor Curt Skoog - Overland Park, Kansas
  • Mayor Rita Ali - Peoria, Illinois
  • Mayor Shannon Martin - Port St. Lucie, Florida
  • Mayor Brett Smiley - Providence, Rhode Island
  • Mayor Eduardo Martinez - Richmond, California
  • Mayor Chris Hoy - Salem, Oregon
  • Mayor Kimbley Craig - Salinas, California
  • Mayor John Dailey - Tallahassee, Florida
  • Mayor Nancy Young - Tracy, California
  • Mayor John Carli - Vacaville, California

South America:

  • Mayor José Sarto Nogueira Moreira - Fortaleza, Brazil

About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg's giving, including his foundation, corporate and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed US $1.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org.

About The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative:
The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative–the flagship program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University–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 has also advanced research and developed new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems. For more information, please visit the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

About The Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University:
Founded in 2021 with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University is a fast-growing global community committed to improving public management, leadership and governance. The Bloomberg Center for Cities is an unprecedented cross-Harvard collaboration that unites expertise focused on cities across disciplines and schools to produce research, train leaders and develop resources for global use. The Center is designed to have widespread impact on the future of cities, where more than half of the world's people now live, by informing and inspiring local government leaders, scholars, students and others who work to improve the lives of residents around the world. For more information, please visit cities.harvard.edu.

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