BOSTON — Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is headed to Harvard this fall.
On Thursday morning, the university announced the appointment of Lightfoot as a Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow for the upcoming fall term.
She will teach a course in the Health, Policy and Management Department tentatively titled “Health Policy and Leadership” at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, located in Boston.
“I’ve always loved teaching, and the opportunity to get back to it is something I am really excited about. I learned a lot over the past four years, and this gives me an opportunity to share my experiences and perceptions of governing through one of the most challenging chapters in American history. I look forward to interacting with students who are committed to the public sector, particularly in the area of public health,” Lightfoot said. “I’ll share specifics about the way we managed the COVID-19 public health crisis, and we’ll delve into how we approached the crisis as an avenue to address long standing public health equity challenges using data and science. I also look forward to being part of the community of scholars, intellectuals and students at such a world class institution.”
On May 12, she was joined by her staff, bagpipers and confetti as she left City Hall for the last time.
“We are at a critical moment for public health in this country, and as a school, we have an obligation to provide our students with an opportunity to learn not just from leading scientists and scholars, but also from practitioners with real-world experience. Our Menschel Senior Leadership Fellowship program is designed to bring seasoned leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to campus to share their insights and expertise,” said Eric Andersen, Director of Senior Leadership Fellows Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Recent fellows include former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Boston Mayor Kim Janey, and Roman Macaya, Ph.D., Executive President of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund and Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States.
