Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot hired to teach course at Harvard

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been hired to teach a course at Harvard this fall.

Lightfoot is set to teach a “Health Policy and Leadership” course at the school’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health as the Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Eric Andersen, Harvard’s director of the Senior Leadership Fellows Program and studio programming, says Harvard reached out to her because “as mayor and as a leader she faced many pressing public health issues, most notable [sic] navigating the pandemic.”

[RELATED: Chicago students explain why increased crime, Lightfoot policies put them at risk]

In a news article, the school said she “led a coordinated, citywide response across government, business, and community organizations to safeguard public health and minimize economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic,” noting that “she created a Racial Equity Rapid Response Team and the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force.”

The school also said the “Menschel Senior Leadership Fellows Program offers a rare opportunity for those who have recently served in top-level positions in government, multilateral institutions, nonprofit organizations, and journalism to spend time at the School mentoring and teaching students who aspire to similar roles.”

Lightfoot discussed the course material in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, saying, “Obviously, I will share specifics about the way we managed the public health crisis, hopefully, of a lifetime, but also talk about how we saw this crisis as an opportunity to address some long-standing public health challenges in the city of Chicago.”

Lightfoot also took to Twitter to celebrate the announcement, saying on June 1, “I’ve always loved teaching, and the opportunity to get back to it is something I am excited about. Looking forward to sharing the experiences and perceptions I learned governing through one of the most challenging times in American history with the @HarvardChanSPH community!”

I’ve always loved teaching, and the opportunity to get back to it is something I am excited about. Looking forward to sharing the experiences and perceptions I learned governing through one of the most challenging times in American history with the @HarvardChanSPH community! https://t.co/yepEhBn2IO

— Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) June 1, 2023

[RELATED: POLL: Less than 3% of surveyed Harvard faculty identify as conservative]

Lightfoot lost her bid for reelection in February after being heavily criticized for the city’s high crime rate. A Wirepoints survey named Chicago one of the nation’s “murder capitals” in 2022, with the city having more murders than any other in the country.

The best effort was made to contact Lori Lightfoot. Harvard University has been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

Follow Austin Browne on Twitter.