Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is heading away from politics and into the academic field at Harvard University, four months after she was ousted as mayor.
Lightfoot said in a statement that she will be teaching a course on public health and leadership, drawing on her experiences from her role as mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, which damaged Chicago's economy and sparked an increase in crime that has yet to subside. She lost her bid for reelection to now-Mayor Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas in February.
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"I’ve always loved teaching, and the opportunity to get back to it is something I am really excited about,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “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.”
Lightfoot drew on her response to the pandemic in an effort to sway voters, citing instances when her administration provided door-to-door outreach with masks and distributed information in vulnerable communities. When the vaccine became available, she prioritized residents living on the city's South and West sides, which are predominately black and struggle with inequalities in healthcare resources.
However, Lightfoot clashed with Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) over implementing COVID-19 policies for restaurants and bars and battled the Chicago Teachers Union in a push to return to in-person learning. She also faced backlash for keeping the lakefront closed for a long period of time, even when the virus was subsiding in the city.
Lightfoot will teach a course tentatively titled “Health Policy and Leadership" as the Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow for Harvard University. The course will begin in August.
Teaching graduate students at Harvard “gives me an opportunity to share my perceptions and experiences of the times that we’ve lived through with people who are very committed to the public sector,” she said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
Eric Andersen, director of the fellows program, said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that the program "reached out" to Lightfoot because "as mayor and as a leader she faced many pressing public health issues, most notably navigating the pandemic.
“We believe our students will benefit from her experiences, insights, and knowledge of leadership decision-making,” Andersen continued.
Michelle A. Williams, dean of faculty of Harvard's public health school, said she was "delighted" to have Lightfoot join the faculty.
“As mayor, she showed strong leadership in advocating for health, equity, and dignity for every resident of Chicago, from her declaration of structural racism as a public health crisis to her innovative initiative to bring mental health services to libraries and shelters. And of course, she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic," Williams said in a statement.
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Lightfoot had said in her outgoing speech that, for now, she was done with electoral politics.
“I will be here as private citizen Lightfoot, continually rooting for you and every resident of our city,” Lightfoot said on May 8. “My work is not done. I will roll up my sleeves in another form and fashion but continue on.”