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<\/p>\nWeitzman School of Design Launches Impact Scholars Program led by Penn Alumnus and Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter<\/p>\n
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On August 18, the Weitzman School of Design formally welcomed former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum as its inaugural Impact Scholars.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom its earliest days, Penn has been a place where civic leaders converge to share their experiences and deepen their knowledge for the betterment of society, and the Impact Scholars Program continues the tradition,\u201d said Weitzman Dean and Paley Professor Fritz Steiner. \u201cAt a time when young Americans are expressing greater pessimism about civic life, it\u2019s critical we connect them with public servants who are committed to transforming research into results.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Impact Scholars Program is a unique U.S. fellowship designed specifically for former local public executives. Built as a two-way exchange, the program gives experienced civic leaders a platform to advance unfinished policy work; translate hard-won lessons into actionable guidance for other cities and future leaders; and connect directly with the next generation of changemakers.<\/p>\n
The semester-long appointments for fall 2026 mark the launch of the Impact Scholars Program and the Public Service Pipeline, two new programs within Penn\u2019s Public Service and Policy Initiative (PSPI), which was founded by former Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. Both programs are hosted in partnership with the Penn Institute for Urban Research.<\/p>\n
\u201cServing as Mayor of Atlanta taught me that the toughest challenges cities face\u2014including expanding economic opportunity, job creation, building a city where everyone can afford to live, fiscal strength, and keeping people safe\u2014are never solved in a single term or even two terms: They require effort and constant vigilance,\u201d said Kasim Reed, former Mayor of Atlanta. \u201cThe Impact Scholars program offers something rare: the chance for us to take what we learned in the arena and put it to work alongside Penn\u2019s researchers and students who will serve as the next generation of leaders. I am grateful to Mayor Nutter and Penn for building this bridge between experience and the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am honored to join Mayor Reed as an Impact Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania,\u201d said G.T. Bynum, former Mayor of Tulsa. \u201cMy greatest hope for our country is in local government, where leaders are still expected to work with a broad range of people and beliefs to deliver practical results. I am excited to work with and educate Penn students who will be the future leaders of American communities. And I am very grateful to be invited to join this program by Mayor Michael Nutter, who has been a mentor and hero of mine for over a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to cultivating the next generation of civic talent, Mayors Reed and Bynum will collaborate with Penn researchers to translate local data into actionable strategies for local governments. Their feedback will inform the Philadelphia Economic Equity Project (PEEP), PSPI\u2019s research group studying economic mobility in Philadelphia, ensuring that PEEP\u2019s work is grounded in the realities of governing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together, these programs bridge academic research, community data, and public leadership\u2014creating direct pathways for students and researchers to collaborate with former local governing executives on cities\u2019 most persistent economic and social challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cCities face increasingly complex challenges that require leaders who bridge research and real-world practice,\u201d said Michael A. Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia and managing director of the Public Service and Policy Initiative. \u201cMy work with institutions like Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard\u2019s Institute of Politics, University of Chicago\u2019s Institute of Politics, and Columbia University\u2019s Institute of Global Politics at SIPA inspired me to launch the Impact Scholars Program\u2014a dedicated space where experienced local public executives can reflect on what they\u2019ve learned, advance ideas that deserve a second life, and work alongside researchers and students to develop next generation solutions. I am honored to welcome former Mayors Kasim Reed and G.T. Bynum as our inaugural scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed served two terms as the city\u2019s 59th mayor from 2010 to 2018. During one of the nation\u2019s most challenging economic periods, his administration restored Atlanta\u2019s fiscal health through eight consecutive balanced budgets, increased city reserves from $7.4 million to $200 million, implemented pension reform, expanded public safety, and earned eight consecutive credit-rating upgrades. Mayor\u00a0 Reed is widely recognized nationally for his leadership in urban governance and economic development.<\/p>\n
Former Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum served from 2016 to 2024 after eight years on the Tulsa City Council. He guided Tulsa through the COVID-19 pandemic and major natural disasters while leading transformative public investments, including the Gathering Place, Gilcrease Museum, and Zink Lake projects. His administration also initiated the search for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, expanded civic innovation, and attracted significant private-sector investment to the city. Today, Mayor Bynum advises national organizations including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Aspen Institute, and Johns Hopkins University on leadership and civic innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Weitzman School of Design Launches Impact Scholars Program led by Penn Alumnus and Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[69,71,70],"class_list":["post-271982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}