Deval Patrick to Step Down From Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership

Updated: Tuesday, January 23, at 11:46 p.m.

Former Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 will step down as co-director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership at the end of the academic year, the school announced on Tuesday.

Patrick, who joined HKS as a professor and co-director of the CPL in early 2022, will remain on the Kennedy School’s faculty, according to a press release. Patrick was rumored to be a strong contender to succeed HKS Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf, who will depart the role in June after more than eight years leading the school.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony R. Foxx, who joined HKS earlier this year, will succeed Patrick as co-director of the CPL on July 1. Foxx will co-lead the center with Hannah Riley Bowles, a senior lecturer in public policy who has helmed the center since 2021.

Bowles said in the press release that she is “enthusiastic about the opportunity to work alongside” Foxx at the CPL. She also praised Patrick, who co-led the center with her for the entirety of his brief tenure.

“I am thankful for my time co-directing the center with Deval, who has been a stellar example of public leadership and service,” Bowles said.

Before joining HKS as a professor of the practice of public leadership, Foxx was reported by The Crimson to have been shortlisted as a candidate to lead the Harvard Institute of Politics. Elmendorf ultimately selected then-interim IOP Director Setti D. Warren to serve as the institute’s permanent leader.

Patrick said in the press release that it “has been a pleasure” to co-direct the CPL.

“Mentoring the School’s students has been a true gift, and I am honored to have had the chance to encourage and support these dedicated emerging leaders,” he added.

Elmendorf praised Foxx in the press release, citing his experience in the public sector developing “innovative and equitable transportation infrastructure.”

“Our students already benefit from his teaching and will now have further opportunities to learn from him,” he added.

During his time leading the Transportation Department, Foxx issued the world’s first guidance on integrating autonomous vehicles into existing transportation infrastructure and launched the department’s Smart City Challenge to solicit proposals on using data to modernize the transportation system. Foxx previously served as the youngest mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he achieved a record-low crime rate.

Foxx said he was excited to nurture “new leaders committed to improving their societies” in his new role at HKS.

“I have long admired the mission of CPL and can think of no more important work than preparing a new generation to assume the mantle of leadership,” he said.

—Staff writer William C. Mao can be reached at william.mao@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @williamcmao.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.