Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley has been selected as one of 40 mayors nationwide to participate in the prestigious Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

The mayors will attend immersive, online classes taught by faculty from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School, as well as other renowned management experts from across the Bloomberg Philanthropies network.

“We launched this program four years ago because mayors have the power to make the biggest changes in America – and with cities leading the way in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, their jobs have never been more important,” Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and former three-term mayor of New York City stated in a press release announcing the newly selected class.

“This year’s class was chosen because they all believe in finding creative solutions to improve people’s lives, and we’re looking forward to helping them and their teams respond to this crisis – and make their cities stronger, better, and more equitable for years to come.”

Virtual sessions will cover a range of topics on advancing recovery, from budget decision-making in a time of severe economic challenge and managing a remote workforce to advancing equity and leading civic and resident engagement.

Other California mayors chosen include Christopher Cabaldon, West Sacramento; Carol Dutra-Vernaci, Union City; Joe Goethals, San Mateo; Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, National City; Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento; and Lori Wilson, Suisun City Mayor.