Former St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has been selected as a spring fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, joining a class that includes former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and former House speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Jones is one of six resident fellows and two visiting fellows named to the Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. Fellows live on campus and lead an eight-week, non-credit study group drawing on their professional experience. They also mentor Harvard undergraduates and hold office hours.
“Each (fellow) brings a unique perspective on how to best address some of our country’s — and our world’s — most demanding challenges, and I’m confident that our students, and the entire campus community, will be able to leverage their knowledge and benefit from their range of experiences,” said Michael Nutter, chair of the institute’s Senior Advisory Committee and former mayor of Philadelphia.
Jones said she will focus her study group on the intersection of race and gender in American politics. “The tentative title that I have selected is race, identity and backlash, and then race, gender and the future of inclusive democracy,” she said.
Jones said she was stunned by the selection and the high-profile class of fellows.
“I was blown away!” she said. “It’s an honor, and I’m really humble to know that my name is among such distinguished fellows.”
At Harvard, Jones plans to draw from her experience as mayor, state representative and city treasurer to guide conversations about identity, political backlash and the pressures facing public officials. She said she hopes students leave with sharper context for how debates over race and gender shape policy and the public climate around it.
“I’m excited,” Jones said, calling the current climate “a critical juncture in our nation’s history where DEI and everything about race and gender seems to be under attack.”
Jones said she hopes the study group helps students develop practical tools for navigating polarization and misinformation — challenges she said local leaders increasingly confront.
“I hope that they can get a historical perspective,” she said.
Harvard described Jones as a longtime public servant with more than 20 years of experience in local and state government. She made history in 2021 as St. Louis’ first Black woman elected mayor, overseeing city operations that included a $1.2 billion budget and more than 5,000 employees.
The Harvard fellowship will overlap with another academic role. Washington University in St. Louis has selected Jones as the inaugural visiting distinguished fellow-in-residence at the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity for the spring semester. The university said Jones will help shape a series of public programs.
“This opportunity allows me to share lessons from my journey in public service, and learn from the brilliant minds shaping our future,” Jones said in the university’s announcement. “I look forward to meaningful conversations, collaboration and continuing the work of building stronger, more inclusive communities.”
Jones said she expects to split her time, living in Cambridge while traveling back to St. Louis to continue her work at WashU.
She said WashU’s programming will address similar themes as her Harvard work, but with a stronger emphasis on local issues and public engagement. WashU seminars will be open to the public, she said.
Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hampton University and a master’s degree in health administration from Saint Louis University. She also completed the Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
She previously served as vice president of public finance at Blaylock Robert Van and as adjunct faculty at Harris-Stowe State University’s Anheuser-Busch School of Business.