LeBow College of Business announced former Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter would join the college as a new Executive Fellow in Leadership April 14. As a fellow, Nutter will deliver lectures, coach and advise students, influence future leadership programs. While Nutter has been a member of LeBow’s Institute for Strategic Leadership (ISL) for years, his new role will allow him to personally shape the college’s leadership programs and the Leading for Change Fellowship, a grant-funded campaign to promote leadership talent in the public sector.
“It is a great honor to have been asked by President John Fry, Dean Frank Linnehan and Alison Young to serve in this new role. The opportunity to work with this team at the Institute for Strategic Leadership, and to interact with rising leaders, some of whom are students and others who are already leaders in various industries and business sectors, will be an incredible experience for all of us,” Nutter said in a statement.
“I am very excited to be working at LeBow in a capacity that will benefit the Philadelphia region in the long term. Our collective goals are to encourage, develop and support the new young leaders of our City and region. LeBow has demonstrated its commitment to Philadelphia, our nation and the world through its innovative and engaging programs. I’m pleased and proud to be a part of this great team,” he continued.
Young, the Executive Director of the ISL is enthusiastic about the former Mayor’s commitment.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with him. In this role, he will provide invaluable coaching and mentoring to our students, present public lectures on leadership, and shaping the future and growth of the ISL,” Young said in a statement to LeBow students. “During his tenure as mayor, he was incredibly successful at promoting Philadelphia nationally and internationally. His real-world experience on big stages and his hands-on approach to leadership are a great embodiment of Drexel LeBow.”While serving his two terms as mayor, Nutter made efforts to reorganize Philadelphia’s police force for greater efficacy and reduce crime by improving the quality of life in low-income areas and help former criminals constructively rejoin society. He also worked with leaders across the United States to reduce violent crime among youth of color by offering them access to employment, education and other resources. His plan to reduce energy consumption, use alternative energy sources, plant trees and regulate corporate transparency regarding energy use helped reduce Philadelphia’s contribution of damage to the environment.
Nutter, after tackling issues of crime and pollution, led a push for low-income schools to receive greater funding, first through taxes and later through a separate fundraising campaign called the Philadelphia Education Supplies Fund. He went on to organize the Philadelphia Council for College and Career Success, a diverse collection of leaders aiming to spearhead future efforts to improve local education systems. Additionally, he made Philadelphia a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants and refugees and started the city’s 311 service as a means to provide citizens easy access to Philadelphia’s information and public services.