Gateway City Institute Fellows meet for first time in Lowell

The half-day session, held at the United Teen Equality Center, on May 29th, included presentations and a working lunch focused on  the policy priorities of  the small to mid-size cities outside of the Boston metropolitan area, known as Gateways for their historic role as gateways to the middle class.   

Adam Baacke, Assistant City Manager for the City of Lowell described the process of putting together public/private partnerships to enable market-changing development projects  called “transformative redevelopment.”  Kristina Egan, Director of Transportation for Massachusetts and former Project Manager for South Coast Rail, spoke about the recent effort to gain visibility and funding support for the Regional Transit Authorities that provide public transportation in Gateway Cities.  Chris Gabrielli, Co-founder & Chairman of Massachusetts 2020 and Chairman of The National Center on Time and Learning, facilitated a working lunch session on “Building an Institute to Move the Gateway Cities Agenda.”

The 23 current fellows come from each of the original 11 Gateway City communities and cross sectors and disciplines, including business, academia, faith organizations, and arts and culture.  The Fellows are   instrumental to the work of the Institute by participating in forums, providing peer review for research, and helping grow the network of leaders engaged in collaborative efforts to strengthen Gateway Cities. The expanding group of Fellows will meet again in October, 2013.

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