EMERGING AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGIES

The City of St. Petersburg was selected as one of the locations for a Harvard Kennedy School 2022 Transition Term team. The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Transition Term is a program for students to work in the transition offices of newly-elected Mayors and Governors during January. Three students were assigned to Mayor Welch’s administration and worked with the Mayor and his team in early January. The team gathered research and data to analyze St. Pete’s housing landscape, providing recommendations and considerations to address the housing crisis the city is facing. They interviewed community members and local experts in the housing space and gathered research and data to inform their recommendations.

Letter from Mayor Welch   Report   Presentation

Meet the Student Team

• Larisa Barreto
  Larisa Barreto is a first year Master in Public Administration student at the Harvard Kennedy School and an alumna of The University of Texas at Austin (MA Economics) and The University of South Florida (BA). She is an Ecuadorian-Colombian immigrant raised on the beaches of sunny St. Pete, FL. She attended St. Petersburg High School. Prior to HKS, she worked as a political consultant in the Tampa Bay and South Florida regions focusing on local candidates and causes. Her interests are around using the intersection of finance, behavioral science, and good policy to improve outcomes and make government more efficient.
• Bethany Kirkpatrick
  Bethany Kirkpatrick is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and an alumna of Davidson College in North Carolina. A Nashville, Tennessee native, Bethany previously worked in education as a middle school teacher. Bethany is passionate about social policy and studies the intersection of education, housing, healthcare, and the workforce.
• Brandon McGhee
  Brandon McGhee is a first year Master in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School and an alum of Princeton University. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio and is a proud product of the public school system.  Prior to joining HKS, he worked as an Account Manager Associate at Google and spearheaded several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. His policy interests are around inequality, social and urban policies, and business and government policy.

Harvard Kennedy School Transition Term Program

The Harvard Kennedy School Transition Term allows students to work in the transition offices of newly-elected Mayors and Governors during January Term.   City and state governments are the most innovative places to work in the public sector. They are also short staffed at a critical and exciting time—during their transition into office. Harvard students can provide policy, technical and operational support during the transition period, completing short, meaningful projects while learning how an executive team moves from campaigning to governing.