Solomont Speaker Series: The Future (of Cities) is Female

For the first time in history, Tufts University's host communities of Boston, Medford and Somerville are led by women mayors! On March 22, 2022 Tisch College hosted a vibrant conversation with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne for a special event as part of Women’s History Month and the 50th anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment’s passage from Congress.

Katjana Ballantyne is currently serving her first term as Mayor of Somerville, only the second woman elected to this position in the city. Ballantyne was elected to the Somerville City Council in 2013 and was subsequently elected twice to serve as its President. Breanna Lungo-Koehn is a lifelong Medford resident, currently serving as Mayor of Medford. Prior to being elected Mayor, she served 18 years as a Medford City Councilor – having been first elected when she was only 20 years old. Michelle Wu is the Mayor of Boston. Prior to serving as mayor, she was first elected to the Boston City Council in 2013, becoming the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Council. In January 2016, she was elected President of the City Council by her colleagues in a unanimous vote, becoming the first woman of color to serve as Council President. Moderating the panel will be Mary R. Jeka, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Tufts University. Ms. Jeka is a Somerville resident who has been at Tufts since 2003.

This event was generously cosponsored by Tufts University's Political Science Department and the Office of Government & Community Relations.