About Richard M. Daley

One of the nation's most prominent urban leaders, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has been a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy since 2011.

In 2012, Daley partnered with Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Ind., on Sept. 25 to establish The Gary Project, an innovative collaboration among public officials, scholars and students to develop and apply creative public policy initiatives to help revitalize Gary.

In his role at Harris, Daley also coordinates a guest lecture series that includes a variety of perspectives and approaches concerning the major issues facing cities in the 21st century. The 10 annual guest lectures, that began in the 2011–2012 academic year, bring policymakers from around the globe to debate critical urban policy challenges, and help train future policy leaders at Harris.

As Chicago’s longest-serving mayor, Daley adds an important voice to the University’s ongoing conversations about the future of cities.