Savannah Mayor Van Johnson has been selected to join the 10th class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, an international leadership program designed to help mayors strengthen local government and address their communities’ most pressing challenges.

Johnson is one of 46 mayors from 15 countries chosen to participate in the nine-month program, which is offered through Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School and the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard.

The program begins this week with a multi-day convening in New York City. In August, two senior City of Savannah officials will also join the initiative.

During the program, Johnson and his leadership team will work with Harvard faculty, policy experts and fellow mayors to develop strategies for improving city government, using data-driven decision-making and strengthening collaboration across departments.

Read more at WTOC11.