Katharine Lusk

Katharine is the Co-Director and Founding Executive Director of the Boston University Initiative on Cities, where she spearheads university-wide programs and research in collaboration with social, natural and computational scientists, including the Menino Survey of Mayors. She also directs experiential learning programs for students, coordinates multi-stakeholder conferences, and contributes to federally-funded research projects devoted to smart cities and the urban environment.

Katharine previously served as a policy advisor to former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, where she led his work to make Boston the first city in the country to achieve pay equity for women. Prior to entering public service, she worked as a brand strategist and researcher for Fortune 500 companies.

Katharine received a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and earned her BA from Williams College.