Bloomberg Center for Cities

London’s Public Safety Challenge: Building Trust and Belonging

An event of the Bloomberg Center for Cities

REGISTER

Kimberlyn Leary and Kaya Comer-Schwartz


12:00 p.m. EST 
Bloomberg Center for Cities, Taubman Third Floor, Harvard Kennedy School

About the Event

For all currently enrolled Harvard University students.

How can city leaders improve safety while strengthening trust and belonging in diverse communities?

Join Kaya Comer-Schwartz, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, and Kimberlyn Leary of Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for a conversation about the leadership and collaboration required to advance public safety in one of the world’s largest and most diverse cities.

Drawing on London’s experience, Deputy Mayor Comer-Schwartz will discuss how city leaders are working across government and with community partners to prevent violence against women and girls, respond to antisemitism and other forms of hate, strengthen community cohesion, support victims, and build public trust in policing and public institutions. The conversation will also examine how leaders navigate competing priorities, engage diverse communities, and turn ambitious public-safety goals into meaningful change—and what London’s successes and ongoing challenges can teach emerging public leaders working in cities around the world.

This in-person event is open to all Harvard University students. Registration is requested as space is limited. Doors open and lunch available at 11:45 a.m.

We welcome individuals with accessibility needs to participate in our events. Contact us at events@cities.harvard.edu to request accommodations or if you have questions.

 

Speakers

Kimberlyn Leary (moderator)

Emma Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital, part-time; Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Director, Good Services Lab; Bloomberg Center for Cities faculty affiliate

Dr. Kimberlyn Leary is the Emma Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at the Harvard Kennedy School and has served as the Executive Vice President at the Urban Institute and as a Senior Advisor at New America. She is a consulting advisor to the Gates Foundation and the Boston Foundation and previously served as an advisor to the National Math and Science Initiative.

Dr. Leary also holds academic appointments as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has held two roles in federal service: in the Obama White House as an advisor to the Council on Women and Girls, as a senior advisor to the Biden White House Domestic Policy Council, and as a fellow in the Office of Management and Budget.

Dr. Leary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Amherst College, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan, and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. She also trained as a psychoanalyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.

She had held fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In April of 2024, she was a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center resident, where she developed a set of writing projects based on leading change across the federal ecosystem.

Comer Schwartz

Kaya Comer-Schwartz

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime

Kaya Comer-Schwartz was appointed by the Mayor in October 2024. Until then, she was the elected leader of Islington Council, where she had been Executive Member for Community Safety and Children, and a Councillor since 2013.

She was the national Local Government Association (LGA) Labour lead for Community Wellbeing, and Executive member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care at London Councils – representing hundreds of councils from across the country. As Leader of Islington Council, Kaya was accountable for an organization of 4,800 staff, serving 239,000 residents, with an annual budget of £1.2 billion.

During her time in Islington, she oversaw reform and improvement of the Youth Justice Service–now one of the best in the country, graded ‘outstanding’ by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. She helped achieve an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating for the Council’s children’s social services. Kaya also oversaw investment and improvement of local services for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG). This led to a 56% increase in the number of survivors being supported and referrals being made 15 times more quickly.

Her previous roles include working for national and international charities. Kaya is a born Londoner and is now raising her own family in the city she loves. She believes deeply in London’s vitality and diversity and the wonderful opportunities it has to offer.

 

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