City mayor selected for leadership program at Harvard Kennedy School

GROSSE POINTE CITY — Before the summer is over, Grosse Pointe City Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak will be able to say she attended Harvard.

Along with Bloomfield Township Treasurer Michael Schostak, Tomkowiak has been selected by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments as a Taubman Fellow for Executive Excellence, which is meant to teach public officials how to become better leaders and tackle issues facing them. The fellowship means Tomkowiak and Schostak will attend Harvard Kennedy School’s summer program, Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

“One of the things that attracted me to this program is that they teach you how to lead and how to effect change in an area where you may not have any authority,” Tomkowiak said.

By collaborating and working with other agencies, such as other governmental entities, officials like Tomkowiak can address problems that require a regional approach, such as the aging sanitary sewer system that sometimes leads to basement backups and flooding during heavy rain events — something that the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods, St. Clair Shores and the east side of Detroit are all too familiar with.

“Taubman has faithfully supported regional leadership by sending dozens of worthy local leaders to attend the Kennedy Program at Harvard,” SEMCOG Executive Director Amy O’Leary said in a press release. “Taubman scholars gain invaluable lessons and relationships, which they bring home to the benefit of Southeast Michigan. We are truly grateful for the company’s commitment to regional excellence.”

Tomkowiak left June 1 for Massachusetts. The Senior Executives in State and Local Government program runs June 2 to 20.

Before Tomkowiak left Michigan, she was already reading reports and other documents sent by program organizers via Canvas.

“The coursework has already begun,” Tomkowiak said.

Tomkowiak is thrilled to have this opportunity. She said she recently heard a presentation from the mayor of Fraser, Michael Lesich, who attended last year and said this was one of the best experiences of his life. He said he applied to the program four times before he was selected. Tomkowiak was chosen after applying for it three times.

“It’s a competitive process,” Tomkowiak said.

Prospective participants first need to apply to the Harvard Kennedy School, which Tomkowiak said only accepts a relatively small percentage of applicants. Then, participants apply for the program through SEMCOG. She said officials need to hail from a city that’s a SEMCOG member. Tomkowiak said Taubman pays the tuition for the two SEMCOG selectees, or $17,900 per student.

“For more than 30 years, Taubman has supported SEMCOG’s Taubman Fellows program and its mission to provide Southeast Michigan leaders with access to the very best practices and people from around the world,” Taubman Chair and CEO Robert S. Taubman said in a press release. “With the knowledge gained from this substantial program, our representatives become even more well equipped to serve our region, our State, and its people.”

Tomkowiak started serving on the Grosse Pointe City Council in 2016, when she was appointed to fill a vacancy. She was first elected to the council in November 2017. Tomkowiak was elected mayor in 2019 and has served in that role since then.

Tomkowiak has also held several roles with SEMCOG, including serving as a member of the Executive Committee and on the Water Infrastructure Task Force. Professionally, she is an adjunct journalism instructor at Wayne State University and the principal and creative director of Grayton Integrated Publishing.

The chance to exchange ideas with officials from local, county and state governments from across the country, as well as law enforcement and nonprofit leaders and international officials, is one of the aspects of the program Tomkowiak found attractive.

“I’m hoping this program will help me get to the next level of effectiveness (as a municipal official),” Tomkowiak said.

SEMCOG selects applicants who intend to share what they’ve learned with fellow officials and use those skills to better the region as a whole — something Tomkowiak embraces wholeheartedly.

“I feel strongly one of the things we need to do to make sure our individual community thrives is we need to make sure the region is thriving,” she said.

During an April 21 Grosse Pointe City Council meeting, City Manager Joseph Valentine congratulated the mayor on being named a Taubman Fellow.

That sentiment was echoed by City Councilman Dave Fries.

“Kudos to you, mayor,” Fries said.

Tomkowiak said she’s going into this program with an open mind and a desire to learn from fellow officials.

“What I want to bring back are new ideas and a fresh approach to our ongoing issues and problems,” Tomkowiak said.