Mayors Innovation Project

Today, as the third installment of our New Mayor Movement series, we bring you a feature on Mayor Adena Ishii - City of Berkeley!

Mayor Ishii is the first Asian American and first woman of color to serve as Mayor of Berkeley. Central to her administration’s agenda is the idea of building a “beloved community.” For Ishii, this means grounding city priorities and caring for community members by providing public safety, affordable housing, functional infrastructure, and responsive public services.

Read the full feature on our website to learn more about how Mayor Ishii is addressing homelessness and building a culture of transparency and trust 👉 https://mayorsinnovation.org/2026/05/19/from-community-roots-to-city-leadership-mayor-adena-ishiis-vision-to-build-a-stronger-more-equitable-berkeley/

Happy Women's History Month from the Mayors Innovation Project! The Mayors Innovation Project is honored to work with so many bold and visionary women mayors who work to make their cities more sustainable, safe, prosperous, and equitable.

Today, we’re sharing a feature from former Kankakee, IL Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong, who made history in her community as the second woman and first Black person ever to be elected. In the piece, Wells-Armstrong writes about two pressures that undermine women's executive power and Women’s History Month: civic intimidation and institutional obstruction. This is not only about the woman in office,” she writes. “It is about a woman considering a run. It is about shrinking the pipeline. It is also about the little girls watching and learning what leadership costs.”

🔗 Read the full feature:

Beyond Recognition: Celebrating Women’s History Month with Action By Chasity Wells-Armstrong Chasity Wells-Armstrong is the Founder of Catalyst Coaching & Transformation and Creator of the SCALE™ Framework for Public Sector Leadership, which she uses to support mayors and municipal teams with strategies and …