Huckstep will attend Harvard’s Kennedy School this summer

Gates Foundation paying most of the tuition

Crested Butte mayor Aaron Huckstep will be hitting the books more than the local single tracks this coming June. Huckstep found out last week he had received a substantial Gates Family Foundation Fellowship that will help pay for a three-week class at Harvard’s Kennedy School this summer.

Huckstep went to Denver for a finalist interview on Tuesday, April 7 and found out later that week he had been selected to receive the scholarship. That financial help will allow Huckstep to attend the “Senior Executives in State and Local Government” executive program, June 1-19.
Huckstep said the opportunity is one he feels can benefit him personally and the Crested Butte community in general. “I want to hone my skills as a leader in the community. My hope is I can bring a more valuable perspective to community discussions and decisions as a result of this program,” he said. “I’m a firm believer that any time you get a chance to participate in a program like this, you need to take the opportunity to expand your skills and improve your effectiveness.”
There are six fellowships awarded from Colorado each year. Huckstep said backgrounds range from public-sector executives to elected officials to executives within large non-profits. Last year, that included a couple of county commissioners, the new head of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the COO of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and the program director of the Telluride Foundation. ”I don’t know who the other five from Colorado are this year. Former Colorado state senator Gail Schwartz participated a few years ago and conveyed to me that it was a really wonderful experience,” Huckstep said.
The three weeks will be presented in an “interactive classroom” format based on case studies of complex problems. “It’s going to be pretty intensive, but I don’t think it will be very boring,” he said.
The program focuses on developing the leadership skills for government and non-profit leaders in today’s environment—i.e., in the face of financial challenges and community/constituent concerns. According to Huckstep, two good examples of applicable challenges from Crested Butte in the last year are 1) the ongoing need to address parks and recreation funding, and 2) the public’s frustration with a lack of communication surrounding Whatever USA.
“The town’s business is sophisticated these days. We face issues that are much more complicated than most communities our size,” Huckstep explained. ”We’re doing a ton of big work right now, too, from actual construction such as the Block 79/80 infrastructure, to planning for the future [transportation and Big Mine Park]. And, we face the constant challenge and concern over keeping our community intact.
“In addition, I’ve always been a big proponent of confronting the Red Lady issue head-on—meaning directly engaging in dialogue with U.S. Energy in an effort to continue working towards resolution,” Huckstep continued. ”The complexity of that particular issue is daunting. The program will help me bring a better perspective to these issues as mayor.”
As for one expected highlight of spending three weeks back east, Huckstep predicted, “I’m looking forward to eating a lot of seafood.”
Gates Fellows will receive a tuition rate of $11,200, discounted from the normal $12,400 program fee. Gates will pay $10,300 of the discounted tuition costs directly to Harvard for each Fellow selected. Participants or their employers must fund the balance.