Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy
Producing state-of-the-art applied research and implementing effective policies and practices based on that research
Statement on the Legacy of Kitty Dukakis
We celebrate the life of social justice commitment of Kitty Dukakis, who passed away on March 21st, 2025. Kitty exemplified courageous public service through her advocacy for women’s rights and gender equality, family strengthening, health awareness, Holocaust education, arts engagement, and the needs of global refugees. The Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Public Policy is named for her in carrying out the civic engagement that makes a positive difference in the lives of marginalized people.
Kitty Dukakis was a great friend of the Policy School at Northeastern University. Her husband, Governor Michael Dukakis, is a much beloved faculty member and mentor who has taught the realities of public policy-making. Kitty was often with him at school events and hosting policy conversations in their Brookline home. She was knowledgeable, informed, and a strong advocate for social justice. She was unreserved in expressing what she believed was right and fair in achieving justice for marginalized people, and she was forceful and graciously outspoken in advocating for the rights of underdogs. She was deeply involved in public life and the arts and welcomed as a peer within our academic community. We will miss her honesty, advocacy, and continuing support for social justice. Our hearts go out to the Dukakis family for their loss, and for ours.
Ted Landmark
Director, Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
The Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, which is housed in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, is equally committed to producing state-of-the-art applied research and implementing effective policies and practices based on that research.
The Center’s collaborative research and problem-solving model uses powerful data analysis, multidisciplinary research and evaluation techniques, and a policy-driven perspective to address critical challenges facing urban areas. Our goal is to integrate thought and action to achieve social justice through collaborative data-driven analysis and practice. We prepare emerging practitioners and academicians to transcend the mysteries and frustrations of successful urban policy-making.
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Kitty Dukakis, tireless advocate who shared her struggles with the public, dies at 88
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The Boston Climate Progress Report
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Can We Repair a Divided America? Every Week This Open Classroom Is Taking on the Topic.
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Faculty Excellence on Display at Academic Honors Convocation
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Evaluation of the Fare-Free Bus for Boston Pilot Proposal