Public Servants Model the Way in Oakland

The Policy School convened a panel discussion on Northeastern University’s Oakland campus that brought together experienced public servants to discuss the future of careers in public service.

The panelists were former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Ahsha Safaí, former Oakland Planning Commissioner Sahar Shirazi, and Palo Alto Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines. Schaaf and Shirazi are Policy School teaching professors in Oakland, Gaines is the ICMA student chapter mentor, and Safaí is a proud Northeastern alumnus.

In this age of AI, the panelists emphasized the importance of critical thinking, writing skills, and empathetic curiosity for successful public service careers. While harnessing AI may make some government processes more efficient, it is more important to take a systems view, beginning with the perspectives of those served.