Graduate School: Harvard Kennedy School

Agency: Boston Mayor’s Policy and Planning Group

Project Description: This summer, Ali Epstein worked with Mayor Michelle Wu’s Policy Team on several key initiatives. The first focused on how to expand FutureBOS, the City’s program focused on connecting high school students with summer job opportunities. To help expand this program to main street businesses, Ali engaged directly with local businesses across Boston–knocking on business doors, conducting surveys–to understand their barriers to youth employment. She developed new policy proposals for how the City can help small business owners hire more youth in years to come. Ali also spent the summer helping the Mayor’s Office consider the impacts of autonomous vehicle (AV) taxis on city streets. This involved researching the impact of AVs in peer cities, and by exploring policy frameworks that can protect impacted workers, residents, and vulnerable communities. In addition, she supported key policy needs as they surfaced, including contributing to the Mayor’s response to fast emerging federal actions and evaluating RFI proposals on ideas for attracting creative businesses to Downtown Boston. While wide-ranging, these issues all tied back to Ali’s interest in forming municipal policies that uplift residents and communities.