City Manager Larry Dovalina will attend the high-level executive management program, Senior Executives in State and Local Government, at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard this summer.

He was notified recently by Robyn Champion, director of the program at Harvard. In addition to his acceptance to the management program, the Fannie Mae Foundation has awarded Dovalina a full tuition Fellowship of $9,200 for the July 7 through 26 program. The tuition includes room, board, and instructional materials.

"The opportunity to network with other governmental executives throughout the United States presents an excellent opportunity to bring the City of Laredo into the larger picture on national and bi-national issues that affect the nation as a whole," Dovalina said, adding that those issues include federal immigration policies, the environment, international trade, and borderland security. "Though there are many across the country who do not know about Laredo, Laredo’s issues bear impact on the entire nation," he said, adding that he was looking forward to meeting and being in the program with other senior state and local executives who forge public policy. "I will represent my community proudly," he said.

As the devolution of the Federal Government continues, senior officials at the state and local levels are under greater pressure to take on increasingly complex challenges with fewer resources and under a greater degree of scrutiny.

The Senior Executives in State and Local Government program provides training that helps officials assess the tasks they face in managing today’s results-driven government agencies. In particular, the program provides an opportunity for them to develop new conceptual frameworks for addressing policy issues, explore the relationship between citizens and government, examine the ethical and professional responsibilities of leadership, and exchange ideas with experienced faculty and participants from diverse backgrounds.

The academic curriculum is centered on the case method pioneered at Harvard. Because the case method focuses on actual problems, the coursework provides a powerful, stimulating educational experience. Each day, participants prepare and discuss cases selected to provoke insight into a wide range of leadership issues. This process elicits intense intellectual inquiry and spurs the development of new management ideas and techniques.

Dovalina’s coursework at the Kennedy School of government includes Strategy and Political Management, Public Value and Policy Analysis, and Internal Capacity.

Dovalina has worked in city government for over 24 years, having served as the director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Civic Center manager, and the Telecommunications and Franchise Compliance Officer. He is a past president of the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and a former secretary of the South Texas Aggregation Project (Electric). He was appointed Acting City Manager in 1999 and after sharing the title with the current Assistant City Manager, was appointed City Manager in 2001. Dovalina is the first native Laredoan to serve in the post since the inception of the position in ooo

Dovalina’s civic memberships include LULAC and United Way of Laredo. He is president of the Haven, Inc., and a member of the Texas City Managers Association and the International City Managers Association. He is former board member of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce and a former board member and president of Communities in Schools.