Emily Gonçalves

Emily’s experiences in advocacy, STEM, policy, and photography demonstrate how she strives to understand perspectives and to empower people in all that she does. She was an equity fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership.

Emily is from Elizabeth, New Jersey and lived in Nashville, Tennessee for several years. Emily is a strong communicator, a photojournalist, author, and an advocate for immigrant communities and women, particularly through education. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020 with degrees in both mathematics and economics as well as a minor in Latin American studies. Prior to the Harvard Kennedy School, Emily worked at the intersection of finance and technology as a business analyst. Her research and involvements at HKS span areas including the suppression of protests in the U.S. Deep South, reparations for Black Americans, negotiation and conflict resolution, state and local governments, and gender equity.

Initial Fellowship Focus: The fellow will work to ensure most if not all departments have systems and processes in place to update, review, and act on key performance data. The goal of this new data capacity is to give city leaders the tools they need to improve efficiency and effectiveness across core functions and improve the quality of services residents receive.