Skip to main content

Michael A. Nutter

Distinguished Fellow, Global Cities

Issue Expertise
Social Media
Council expert Michael A. Nutter

About Michael A. Nutter

Michael A. Nutter is the former mayor of Philadelphia. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was reelected to a second term on November 8, 2011.

During Nutter's tenure, Philadelphia reduced homicides to an almost 50 year low; high school graduation and college degree attainment rates increased significantly; Philadelphia added hundreds of miles in bike lanes and trails and launched the first low-income friendly bike share system in America, called Indego; and the city's population grew every year since 2008, including the largest percentage of millennial population growth in the nation.

In affiliation with the National League of Cities, Nutter and New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu launched Cities United, an initiative aimed at creating partnerships between cities, non-profits, and other stake holders to combat violence and crime among African-American men and boys. He also serves on President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Advisory Council.

In June 2013, Nutter concluded his tenure as president of the United States Conference of Mayors, which is the official nonpartisan organization of almost 1,300 US cities with populations of 30,000 or more. As president, Nutter represented the conference by strengthening federal-city relationships and promoting the development of effective national urban policy. In June 2015, Nutter completed his year of service as president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, which brings together municipal government officials from across the Commonwealth to advance policy initiatives state-wide.

In 2011, Esquire magazine named Nutter to its "Americans of the Year" list and in 2014, he was named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing magazine. During his tenure, Philadelphia City government received more than 150 awards for innovative programs, good government practices, and excellence.

Since leaving public service on January 4, 2016, Nutter has remained active in public policy, government, and civic life. He is a member of to the Homeland Security Advisory Council; a political commentator for CNN news media organization; and a senior fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program. He is a professor of professional practice in urban policy at Columbia SIPA, where he was also named the inaugural holder of the David N. Dinkins Professorship of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs. Nutter is an executive fellow in leadership with the Institute for Strategic Leadership at the Lebow College of Business. He also chairs the Airbnb Mayor's Advisory Council, an international group of former mayors providing strategic advice on local government issues and public policy. Nutter maintains active involvement in critical areas of education, media, public policy, political campaigns, the corporate community, and academic institutions across the country.

Nutter is a lifelong Philadelphian, born and raised in West Philadelphia and educated at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Latest Commentary & Analysis