Setti Warren remembered as lifelong public servant, bridge-builder - Harvard Gazette

"He wanted us to feel like we were valued, and heard, and cared for. I remember even when he was still interim director, he had taken the time to know my name and would greet me every time we passed in the hallway, no matter how busy he looked or how important the person he was walking with was."

"Setti had the superpower of knowing how to lift people up and create a shared sense of mission that was joyful. He listened hard, and he understood how to unlock the best in everybody. I hope that a big part of his legacy will be that he inspired a lot more Setti Warrens to carry on that tradition which our democracy needs so much right now. America needs more people with Setti's moral compass who do the right thing for the right reasons."

Setti Warren served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School and was the first elected Black mayor in Massachusetts. He cultivated deep personal connections with students and colleagues, making people feel valued, heard, and cared for. He worked on John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and on Kerry's Senate staff, and was praised as a rare role model with a strong moral compass. Colleagues described his ability to lift people up, create joyful shared missions, and unlock the best in others. Warren died at age 55 at his Newton home on Sunday.

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