Kim Janey starts a new chapter in academia

Kim Janey became acting mayor last year when Martin J. Walsh left City Hall to join President Biden’s Cabinet.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Academia is the next stop for former acting Boston mayor Kim Janey, who made history last year as the first woman and first person of color to be city executive, as she plans to serve as a fellow at two different local universities.

This spring, Janey, who lost a mayoral bid for a full term in the City Hall fifth-floor corner office in September’s municipal preliminary contest, will serve as a fellow at the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics and Civic Engagement at Salem State University, according to a Thursday announcement. She will also serve as a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

At the Kennedy School, Janey will lead the study group, “Racial Justice and Recovery: Leading Cities to a More Equitable Future.”

At Salem State, Janey will be an inaugural fellow at a new program, along with Jennifer Levi, the transgender rights project director for the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. According to a release, students will have opportunities to meet one on one and in small groups with Janey and Levi.

“As a daughter of educators and as Boston’s former Mayor, I am excited to engage students at Salem State University and share insights that I hope will inspire the next generation of civic leaders,” Janey said the press release.

Janey, a Roxbury resident, became acting mayor last year when Martin J. Walsh left City Hall to join President Biden’s Cabinet. She was serving as City Council president at the time of Walsh’s departure. As the city’s executive, Janey dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, wrestled with the opioid crisis in the area known as Mass. and Cass, and was the one to fire Boston police commissioner Dennis White after decades-old domestic violence allegations against him resurfaced.

In last fall’s preliminary election, Michelle Wu won decisively with 33 percent of the vote, to 22 percent for Annissa Essaibi George. Andrea Campbell placed not far behind with 20 percent, while Janey got 19 percent. Wu would go on to defeat Essaibi George in November’s general election.