As government returns to business after the holiday season, three David Bohnett Fellows from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs will be heading to Washington D.C. to attend the premiere forum for mayors and federal leaders to come together and discuss pressing issues impacting our cities and metro areas.

The 81st Winter Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors will convene Jan. 17-19 in the nation’s capital. More than 230 mayors, Washington leaders, CEOs and other public and private sector officials will discuss a range of issues—from energy and transportation to job creation and gun control. Vice President Joe Biden will make a special appearance on the first day of the conference to address the administration’s 2013 agenda.

With a new presidential term beginning and a new Congress starting its work, the Winter Meeting is timed for the nation’s mayors to impact the agenda in Washington. The Bohnett Fellows will get to sit in on all of the sessions and panels, experience the discussions and negotiations and be involved with the group’s advocacy.

“This kind of real-world experience is a vital part of the education our students receive,” said UCLA Luskin Dean Franklin D. Gilliam. “Their time in Washington will give them firsthand knowledge of what it takes to lead effectively, serve the public and come up with creative solutions to some of society's most pressing problems. We're extremely grateful to our partners at the Bohnett Foundation for giving these outstanding students this opportunity to build their skills.”

“We are excited to send these gifted students to Washington D.C. to participate in one of the nation's longest-running and most impactful public policy conferences,” Michael Fleming, Executive Director of the David Bohnett Foundation said. “The Bohnett Fellows Program has thrived on seeing leadership models at work with real consequences being considered. Our nation's mayors contribute every day to the development of national urban policy and going to their winter meeting will be an invaluable benefit to our students. This kind of meaningful, real-world experience will help our fellows become the civic leaders of tomorrow.”

Since 2006, the David Bohnett Foundation has granted $608,884 for the Los Angeles City Mayor's Fellowship Program at UCLA. Program participants were later named the David Bohnett Fellows. The program is designed to be a hands-on working experience for exceptionally promising public policy, social welfare, and urban planning graduate students. The Foundation has established two other Fellows’ programs at the University of Michigan and New York University. Grants for all three schools total more than $1.6M.

The UCLA Fellows going to Washington are Lila Hayatdavoudi, Carter Rubin and Nahtahna Cabanes. Four Michigan Fellows and three NYU Fellows, as well as staff from each school and executives from the Bohnett Foundation will join them at the conference.