Rivera to Help Lead Gateway Cities Innovation Institute

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, left, during commencement exercises at Northern Essex Community College.

Photo: Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, left, during commencement exercises at Northern Essex Community College.

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera has been named a co-chair of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute.

Besides Lawrence, area Gateway Cities include Haverhill, Methuen and Lowell.

Rivera will serve with Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash and Mayor Lisa Wong of Fitchburg for the 2015-2016 legislative session.

“Mayor Dan Rivera has burst onto the Massachusetts political landscape like few before. After successfully unseating the incumbent mayor last fall, Mayor Rivera set to work to revitalize Lawrence from the ground up with a focus on meat and potato services. Mayor Rivera has skillfully balanced these essential local efforts in Lawrence with a concerted push to build political capital for his city across the state using his energy and charisma to sell Lawrence’s economic potential,” said Benjamin Forman, executive director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute.

Rivera’s role is to help the institute develop a new focus on public safety. He is also a former trustee of Northern Essex Community College.

The organization says its mission is “to serve a committed group of Gateway City leaders working to prepare a skilled workforce, improve public safety, advance community health, and build the infrastructure for tomorrow’s economy.”