By DAVID DiPINO
Staff Writer

DELRAY BEACH - Fire Chief David James has returned to the city after completing a three-week fellowship for senior executives at Harvard University.
James said 74 municipal managers from around the world were invited to participate, including the mayor of Dublin, a deputy mayor from Finland, two state senators, an elected sheriff, and city and county managers participated in the program.
“We learned a conceptual framework for managing and developing better public, and governmental services,” he said.
Before settling into a routine of class work, James said the group barely got settled before they were asked to participate in an off-site Outward Bound program on a boat in Boston Harbor.
“Through the Outward Bound Program we learned problem solving and teamwork. It required everyone to work together,” James said.
The program was at the university's John F. Kennedy School of Government, a graduate professional school dedicated to training people in government and public service.
James said the pace was fast, with two to three hours of reading to do every night for preparation of the next day’s case studies. They also participated in small discussion groups,
“Class participation was very important in order to graduate, and attendance was monitored,” James said.
Those participating in the Harvard Fellowship Program lived in small apartments on the Harvard campus.
“Some of the reading was difficult. We read part of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and documents from past U.S. presidents,” James said.
Each year the National Fire Protection Association, along with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Fire Service Training Association, selects individuals for the Harvard program. James was one of eight senior fire officials selected for this year's fellowship.
"I would have to rate my experience at Harvard as one of the most gratifying and humbling of my 34-year professional career," James said.

David DiPino can be reached at dddipino@tribune.com or 954-621-5000.