Mayor Peter Clavelle
Board Member
Peter (he/him) has more than 50 years of public service experience that began with his appointment as the Town Manager of Castleton, Vermont at the age 23. He went on to serve as City Manager of Winooski, his hometown. In 1981, Peter joined the administration of Burlington, Vermont, Mayor Bernie Sanders- initially as a volunteer, then as City Personnel Director, and ultimately as Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) Director. In 1989, upon the retirement of Mayor Sanders, Peter was elected Mayor and went on to serve for seven terms (1989-1993 & 1995-2006). He is the longest-serving Mayor in Burlington’s history, a city that is often held up as a national and international model for its progressive policies and work in the area of sustainable community development. During Mayor Clavelle’s tenure, Burlington revitalized the downtown and the waterfront, launched affordable housing initiatives, and welcomed thousands of refugees to the City. He has held leadership positions with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was President (twice) of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. In the 1990’s, he lived and worked in Grenada and was a team member on a local government project in Gaza.
Upon leaving the Mayor’s office in 2006, Peter went on to join Tetra Tech ARD, an international development consulting firm. For three-and-a-half years, he served as Manager of the firm’s Democracy and Governance Sector. Specific USAID-funded assignments have included work on local governance projects in Macedonia, Jordan, and Uganda. In 2010, Peter served as Acting Chief of Party, leading the start-up of USAID’s Afghanistan Kabul City Initiative (KCI), a $120 million program to improve municipal services for the city of Kabul. From January 2012 through April 2016, he served as Chief of Party of the USAID Planning and Local Governance Project (PLGP) in Albania. As a former mayor and city manager, Peter brought direct and practical experience in managing local government affairs and in implementing democracy and governance activities.
Peter remains active in civic affairs and resides in Burlington with his spouse, Betsy Ferries. His work in the non-profit sector includes stints on the Boards of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, Vermont Council on World Affairs, and the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington.
He holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from St. Anselm College and a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.