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Leadership and Governance

Board of Overseers

Formally established in 1642

The Board is made up of Harvard University alumni who bring to bear their best judgment and deep commitment to Harvard’s overarching academic mission and long-term institutional interests.

News & Reports

Overseers announce senior officers for 2024-25 — Harvard Gazette

Vivian Hunt and Tyler Jacks to assume leadership roles after Commencement.
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Five alumni elected to the Board of Overseers — Harvard Gazette

Five alumni have been elected as new members of Harvard University’s Board of Overseers and six as directors of the Harvard Alumni Association.
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Overseers Hodges and Acuña-Sunshine to take on leadership roles

Meredith “Max” Hodges has been elected president of the Harvard University Board of Overseers for the 2023-24 academic year. Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine will serve as vice chair of the board’s executive committee for the same term.
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Learning more about the role of the alumni nominating committee

A former Overseer and the executive director of the Harvard Alumni Association discuss the work of the HAA nominating committees.
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Eight current Overseers share their unique stories — Harvard Gazette

Profiles of eight current members of the Board of Overseers who share their unique stories of experience and service.
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Report to the Harvard Governing Boards on Aspects of the Board of Overseers

Read the report

Accompanying Letter to the Report

Letter on the report from R. Martin Chávez, President of the Harvard Board of Overseers, and William F. Lee, Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation.
Read the letter
What is Your Harvard Story?
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Learning from leaders

In a one-on-one conversation, Board of Overseers leaders Marty Chávez and Helena Buonanno Foulkes explain what an Overseer is and how they lead, and then discuss their hopes for the future.

Explore the full playlist

Members of the Board

New members of the board are elected each spring by Harvard degree holders (other than officers of government or instruction at the University and members of the Corporation).  Aspects of their role are set forth in a statement on Expectations of Service.

Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine (2018-2024)
Boston, MA
President, Sunshine Care Foundation for Neurological Care and Research, and Senior Counsel, Bracebridge Capital

Monica Bharel (2022-2026)
Brookline, MA
Clinical Lead, Public Sector Health, Google

Raphael W. Bostic (2020-2026)
Decatur, GA
President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Sylvia Mathews Burwell (2023-2029)
Washington, DC
President of American University and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Mark J. Carney (2021-2027)
Ontario, Canada
UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, and Chair, Brookfield Asset Management

Alice Chen (2019-2025)
Berkeley, CA
Chief Health Officer, Centene Corporation, and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Philip Hart Cullom (2018-2024)
Gaithersburg, MD
Vice Admiral (retired), U.S. Navy

Sangu J. Delle (2022-2028)
New York, NY
Chief Executive Officer, CarePoint

Jeffrey D. Dunn (2023-2029)
Boston, MA
Former interim president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and former executive chair, president, and CEO of Sesame Workshop

Fiona Hill (2023-2029)
Bethesda, MD
Chancellor of Durham University (U.K.) and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

Meredith (Max) Hodges (2018-2024)
New York, NY
CEO, The Shed

Marilyn Holifield (2018-2024)
Miami, FL
Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Christopher B. Howard (2021-2027)
Tempe, AZ
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona State University Public Enterprise

Vivian Hunt (2019-2025)
London, England
Chief Innovation Officer, United Health Group

Tyler Jacks (2019-2025)
Cambridge, MA
Koch Professor of Biology and Founding Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and President, Break Through Cancer

John B. King, Jr. (2019-2025)
Albany, NY
Chancellor, State University of New York

Vanessa W. Liu (2023-2029)
New York, NY
Founder and CEO of Sugarwork and a past president of the Harvard Alumni Association

Raymond J. Lohier Jr. (2021-2027)
New York, NY
U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Scott Mead (2022-2024)
London, England
Photographer, and Founder, Bramley Studio

Lauren Ancel Meyers (2022-2028)
Austin, TX
Professor, Departments of Integrative Biology, Statistics & Data Sciences, Population Health, The University of Texas at Austin

Todd Y. Park (2022-2028)
Los Altos Hills, CA
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health

Margaret Purce (2020-2026)
Silver Spring, MD
Soccer player, U.S. Women’s National Team and NJ/NY Gotham FC

Robert L. Satcher (2023-2029)
Houston, TX
Associate professor of orthopedic oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Reshma Saujani (2019-2025)
New York, NY
Founder, Girls Who Code and Moms First

Thea Sebastian (2020-2026)
Washington, DC
Executive Director, The Futures Institute

Vikas P. Sukhatme (2022-2028)
Atlanta, GA
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Medicine, Emory School of Medicine; Founding Director, Morningside Center for Innovative and Affordable Medicine

Megan Red Shirt-Shaw (2021-2027)
Vermillion, SD
Director of Native Student Services, University of South Dakota

Jayson Toweh (2020-2026)
Stanford, CA
Doctoral Student and Graduate Research Assistant, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University

Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright (2022-2028)
St. Paul, MN
Retired U.S. District Court Judge, District of Minnesota

Sheryl WuDunn (2021-2027)
Yamhill, Oregon
Journalist, Co-founder, FullSky Partners, Co-author of Tightrope, Senior Managing Director, Mid-Market Securities

Alan Garber, Interim President
Provost and chief academic officer

Timothy R. Barakett
Treasurer, Harvard University
Ex officio

About the Board