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 new president, vice chair
12 alumni elected to Harvard leadership boards
Overseers announce senior officers for 2024-25 — Harvard Gazette
Five alumni elected to the Board of Overseers — Harvard Gazette
Overseers Hodges and Acuña-Sunshine to take on leadership roles
Learning more about the role of the alumni nominating committee
Eight current Overseers share their unique stories — Harvard Gazette
Report to the Harvard Governing Boards on Aspects of the Board of Overseers
Read the reportMembers 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.
Modupe Nyikoale Akinola (2024-2030)
New York, NY
AB ’96, MBA ’01, AM ’06, PhD ’09, Harvard
Zalaznick Professor of Business and Faculty Director of the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics, Columbia Business School
Nworah Blaise Ayogu (2024-2030)
Los Angeles, CA
AB ’10, MD ’14, MBA ’15, Harvard
Partner, Thrive Capital
Monica Bharel (2022-2026)
Boston, MA
BS, MD ’94, Boston University
MPH ’12, Harvard
Clinical Lead, Public Sector Health, Google
Raphael W. Bostic (2020-2026)
Decatur, GA
AB ’87, Harvard
PhD ’95, Stanford
Retired, former president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Sylvia Mathews Burwell (2023-2029)
Washington, DC
AB ’87, Harvard
BA ’90, Oxford
Former President of American University and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Theodore D. Chuang (2024-2030)
Bethesda, MD
AB ’91, JD ’94, Harvard
U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Sangu J. Delle (2022-2028)
New York, NY
AB ’10, JD ’17, MBA ’17, Harvard
MSt ’19, Oxford
PhD ’22, University of Birmingham
Chief Executive Officer, CarePoint
Jeffrey D. Dunn (2023-2029)
Boston, MA
AB ’77, MBA ’81, Harvard
Former interim president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and former executive chair, president, and CEO of Sesame Workshop
Mark A. Edwards (2025-2031)
Boston, MA
AB ’82, Harvard
Co-founder and CEO, Upstream USA; founder and former executive director, Opportunity Nation
Danielle A. Feinberg (2024-2030)
Oakland, CA
AB ’96, Harvard
Visual Effects Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios
Fiona Hill (2023-2029)
Bethesda, MD
AM ’91, PhD ’98, Harvard
MA ’89, University of St. Andrews
Chancellor of Durham University (U.K.) and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
Christopher B. Howard (2021-2027)
Tempe, AZ
MBA ’03, Harvard
BS ’91, U.S. Air Force Academy
M Phil ’91, D Phil ’96, Oxford
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona State University
Mary Louise Kelly (2025-2031)
Washington, DC
AB ’93, Harvard
M Phil ’95, University of Cambridge
Journalist and broadcaster, co-host of “All Things Considered,” NPR
Nathaniel Owen Keohane (2025-2031)
Washington, DC
PhD ’01, Harvard
BA ’93, Yale
President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Vanessa W. Liu (2023-2029)
New York, NY
AB ’96, JD ’03, Harvard
Co-founder and CEO of Sugarwork
Raymond J. Lohier Jr. (2021-2027)
New York, NY
AB ’88, Harvard
JD ’91, New York University
U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Lauren Ancel Meyers (2022-2028)
Austin, TX
AB ’95, Harvard
PhD ’00, Stanford
Cooley Centennial Professor, Departments of Integrative Biology, Statistics & Data Sciences, and Population Health, University of Texas at Austin
Todd Y. Park (2022-2028)
Los Altos Hills, CA
AB ’94, Harvard
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health
Margaret Purce (2020-2026)
Silver Spring, MD
AB ’17, Harvard
Soccer player, U.S. Women’s National Team and NJ/NY Gotham FC
Megan Red Shirt-Shaw (2021-2027)
Vermillion, SD
Ed M ’17, Harvard
BA ’11, University of Pennsylvania
PhD ’25, University of Minnesota
Director of Native Student Services, University of South Dakota
Michael Rosenblatt (2025-2031)
Newton Highlands, MA
MD ’73, Harvard
BA ’69, Columbia
Physician-Scientist: Advisory Partner, Ascenta Capital; Senior Advisor, Bain Capital Life Sciences; Senior Advisor, Flagship Pioneering
Robert L. Satcher Jr. (2023-2029)
Houston, TX
MD ’94, Harvard
BS ’86, PhD ’93, MIT
Professor, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Division of Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; former astronaut, NASA
Thea Sebastian (2020-2026)
Washington, DC
AB ’08, JD ’16, Harvard
M Sc ’11, Oxford
Ed M ’13, Hunter College
Executive Director, The Futures Institute
Juan Antonio Sepúlveda Jr. (2024-2030)
San Antonio, TX
AB ’85, Harvard
MA ’87, Oxford
JD ’93, Stanford
Former senior vice president, PBS, and former executive director, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Anjali Sud (2025-2027)
New York, NY
MBA ’11, Harvard
BS ’05, University of Pennsylvania
CEO, Tubi; former CEO, Vimeo
Jayson Toweh (2020-2026)
Stanford, CA
SM ’19, Harvard
BS ’17, University of Michigan
MBA ’21, Quantic School of Business and Technology
Doctoral Student and Graduate Research Assistant, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University
Courtney B. Vance (2025-2031)
La Cañada Flintridge, CA
AB ’82, Harvard
MFA ’86, Yale
Actor, producer, writer; president and chair, SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright (2022-2028)
St. Paul, MN
JD ’89, Harvard
BA ’86, Yale
Senior U.S. District Judge, District of Minnesota
Sheryl WuDunn (2021-2027)
Yamhill, OR
MBA ’86, Harvard
BA ’81, Cornell
MPA ’88, Princeton
Journalist; Co-Founder, FullSky Partners; Co-Founder, Kristof Farms; Co-Author of Tightrope
Alan Garber
AB ’76, AM ’77, PhD ’82, Harvard
MD ’83, Stanford
President
Ex officio
Timothy R. Barakett
Treasurer, Harvard University
Ex officio
About the Board
The Board of Overseers is one of Harvard’s two governing boards, along with the President and Fellows, also known as the Corporation. Formally established in 1642, the Board plays an integral role in the governance of the University. As a central part of its work, the Board directs the visitation process, the primary means for periodic external assessment of Harvard’s schools and departments. Through its array of standing committees, and the roughly fifty visiting committees that report to them, the Board probes the quality of Harvard’s programs and assures that the University remains true to its charter as a place of learning. More generally, drawing on its members’ diverse experience and expertise, the Board provides counsel to the University’s leadership on priorities, plans, and strategic initiatives.
The Board typically gathers five times a year for plenary and committee meetings, in addition to the time Overseers devote to other Harvard service. The plenary sessions commonly focus on a topic prominent on the University’s agenda—in areas such as innovations in teaching and learning, research initiatives throughout the arts and sciences and the professions, and efforts to enhance connections across the University’s schools and to amplify Harvard programs’ beneficial impact on the wider world. Plenary sessions typically include reports from standing committees and a discussion with the President of the University about key issues and challenges. The Board also has the power of consent to certain actions such as the election of Corporation members.
In all their activities, the Overseers bring to bear their best judgment and their deep commitment to Harvard’s overarching academic mission and long-term institutional interests.