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鈥檚 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 鈥 Harvard Gazette
Five alumni elected to the Board of Overseers 鈥 Harvard Gazette
Overseers Hodges and Acu帽a-Sunshine to take on leadership roles
Learning more about the role of the alumni nominating committee
Eight current Overseers share their unique stories 鈥 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).聽 Aspects of their role are set forth in a statement on聽Expectations of Service.
Modupe Nyikoale Akinola (2024-2030)
New York, NY
AB 鈥96, MBA 鈥01, AM 鈥06, PhD 鈥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 鈥10, MD 鈥14, MBA 鈥15, Harvard
Partner, Thrive Capital
Monica Bharel (2022-2026)
Boston, MA
BS, MD 鈥94, Boston University
MPH 鈥12, Harvard
Clinical Lead, Public Sector Health, Google
Raphael W. Bostic (2020-2026)
Decatur, GA
AB 鈥87, Harvard
PhD 鈥95, Stanford
Retired, former president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Sylvia Mathews Burwell聽(2023-2029)
Washington, DC
AB 鈥87, Harvard
BA 鈥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 鈥91, JD 鈥94, Harvard
U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Sangu J. Delle (2022-2028)
New York, NY
AB 鈥10, JD 鈥17, MBA 鈥17, Harvard
MSt 鈥19, Oxford
PhD 鈥22, University of Birmingham
Chief Executive Officer, CarePoint
Jeffrey D. Dunn (2023-2029)
Boston, MA
AB 鈥77, MBA 鈥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 鈥82, Harvard
Co-founder and CEO, Upstream USA; founder and former executive director, Opportunity Nation
Danielle A. Feinberg (2024-2030)
Oakland, CA
AB 鈥96, Harvard
Visual Effects Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios
Fiona Hill (2023-2029)
Bethesda, MD
AM 鈥91, PhD 鈥98, Harvard
MA 鈥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 鈥03, Harvard
BS 鈥91, U.S. Air Force Academy
M Phil 鈥91, D Phil 鈥96, Oxford
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona State University
Mary Louise Kelly (2025-2031)
Washington, DC
AB 鈥93, Harvard
M Phil 鈥95, University of Cambridge
Journalist and broadcaster, co-host of 鈥淎ll Things Considered,鈥 NPR
Nathaniel Owen Keohane (2025-2031)
Washington, DC
PhD 鈥01, Harvard
BA 鈥93, Yale
President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Vanessa W. Liu (2023-2029)
New York, NY
AB 鈥96, JD 鈥03, Harvard
Co-founder and CEO of Sugarwork
Raymond J. Lohier Jr. (2021-2027)
New York, NY
AB 鈥88, Harvard
JD 鈥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 鈥95, Harvard
PhD 鈥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 鈥94, Harvard
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health
Margaret Purce (2020-2026)
Silver Spring, MD
AB 鈥17, Harvard
Soccer player, U.S. Women鈥檚 National Team and NJ/NY Gotham FC
Megan Red Shirt-Shaw (2021-2027)
Vermillion, SD
Ed M 鈥17, Harvard
BA 鈥11, University of Pennsylvania
PhD 鈥25, University of Minnesota
Director of Native Student Services, University of South Dakota
Michael Rosenblatt (2025-2031)
Newton Highlands, MA
MD 鈥73, Harvard
BA 鈥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 鈥94, Harvard
BS 鈥86, PhD 鈥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 鈥08, JD 鈥16, Harvard
M Sc 鈥11, Oxford
Ed M 鈥13, Hunter College
Executive Director, The Futures Institute
Juan Antonio Sep煤lveda Jr. (2024-2030)
San Antonio, TX
AB 鈥85, Harvard
MA 鈥87, Oxford
JD 鈥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 鈥11, Harvard
BS 鈥05, University of Pennsylvania
CEO, Tubi; former CEO, Vimeo
Jayson Toweh (2020-2026)
Stanford, CA
SM 鈥19, Harvard
BS 鈥17, University of Michigan
MBA 鈥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 Ca帽ada Flintridge, CA
AB 鈥82, Harvard
MFA 鈥86, Yale
Actor, producer, writer; president and chair, SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Wilhelmina 鈥淢imi鈥 Wright (2022-2028)
St. Paul, MN
JD 鈥89, Harvard
BA 鈥86, Yale
Senior U.S. District Judge, District of Minnesota
Sheryl WuDunn (2021-2027)
Yamhill, OR
MBA 鈥86, Harvard
BA 鈥81, Cornell
MPA 鈥88, Princeton
Journalist; Co-Founder, FullSky Partners; Co-Founder, Kristof Farms; Co-Author of Tightrope
Alan Garber
AB 鈥76, AM 鈥77, PhD 鈥82, Harvard
MD 鈥83, Stanford
President
Ex officio
Timothy R. Barakett
AB 鈥87, MBA 鈥93, Harvard
Treasurer, Harvard University
Ex officio
About the Board
The Board of Overseers is one of Harvard鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 programs and assures that the University remains true to its charter as a place of learning. More generally, drawing on its members鈥 diverse experience and expertise, the Board provides counsel to the University鈥檚 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鈥檚 agenda鈥攊n 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鈥檚 schools and to amplify Harvard programs鈥 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鈥檚 overarching academic mission and long-term institutional interests.