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
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 report
Accompanying Letter to the Report
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.
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.
Modupe Nyikoale Akinola (2024-2030)
New York
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
Head of Healthcare Impact, Thrive Capital
Timothy R. Barakett
Treasurer, Harvard University
Ex officio
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
Theodore D. Chuang (2024-2030)
Bethesda, MD
U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
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
Danielle A. Feinberg (2024-2030)
Oakland, CA
Cinematographer; Visual Effects Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios
Alan Garber
Interim President
Ex officio
Fiona Hill (2023-2029)
Bethesda, MD
Chancellor of Durham University (U.K.) and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
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
Raymond J. Lohier Jr. (2021-2027)
New York, NY
U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
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, 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
Juan Antonio Sepúlveda Jr. (2024-2030)
San Antonio, TX
Calgaard Distinguished Professor of Practice in Political Science and President’s Special Adviser for Inclusive Excellence, Trinity University
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
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.