Alumni committee nominates candidates for Overseers, HAA elected directors

Once again this spring, Harvard degree holders will have the opportunity to vote for new members of the Harvard Board of Overseers and elected directors of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA).

The elections will begin April 1. Eligible voters can vote either online or by paper ballot. Completed ballots must be received by 5 p.m. (EDT) on May 17. All holders of Harvard degrees as of Jan. 1, except officers of instruction and government at Harvard and members of the Harvard Corporation, are entitled to vote for Overseer candidates. All Harvard degree holders as of Jan. 1 may vote for HAA elected directors.

The candidates listed below (in alphabetical order) will be considered by voters for six anticipated vacancies on the Board of Overseers and for six openings among the HAA elected directors.

Overseer candidates

The HAA nominating committee has proposed the following candidates for the 2022 election.

Monica Bharel, M.P.H. ’12
B.S./M.D. ’94, Boston University
Senior Adviser to the Mayor,  city of Boston
Brookline, Massachusetts

Cesar R. Conde ’95, cum laude
M.B.A. ’99, University of Pennsylvania
Chair, NBCUniversal News Group
Miami

Sangu J. Delle ’10, cum laude, J.D. ’16, M.B.A. ’16
M.St. ’19, University of Oxford
Chief Executive Officer, Africa Health Holdings Ltd.
Accra, Ghana

Scott Mead ’77, cum laude
M.Phil. ’79, University of Cambridge; J.D. ’82, University of Pennsylvania
Photographer
London

Lauren Ancel Meyers ’95, magna cum laude
Ph.D. ’00, Stanford University
Professor, Departments of Integrative Biology and Statistics & Data Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Director, UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium
Austin, Texas

Todd Y. Park ’94, magna cum laude
Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Devoted Health
Los Altos Hills, California

Kim M. Rivera, J.D. ’94
B.A. ’90, Duke University
Former Special Adviser to the CEO, HP Inc.
Portola Valley, California

Vikas P. Sukhatme, M.D. ’79
S.B. ’71, Sc.D. ’75, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dean, Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta

Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright, J.D. ’89
B.A. ’86, Yale University
U.S. District Judge, District of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota

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The nominating committee has proposed nine candidates this year rather than the usual eight because of an additional vacancy on the Board created by the early departure of Tracy K. Smith ‘94, who recently stepped down upon becoming a member of the Harvard faculty. The sixth-place finisher in the 2022 Overseers election will complete the remainder of her term.

Elected director candidates

The HAA nominating committee has proposed the following HAA elected director candidates for the 2022 election

Sofia Bahena, Ed.M. ’13, Ed.D. ’14
B.A. ’06, Trinity University
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio

Aditi Banga ’09, magna cum laude
M.B.A. ’15, Stanford University
Global Head of Shopping Partnerships, Instagram
New York

Michael Bervell ’19
M.S. ’21, University of Washington
Portfolio Development Manager, Microsoft Venture Fund
Snohomish, Washington

André Du Sault, M.P.A. ’00
M.Sc.A. ’82, Université Laval; M.B.A. ’87, London Business School
Principal, SDA Conseil Inc.
Montréal

Jyoti Jasrasaria ’12, cum laude, J.D. ’18, cum laude
Associate, Elias Law Group L.L.P.
Washington

Stein E. Rafto ’78, cum laude
M.D. ’83, University of Hawaii
Physician, Retired
Honolulu

Cherie Lynn Ramirez, Ph.D. ’12
A.A. ’02, Valencia Community College;  B.A. ’06, Rollins College
Assistant Teaching Professor, Chemistry and Physics, Simmons University
Boston

Corina Santangelo, M.P.A. ’99
A.B. ’93, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina
Head of Fundraising, ChildFund Mexico
Mexico City

Judith Michelle Williams ’91, cum laude
M.A. ’95, Ph.D. ’97, Stanford University
Human Capital Consultant, Magic Deer L.L.C.
San Francisco

The candidates for both Overseer and HAA elected director emerged from this fall’s deliberations of the alumni-led HAA nominating committee. The committee’s voting members include 13 alumni, broadly diverse in their backgrounds and experience, who are appointed by the HAA’s volunteer leadership. Among the committee’s members are three current or recent Overseers, who bring direct knowledge of the workings and the needs of the Board.

The nominating committee selects candidates through extensive deliberations conducted in a series of meetings each fall. In formulating its slates of candidates both for Overseer and for HAA elected director, the committee reviews materials about hundreds of prospective candidates suggested by alumni and others in the Harvard community.

In developing a diverse slate of Overseer candidates, while taking account of the Board’s present composition and the University’s future needs, the nominating committee considers candidates with prior board service and an understanding of complex organizations; experiences and accomplishments in an academic or professional domain; a broad interest in and concern for higher education, including the interests of Harvard and for the general quality and ongoing development of its education and research mission; a commitment to investing the time and energy required for effective service; and the ability to lead as well as to build consensus.

Candidates for Overseer may also be nominated by petition — by obtaining a required number of signatures from eligible voters. The deadline to submit petitions for the 2022 Overseers election is Feb. 1. More information on the nomination and election process appears at  elections.harvard.edu/elections-process.

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 50 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 also has the power of consent to certain actions such as the election of Corporation members. The current membership of the board is listed here.

The HAA Board, including its elected directors, is an advisory board that aims to foster a sense of community, engagement, and University citizenship among Harvard alumni around the world. The work focuses on developing volunteer leadership and increasing and deepening alumni engagement through an array of programs that support alumni communities worldwide. In recent years, the board’s priorities have included strengthening outreach to recent graduates and graduate school alumni; supporting antiracism work in alumni communities; and continuing to build and promote inclusive communities.