Five alumni elected to the Board of Overseers

Five alumni have been newly elected as members of the Board of Overseers and six as directors of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA). The new Overseers will assume their roles May 24, while the HAA directors will begin their terms July 1.

New members of the Board of Overseers

Modupe Nyikoale Akinola ’96, M.B.A. ’01, A.M. ’06, Ph.D. ’09
Zalaznick Professor of Business and Faculty Director of the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics, Columbia Business School
New York

Nworah Blaise Ayogu ’10, M.D., M.B.A. ’15
General Manager and Chief Medical Officer, Amazon Clinic
Los Angeles

Theodore D. Chuang ’91, J.D. ’94
U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Bethesda, Md.

Danielle A. Feinberg ’96
Cinematographer; Visual Effects Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios
Oakland, Calif.

Juan Antonio Sepúlveda Jr. ’85
University of Oxford, M.A. ’87; Stanford Law School, J.D. ’93
Calgaard Distinguished Professor of Practice in Political Science and President’s Special Adviser for Inclusive Excellence, Trinity University
San Antonio, Texas

The new Overseers were elected for six-year terms from a group of eight candidates nominated by an alumni nominating committee whose 13 voting members were appointed by the Harvard Alumni Association executive committee. Harvard degree holders cast a total of 35,377 ballots in the election.

“We are delighted to welcome our newest members to the board. All of my returning colleagues welcome them and know each will bring thoughtful perspectives and experience,” said Vivian Hunt ’89, M.B.A. ’95, the board’s incoming president for 2024-25. “We are all looking forward to a new academic year to continue our support for Interim President [Alan] Garber and our shared commitment to Harvard’s larger mission.”

The Board of Overseers is one of Harvard’s two governing boards, along with the President and Fellows, also known as the Corporation. As a central part of their work, the Overseers direct 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 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. It also has the power of consent to certain actions, such as the election of Corporation members.

Additional information about the board, its members, and its work can be found on its webpage.

Newly elected HAA directors

Adrian D. Blake ’88
University of Pennsylvania, M.B.A. ’96
CEO, Precision Syringe
Omaha, Neb.

Dorian Orlando Burton II, Ed.L.D. ’15
Pennsylvania State University, B.A. ’06; New York University, M.A. ’08; University of Oxford, M.B.A. ’22
Managing Partner, The Southern Reconstruction Fund
Raleigh, N.C.

Theresa S. Cho ’90
Columbia University, M.Phil. ’96, Ph.D. ’99
Vice President of International Affairs, Seoul National University
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna ’96, M.B.A. ’02
CEO, Mercy Corps
Potomac, Md.

Edward L. Rocha ’06
Boston University, M.S. ’09
President, Rola Corp. 
Malden, Mass.

Basil Williams ’14, J.D. , M.P.P. ’19
Associate, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP 
Brooklyn, N.Y.

The new directors were elected for three-year terms. They were chosen from among eight candidates, nominated by the same HAA committee that puts forward candidates for Overseers. Harvard degree holders cast 36,363 ballots in the directors election.

The HAA Board, including its elected directors, 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 and continuing to build and promote inclusive communities.

“I’m pleased to welcome our new directors,” said Moitri Chowdhury Savard ’93, the association’s incoming president. “In the year ahead, I look forward to continuing our work to enhance alumni engagement and foster inclusivity across our Harvard community.”