Ballot finalized for Overseer and HAA director elections

Eligible Harvard alumni will once again have the chance to participate in the elections for new members of the Harvard Board of Overseers  and the elected directors of the Harvard Alumni Association this spring.

Voting begins on April 1, with completed ballots being accepted until 5 p.m. on May 19. Alumni can cast their votes either online or via paper ballot for five expected vacancies on the Board of Overseers and six available positions among the HAA elected directors.

Eligible voters include all Harvard degree holders as of Jan. 1, with the exception of Harvard’s officers of instruction and government, as well as members of the Harvard Corporation, for the Overseer positions. For the HAA elected directors, all degree holders as of Jan. 1 are welcome to vote.

The candidates listed below have been named by the nominating committee appointed by the Harvard Alumni Association’s volunteer leadership. The candidates’ names appear below in ballot order, as determined by lot.

Overseer candidates

Michael Rosenblatt
M.D. ’73, magna cum laude
B.A. ’69, summa cum laude, Columbia University
Newton, Massachusetts

Anjali Sud
M.B.A. ’11
B.S. ’05, University of Pennsylvania
New York

Lanhee J. Chen 
A.B. ’99, magna cum laude, A.M. ’04, J.D. ’07, cum laude, Ph.D. ’09
Mountain View, California

Mark A. Edwards 
A.B. ’82, cum laude
Brookline, Massachusetts     

Mary Louise Kelly 
A.B. ’93, magna cum laude
M.Phil. ’95, University of Cambridge, with distinction
Washington, D.C.

Nathaniel Owen Keohane
Ph.D. ’01
B.A. ’93, Yale University, magna cum laude
New York

Courtney B. Vance 
A.B. ’82
M.F.A. ’86, Yale University
La Cañada Flintridge, California

A previously announced candidate, Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D. ’87, president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine and an alumna of Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S. ’83), has decided to withdraw her candidacy for the Board of Overseers. “Harvard holds a special place in my heart, and while I am honored by the nomination, my current responsibilities demand my full attention,” said Montgomery Rice.  “I am grateful for the support and remain committed to Harvard’s mission in other ways.”

HAA elected director candidates

Angela M. Ruggiero 
A.B. ’02, cum laude, M.B.A. ’14
M.Ed. ’10, University of Minnesota
Weston, Massachusetts

Allison Lee Pillinger Choi 
A.B. ’06
Bedford, New York

Sanjay Seth
M.P.A. ’19, M.U.P. ’19
B.A. ’12, Goldsmiths, University of London
East Boston, Massachusetts

Nicholas J. Melvoin 
A.B. ’08
M.A. ’10, Loyola Marymount University; J.D. ’14, New York University
Los Angeles

Theresa J. Chung 
A.B. ’98, magna cum laude, J.D. ’02
Dallas

Daniel H. Ahn 
A.B. ’90, magna cum laude, M.B.A. ’97
Burlingame, California

Colin J. Kegler 
A.B. ’97
Provincetown, Massachusetts

Victoria “Vicky” Wai Ka Leung 
A.B. ’91, cum laude
M.B.A. ’98, New York University
London

Pavlos P. Photiades 
A.B. ’88, magna cum laude
Nicosia, Cyprus

The nominating committee brings together 13 alumni with varied backgrounds and includes three current or recent Overseers who have direct experience with the workings and needs of the board. The committee invites and receives suggestions about possible candidates from across the alumni community and reviews information on hundreds of prospective candidates as part of extensive deliberations throughout the fall term.

The committee seeks to develop a set of Overseer candidates that takes account of the board’s present composition and the University’s future needs. The committee considers experience and accomplishment in an academic or professional domain important to the University; interest in and concern for higher education and for Harvard University as a whole; commitment to the overall quality and continual improvement of Harvard’s programs of education and research; willingness to invest the time and energy necessary for effective service; understanding of complex organizations, and leadership and consensus-building skills.

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, complementing the Corporation’s work as Harvard’s principal fiduciary board. 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 and continuing to build and promote inclusive communities.