12 alumni elected to Harvard leadership boards

Six alumni have been newly elected as members of Harvard University’s Board of Overseers, with another six joining the board of directors of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA). The new Overseers will assume their roles on May 30, while the HAA directors will begin their terms on July 1. Five of the new Overseers were elected for six-year terms. The sixth, Anjali Sud, will serve the remaining two years of the unexpired term of Mark Carney.

New members of the Board of Overseers

Mark A. Edwards ’82, cum laude
Co-founder and CEO, Upstream USA; founder and former executive director, Opportunity Nation
Brookline, Massachusetts 

Mary Louise Kelly ’93, magna cum laude
M.Phil. ’95, University of Cambridge, with distinction
Journalist and broadcaster, co-host of “All Things Considered,” NPR
Washington, D.C.

Nathaniel Owen Keohane, Ph.D. ’01
B.A. ’93, Yale University, magna cum laude
President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
New York

Michael Rosenblatt, M.D. ’73, magna cum laude
B.A. ’69, summa cum laude, Columbia University
Advisory partner, Ascenta Capital; senior adviser, Bain Capital Life Sciences and Flagship Pioneering; former executive vice president and chief medical officer, Merck & Co.; former dean, Tufts University School of Medicine
Newton, Massachusetts

Anjali Sud, M.B.A. ’11 (filling Carney’s unexpired term)
B.S. ’05, University of Pennsylvania
CEO, Tubi; former CEO, Vimeo
New York

Courtney B. Vance ’82
M.F.A. ’86, Yale University
Actor, producer, writer; president and chair, SAG-AFTRA Foundation
La Cañada Flintridge, California

A group of seven candidates for the Board of Overseers were nominated by an alumni nominating committee whose 13 voting members are appointed by the Harvard Alumni Association executive committee. An eighth candidate withdrew from consideration. Harvard degree holders cast a total of 39,725 ballots in the election.

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

Newly elected HAA directors

Theresa J. Chung ’98, magna cum laude, J.D. ’02
Administrative judge, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
Dallas, Texas

Colin J. Kegler ’97
Senior software engineer, HealthEdge Inc.
Provincetown, Massachusetts

Victoria “Vicky” Wai Ka Leung ’91, cum laude
M.B.A. ’98, New York University
Managing director and consultant, EC M&A
London

Nicholas J. Melvoin ’08
M.A. ’10, Loyola Marymount University; J.D. ’14, New York University
Elected board member, Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles

Angela M. Ruggiero ’02, cum laude, M.B.A. ’14
M.Ed. ’10, University of Minnesota
Co-founder and chair, Sports Innovation Lab
Weston, Massachusetts

Sanjay Seth, M.P.A. ’19, M.U.P. ’19
B.A. ’12, Goldsmiths, University of London
Former chief of staff and senior adviser for climate and equity, U.S. EPA New England
East Boston, Massachusetts

The new directors were elected for three-year terms. They were chosen from among nine candidates, nominated by the same HAA committee that puts forward candidates for Overseers. Harvard degree holders cast 41,069 ballots in the directors election.

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.