Harvard Corporation Elects Kenneth I. Chenault and Karen Gordon Mills

New members of senior governing board succeed Robert D. Reischauer and Robert E. Rubin.

Kenneth I. Chenault, J.D.’76, and Karen Gordon Mills, A.B. ’75, M.B.A. ’77, were elected as Harvard Corporation members. They will begin their service as Fellows of Harvard College on July 1.

The University announced today that Kenneth I. Chenault, J.D. ’76, and Karen Gordon Mills ’75, M.B.A. ’77, have been elected members of the Harvard Corporation, the senior governing board, effective July 1. They succeed retiring members Robert D. Reischauer ’63, who is the senior fellow, and Robert E. Rubin ’60, LL.D. ’01; they will conclude their service at the end of the academic year, as announced last October.

Chenault is chairman and chief executive officer of American Express Company. Mills was administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2009 to 2013, and is currently a fellow at the Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School.

According to the news announcement, Chenault, a graduate of Bowdoin College, has served on the Harvard Law School visiting committee and is a member of the Committee on University Resources (COUR), Harvard’s most senior fundraising advisory group. His service commitments include the boards or advisory councils of the National Academy Foundation, the NYU Langone Medical Center, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, and the Bloomberg Family Foundation.  He is also a director of IBM and Procter & Gamble. Kenneth and Kathryn Cassell Chenault’s son Kenneth graduated from the College in 2012; son Kevin is a senior.

Mills, according to the news announcement, has resumed her role as president of a private-equity firm in Maine. She was previously founding partner of a venture-capital firm, and has served on the boards of Scotts Miracle-Gro, Arrow Electronics, Guardian Insurance, Latina Media Ventures, and Annie’s Homegrown. She was earlier a McKinsey & Company consultant and a General Foods product manager. She was a member of the Board of Overseers, the junior governing board, from 1999 to 2005, and a Radcliffe College trustee from 1985 to 1993. Her visiting-committee service includes the business school, engineering and applied sciences, the department of chemistry and chemical biology, and the information-technology operation. She is also a COUR member. She is married to Barry Mills, president of Bowdoin College. They have three sons, including George, a junior at Harvard.

 

Sub topics

You might also like

Trump Administration Alleges Harvard Violated Student Civil Rights

In a court filing, the University says government has ignored procedure to “inflict pain.”

John Goldberg named Dean of Harvard Law School

A professor at HLS since 2008, he steps up from the interim role.

House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

The University must turn over all requested materials related to tuition and financial aid by mid-July. 

Most popular

Harvard Layoffs Continue, with More to Come

In the wake of federal government actions, several Harvard schools and institutes are cutting costs.

Are Noncitizens’ Speech Rights Protected?

Harvard faculty testify in a federal lawsuit over free speech and deportations.

Trump Administration Threatens Harvard’s Accreditation, Subpoenas Student Records

The federal government mounts pressure amid negotiations with Harvard.

Explore More From Current Issue

Harvard Economist Nicole Maestas on Aging and Health Policy

The Harvard health economist not afraid to get in the weeds

How Harvard Students Handle Political Disagreements

The Undergraduate asks if intellectualism is really on life support.

Harvard’s Comedy and Improv Scene

In comedy groups, students find ways to be absurd, present, and a little less self-conscious.