Harvard Alumni Association 2015 honors for club and SIG contributions

Honoring the providers of exemplary service and exceptional programming

The HAA Clubs and SIGs Committee Awards honor both individuals who provide exemplary service to those groups, and groups that have themselves organized exceptional programming. This year’s awards were presented to the following recipients at the HAA board of directors’ winter meeting on February 5.

Peter Mazareas ’73, of Nahant, Massachusetts. Starting in 2009, Mazareas became president of the Harvard Club of the North Shore and established a leadership team that developed a plan that has revitalized it. Activities that explore New England’s attractions and local landmarks, along with events featuring congressional leaders, have consistently drawn new members. Mazareas also created “Making the Curriculum Real,” a program that links alumni with children in local schools. As an HAA director for northern New England, Mazareas has also convened regional club events to foster a stronger alumni community.

Giulia Stellari ’03, of Port Jefferson, New York, and Nicole Buckley ’08, of Omaha. The alumnae founded the Harvard Alumni for Agriculture SIG in 2011; it has since grown to more than 300 members across 39 states and a dozen countries. Through a dedicated group of board members, the club has focused on investment, mentorship channels, networking, communications, fundraising, and philanthropy. Their efforts have led to a robust website; a webinar series featuring U.S. secretaries of agriculture and executives in the bioenergy and bioengineering fields; and involvement in the AgInvest Conference in New York. Students, faculty, alumni, and corporate mentors can now network and collaborate on agriculture-related projects, bolstering their own professional bonds along with their connection to the University.

Since its inception in 1977, the Harvard University Club of Houston has grown to include than 4,500 alumni, 450 of whom are recent graduates. Events cater to the diverse interests and fields represented and have recently included Global Networking Nights, an event with Jeremy Lin ’10 (now of the Los Angeles Lakers), tours of the Houston Federal Reserve Building, and “Back to School” picnics for members and new students, and their families. The club hosts Young Alumni Happy Hours and partnered with the Houston Yale Club for a celebratory event around The Game. Last October, the club also drew crowds for “Your Harvard: Texas,” a gala featuring alumni musicians and faculty panels on the arts, healthcare, energy policy, and the future of cities.

In the last three years, the Harvard Club of Hungary has become a vibrant organization offering unique events such as a reception at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest featuring Mallinckrodt professor of physics emeritus and Nobel laureate Roy J. Glauber. The club also focuses on strengthening relationships with alumni in neighboring European countries. Members helped organize the first Central European Harvard Club meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, and plan a Central European Harvard Ball. Moreover, it has joined with other Central European alumni in annual interactive video conferences with Harvard faculty members. A new initiative, “Back to Your School,” enables Hungarian club members to return to their secondary schools to discuss their experiences and the importance of higher education.

You might also like

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Bringing Korean Stories to Life

Composer Julia Riew writes the musicals she needed to see.

Being Undocumented in America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions. 

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two people moving large abstract painting with blue V-shaped design in museum courtyard.

A Harvard Art Museums Painting Gets a Bath

Water and sunlight help restore a modern American classic.

Illustration of scientists injecting large syringe with mitochondria into human heart.

Do Mitochondria Hold the Power to Heal?

From Alzheimer’s to cancer, this tiny organelle might expand treatment options. 

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio smiling beside the pink cover of her novel "Catalina" featuring a jeweled star and eye.

Being Undocumented in America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions.