HAA Clubs and SIGs Awards

The citations, awarded at the HAA board of directors meeting in February, honor both alumni and groups that have organized exceptional programming.

E. Andrews Grinstead ’97 of Mobile, Alabama. Having served as the HAA Alumni Leadership Conference co-chair, HAA director of southeastern states, and HAA director of general-interest SIGs, Grinstead has been an invaluable alumni leader, assisting numerous clubs and SIGs with organizational revitalization, engagement, transition, and development. In addition, he is a past president and vice president of the Harvard Club of the Mid-South and has been a schools and scholarships admissions interviewer.

Jeanne E. Gullahorn ’54 of Naples, Florida. Gullahorn joined the board of directors of the Harvard Club of Naples in 2008 and reestablished the HAA’s Summer Community Service Fellowship for Collier County, helping to raise funds to sponsor 22 positions for undergraduates. Subsequently, as club vice president, and now president, she has worked to coordinate internships for incoming freshmen, as well as organize winter-break internships for students.

Timothy J. Pearson, M.P.P. ’89, of Anchorage. As secretary of the Harvard Club of Alaska since 2006, Pearson has coordinated activities and events, built partnerships with other organizations, such as the Yale and Princeton clubs, and worked to get new club members involved with the community and the board. He has also bolstered bonds with the larger academic network in Alaska.

Since its founding in 2004, the Harvard University Muslim Alumni (HUMA) has grown to include more than 300 alumni. The shared interest group has helped bring together Harvard’s Muslim community, with initiatives such as the Global Iftaars Program during Ramadan, which was held in numerous cities worldwide. Other initiatives include alumni mixers, mentoring programs for students, networking events, and the annual dinner in Cambridge, which has featured inspirational speakers who focus on the Islamic world. The HUMA Muslim Life Fund also supports Harvard’s first paid Muslim chaplain.

The Harvard Club of Quebec (HCQ) has seen tremendous growth during the last three years, increasing membership from just eight to nearly 200. Under the leadership of club president Andre DuSault, M.P.A. ’00, the club also established a board of governors, wrote a new constitution, and created a nomination committee for succession planning. As part of the HAA’s Global Month of Service, HCQ collaborated with other local institutions, such as the U.S. consulate in Montreal, to organize meaningful events and initiatives. The club has also sponsored dozens of other gatherings, such as the popular Young Professional Speakers Series, to effectively engage alumni.