2021 HAA Award Winners

For outstanding service 

Six alumni have received the HAA Awards for their outstanding service to the University.


James E. Bowers

James E. Bowers, J.D. ’70, of West Hartford, Connecticut, has served as chair of the Harvard Law School (HLS) Reunion Gift Committee, and as a HLS Visiting Committee member, and vice president and treasurer of the Harvard Law School Association, among other roles. As part of the Dean’s Committee to Study the HLS Shield, he contributed to the design of a more inclusive shield this year, and in 2017 received the James Coolidge Carter Award for Distinguished Service to the HLSA and HLS.

Harold J. Burstein

Harold J. “Hal” Burstein ’86, M.D. ’90, Ph.D. ’94, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, a Harvard Medical School (HMS) professor and oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, serves as an HMS admissions subcommittee chair. As part of the HMS Alumni Council, he helped create the Distinguished Service Award for HMS alumni, and is a member of the HMS Class of 1990 Reunion and Fundraising Committee.


Gustavo A. Herrero

Gustavo A. Herrero, M.B.A. ’76, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was instrumental in founding the Harvard Business School’s Latin America Research Center (LARC), serving as its executive director for more than 14 years. A cofounder, former president, and longtime board member of the Harvard Club of Argentina, he also chaired the board of the Harvard-affiliated LASPAU and cofounded both the HBS Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning and the Social Enterprise Knowledge Network consortium.

Jay G. Hooper

Jay G. Hooper ’84, of Belmont, Massachusetts, is class treasurer, and has been president, secretary, and treasurer of the Association of Harvard College Class Secretaries and Treasurers (AHCCS&T). He has co-chaired his 20th, 25th, and 35th class reunions, and participated in numerous HAA initiatives.


Susan Morris Novick

Susan Morris Novick ’85, of Old Westbury, New York, is a director of Harvard Magazine and serves on the executive committee of the Harvard Alumni in IMPACT Shared Interest Group (SIG). A member of the HAA Board of Directors since 2010, she was HAA president in 2017–2018, and is a former president of the Harvard Club of Long Island.


Deborah A. Smullyan

Deborah A. Smullyan ’72, of Milton, Massachusetts, spent 17 years editing the “Red Books” for the HAA’s Class Report Office, and has been a contributing editor at Harvard Magazine, writing alumni obituaries, since 1993. An advocate for Radcliffe alumnae, she is a founding member of the Crimson Society as well as a member of the Committee for the Happy Observance of Commencement.

Related topics

You might also like

How Women Are Changing the NBA

From coaching staffs to front offices, female leaders are bringing new strategies to men’s basketball.

A New ‘Black Swan’ Musical Cranks Up the Tension

The creative team of the A.R.T.’s new show dish on adapting Darren Aronofsky’s thriller classic from screen to stage.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Most popular

How physical appearance influences authority

Cherubic features benefit black male CEOs, but not other groups, underscoring the complexity of social disadvantage.

At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket

The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”

A Right Way to Teach Reading?

The science, art, and politics of teaching an essential skill

Explore More From Current Issue

A glowing orange sun with a star and a trailing gas cloud in space.

A Harvard Astrophysicist Explains the Bizarre Behavior of a Supergiant Star

The dimming and rapid rotation of Betelgeuse may be caused by a hidden companion.

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Three joyful graduates in caps and gowns celebrate together outdoors.

Commencement Week Events

Harvard Commencement Events 2026