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 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.

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.

How Women Are Changing the NBA

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

Most popular

250 Years Ago, Harvard Was Home to a Revolution

A look at the sights, sounds, and characters that put the University on the frontlines of history

When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord

College students broke hearts and windows during their year in exile.

The Harvard-Trained Doctor Who Urged a Revolution

Before his heroic death, General Joseph Warren was dubbed “the greatest incendiary in all of America.”

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man with white hair, wearing a black coat, arms crossed, thoughtful expression.

The Framer Who Refused to Sign the Constitution

Harvard’s Elbridge Gerry helped draft the U.S. Constitution, but worried it might create a new monarch.

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

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.