HAA Clubs and SIGs awards

HAA Clubs and SIGs Awards recognize individual alumni and shared-interest groups that have made exceptional contributions to their Harvard communities.

Recipients of this year’s Outstanding Voluntary Leadership Award are Matthew G. Hegarty ’82 and Robert Manson, M.P.A. ’04, past presidents of the Harvard Club of Boston and the Harvard Club of Ireland, respectively. The pair collaborated across the global network of clubs and SIGs to spearhead the online Harvard Alumni Allyship Series, which has offered discussions and speakers on a range of topics—including anti-black racism, the LGBTQ+ community, Indigenous peoples, the war in Ukraine, and mental health—as well as an event for World AIDS Day underscoring the work of the Harvard-Botswana AIDS Institute Partnership.

The Outstanding Alumni Community Award honored four SIGs—the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance, Harvard Black Alumni Society, Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance, and Native American Alumni of Harvard University—that launched Unity Weekend, a three-day virtual conference both led by and celebrating alumni of color. More than 3,000 people around the globe gathered for panel discussions and conversations on environmental justice, entrepreneurship, and education, as well as for a story slam aimed at fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.