EACH YEAR, Harvard Magazine asks candidates for Harvard’s Board of Overseers—one of the University’s two governing boards—to answer the questions listed below. This compilation of their responses is published to help eligible voters understand the nominees’ approach to the Overseers’ role in assuring the institution’s academic quality and securing its future.
• What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
• What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
• How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
• Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
Their answers are presented unedited, with the candidates in alphabetical order.
These candidates were nominated by the Harvard Alumni Association nominating committee (along with candidates for HAA elected director; the full slates for each set of positions are available here). As of this date, no petitioners have qualified for the ballot (and none of those who sought to get on the ballot via petition in 2024 have indicated interest in trying again this year). Should a petition candidate or candidates qualify for the ballot (the deadline for submitting papers is January 30), this post will be updated and extended to incorporate all people competing for election this spring.
There are eight nominees for Overseer, and an anticipated five vacancies. Balloting is open from April 1 through May 14 at 5:00 P.M.
Lanhee J. Chen ’99, A.M. ’04, J.D. ’07, Ph.D. ’09, Mountain View, California, Steffy fellow in American public policy studies, Hoover Institution, and director of domestic policy studies, public policy program, Stanford University; partner, Brunswick Group
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
The challenges facing Harvard are well-known: a difficult and often unpredictable environment that all elite colleges and universities operate within; a campus and society around it that is divided on many of the significant issues of the day; ever-increasing costs that place quality higher education out of reach for an increasing number of families; as well as technological and societal developments that have upended the traditional pedagogical model and methods that American universities have embraced for generations. I believe Harvard’s greatest opportunity is to foster a campus environment that promotes civil and constructive dialogue amongst a truly diverse set of viewpoints. When I first arrived at Harvard College over 25 years ago, I recall that while I may not have always expressed opinions on some issues that were consistent with those around me, I felt free to say what was on my mind, whether in the classroom or the dining hall. The ability to safely and constructively express my perspectives—and explore different viewpoints with those around me—was a hallmark of the more than decade I spent at three different Harvard schools. Today, the temperature on campus seems to get far too hot whenever conversations on contentious topics occur. Members of the Harvard community can and should have strongly held beliefs on all sides of a contentious issue. But these discussions too often deteriorate into uncivil and unkind expressions toward one another, resulting in a challenging campus environment for all. I believe that Harvard’s leaders should model and promote the values of civil discourse and true viewpoint diversity. This will go a long way toward fostering a campus that is welcoming, inclusive, and representative of the divergent points of view held by its students, faculty, and staff. Harvard’s other significant opportunity is to continue to build upon its already industry-leading financial aid policies, so that it continues to be accessible to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. This will become more challenging as the cost of elite college and university educations become ever more expensive. But Harvard can meet the challenge by ensuring the sound management of its significant endowment and wise stewardship of annual budgets and current use funds.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
The Board of Overseers is a group of women and men who all devote themselves to ensuring that Harvard’s future is secure. It would be an honor for me to join a group of individuals who each must exercise their best judgment to “advance Harvard’s academic mission and long-term institutional interests.” But the Board alone cannot address the challenges Harvard faces and realize the opportunities presented to it. Overseers must lead, guide and conduct oversight of the University’s leaders as they make the daily decisions that will shape its success. It is up to the members of the Board to model and represent the diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds that strengthen Harvard. And it is up to the Overseers to engage in the civil dialogue and debate that will produce the guidance needed to improve the University and bring it to ever higher heights. I believe Harvard succeeds when it sets new standards of academic excellence, and this is the core of what Overseers are responsible for—to assess and look after the performance of Harvard’s schools and departments. From my experience on other boards, I believe strongly that it is not the Overseers’ responsibility to be involved in the daily management of the University, but instead to provide its leaders with the strategic counsel and guidance they need to effectively ensure the proper balance between short-term success and longer-term progress on key institutional priorities.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I have spent my career at the intersection of academia, public service, and business and believe that these experiences contribute to my ability to serve as an Overseer at this important juncture. In these opportunities, I have worked to find common ground and promote dialogue with others whose backgrounds, life stories, or perspectives are very different from mine. For the last decade, I have been a part of the community at Stanford University—teaching public policy and law, conducting research and writing on contemporary issues at the Hoover Institution, and providing academic and professional counsel to students interested in public service. During this time, I have introduced students to a diversity of thought, worked to foster civil debate in the classroom and in my administrative responsibilities on campus, and become intimately familiar with the challenges facing elite institutions of higher learning during a particularly fraught time. My time in public service taught me that despite our differences, we share a common destiny as Americans. And our nation’s leaders must come together to solve some of our biggest problems. I’ve advised presidential candidates, senior leaders in the federal government, and policymakers at the state and local level in their efforts to do just this. As a presidential appointee to the bipartisan and independent U.S. Social Security Advisory Board, I worked with others who held widely divergent views to arrive at consensus on ways to strengthen an important program. And in 2022, I ran for California State Controller on a platform of bringing people across the political spectrum together to address California’s fiscal challenges. Finally, I’ve helped global business leaders navigate the complex policy, regulatory, and media landscape in America as a partner at the Brunswick Group, a critical issues consulting firm. This work has been supplemented by my time as an on-air contributor to two different television news networks. And I’ve had extensive service on both corporate and nonprofit boards, including as the former Chair and a current board member of a health system undergoing significant growth, a leadership transition, and strategic transformation from a community hospital to a billion-dollar business providing integrated care in Silicon Valley.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
Our society is in an unfortunate time of great division and tumult. But Harvard should not shy away from addressing the very real challenges it faces, while positioning itself to seize the opportunities that lie ahead. I want to be a part of the team that helps the University do just this. Harvard has shaped my personal and professional identity more than any other institution I have been a part of. I earned four degrees from Harvard and spent time at the College, GSAS, HLS, and as both a teaching fellow and nonresident tutor. I’ve helped to plan major class reunions, stayed active with the Harvard College Fund, and conducted alumni interviews to meet the next generation of Harvard students. When I attended my twenty-fifth College reunion last year, I realized how much life on campus has changed since I first arrived in Cambridge in 1995. It’s not just the remodeled Houses, new buildings on campus, or the changed restaurants and stores in the Square, but also the way that technology has completely changed the way that Harvard students learn and interact with one another. I have enough distance from my time at Harvard to understand both the ways in which these differences have improved the University, but also the areas where there is work left to be done. Few places mean more to me than Harvard, and I am fully invested in ensuring its success for generations to come. I see service on the Board of Overseers as both a tremendous opportunity to shape the institution’s future and to help Harvard continue to earn trust from alumni, leaders in business and government, and the public.
Mark A. Edwards ’82, Brookline, Massachusetts, co-founder and CEO, Upstream USA; founder and former executive director, Opportunity Nation
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
The most important challenge facing Harvard today is the same challenge most well-known, publicly facing institutions face today: an erosion of trust. This is not unique to Harvard, but because Harvard operates as a category leader, in an environment that has such intense scrutiny, Harvard is held to a higher standard. Every decision is analyzed and debated in the public sphere, and expectations for performance are incredibly high. Trust in institutions across many sectors is at an all-time low. This erosion of trust manifests itself at Harvard in many ways – declining early acceptance rates for the last couple of years, a divided community, a sense that the University isn't listening as closely as it should to its key stakeholders – but in all this challenge is hidden an enormous opportunity to lead. Institutional leadership begins with creating and nurturing an environment where multiple constituencies and stakeholders can speak their mind without fear of reprisal; listening hard to divergent perspectives; anchoring decisions in the University's core values("respect for the rights, differences, and dignity of others; honesty and integrity; conscientious pursuit of excellence in our work; accountability for actions and conduct; responsibility for the bonds and bridges that enable all to grow with and learn from one another.”); and communicating consistently and transparently about process and outcome. Harvard has an enormous opportunity to rebuild trust. It is still one of the most sought-after universities in the country, it has extraordinary resources, it remains a world leader across many disciplines. But we need to communicate better and rebuild perceptions about who we are. Regaining trust is particularly challenging in a world where, increasingly, people are unwilling to listen to viewpoints different from their own. For example, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court case on affirmative action, universities across the country will look to Harvard to show how to deliver on its commitment to create a diverse student body. The scale of the world’s problems that Harvard is working to solve is enormous, and as the University continues to innovate and provide novel solutions, it will be so much more successful if it can communicate from a position of trusted academic excellence, integrity, and grounded in the public’s belief that decisions that are made anchored in a set of values that are transparent, well known, and respected.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
The Board of Overseers plays an important bridge role between the faculty, students, and staff, and the leadership of the University. By design it is made-up of a set of alumni from diverse backgrounds who do not bring a monolithic viewpoint. As a result, the Board can contribute by listening closely, ensuring that there is an environment for healthy debate, and being willing to elevate issues and perspectives as they arise. The Board also brings perspectives external to the University to ensure strategic decisions reflect this additional context.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I am a nonprofit entrepreneur with a deep commitment to expanding opportunity in America – I also bring expertise in helping organizations communicate persuasively about complex problems. Ten years ago I started Upstream, a nonprofit that trains primary care providers to offer best in class contraceptive care to make sure patients can get the contraception they need. In the US, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and though this healthcare arena that has become highly politicized, we have grown into the largest organization in the country increasing contraceptive access, even working in states where abortion has been restricted. We have been successful by being good listeners, and navigating multiple stakeholders with diverging perspectives. Today, nearly a million patients across 31 states are receiving best-in-class contraceptive care in health centers Upstream has trained. Before Upstream, I started a nonprofit, Opportunity Nation, to bring a diverse coalition of businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions together to improve the pipeline from community college to employment. We convened a bipartisan policy group from the Center for American Progress, the Brookings Institution, and the Heritage Foundation, to help guide the process. Opportunity Nation’s coalition helped pass the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. My commitment to improving opportunity began when I helped start a nonprofit in Boston that provides high quality preschool to homeless children to support their path out of poverty. I served on their board for 24 years and was board chair for five – we have helped thousands of families secure housing, and helped parents get sustainable jobs. My first company, which I launched freshman year from Grays Hall, was a branding and communications company serving admissions and development offices of educational institutions. One of my early clients was Harvard College’s admissions office, when I produced one of its first admissions videos. Over the next twenty-five years I helped many of the nation’s top 50educational institutions differentiate themselves more effectively to prospective students and donors, including Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School. The consistent line through all of these organizations has been an ability to frame issues in ways that are persuasive, and build support for a set of core values across a wide variety of stakeholders. I hope to bring this experience to the Board.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
I am humbled to be asked to apply for the Board, and I am well aware of the challenges of governance in hyper-charged political environments. I served as a trustee at Phillips Exeter Academy for ten years during the sexual misconduct revelations – it was a difficult and emotionally challenging experience. Through that experience and others, I’ve come to believe that the most important times to try to step up and serve are during times when institutions can benefit from support and guidance. It’s easy to do so when things are going well, and there’s no controversy. Harvard gave me extraordinary opportunities and it would be an honor to give back in this way, particularly at this moment in its history.
Mary Louise Kelly ’93, Washington, D.C., journalist and broadcaster, co-host of All Things Considered, National Public Radio
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
No point in sugar-coating this: the turmoil of last year did damage to Harvard’s reputation. Some of this damage was self-inflicted. Our university continues to wrestle with where to draw the line, when staying true to one cherished value seems to put it in conflict with another. Harvard must be an institution where free speech and spirited debate flourish, where even viewpoints that some find deeply offensive may be voiced. It should also be an institution where students and staff are able to work without fear, and where the exercise of free speech does not disrupt the activities of our community. In principle, these values can co-exist; in practice, as we saw, navigating that line can be treacherous. Our challenge is to tip the scales back towards common sense. After the hullabaloo last year, Harvard reconsidered whether and when to issue official statements on publicly salient issues. The final report—shared with alumni on May 28, 2024—concluded that the “university and its leaders… should not issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function” as an academic institution. Fine, but then how DOES Harvard project its values? Should it even try, or does that risk compromising the academic mission? The answers we arrive at will be scrutinized by the next generation of students, trying to decide whether this is a place where they can thrive. Harvard’s website notes that as “America’s oldest and most venerable institution of higher learning, "our mission is to “advance new ideas and promote enduring knowledge.” I think about how we do that in an era of soundbites and scrolling, when people increasingly get news from TikTok and Instagram. How do we promote academic rigor in such a climate? How do we shape a curriculum that instills structured thinking and deep knowledge across disciplines? What gives me hope is a conversation I’ve had over and over, around the world, reporting from places from Iran to Saudi Arabia to China. You can sit down with a person who distrusts America’s political leaders or its popular culture—but who still wants to brainstorm on how to get their kid into Harvard. They see Harvard as a beacon of excellence; they see America’s universities as something that America gets right. Our opportunity lies in protecting and deepening that for generations to come.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
Overseers are the mechanism for one arm of Harvard to learn from another. To break down silos and to share best practices across disciplines and faculties. They serve as a sounding board for the university’s leaders. Put simply, Overseers have real-life experience. They have accumulated decades outside of Cambridge, applying what they learned there in the outside world. I may have forgotten some of what I learned in my years at Harvard—God help me if I were faced today with an astronomy problem set—but I hope I’ve picked up a little wisdom along the way. That can be useful when lofty principles and reality collide. When the system works as intended, the Board of Overseers can apply both fresh eyes and also love for Harvard (they are, after all, alumni who care enough about the University to volunteer a great deal of time towards the goal of making it better). Journalists learn that two of the most valuable questions you can ask are “Why?” and “Give me an example?” Both help to move people past abstract talking points and towards something concrete, something you can wrap your arms around. The Board of Overseers’ role should be asking these questions of Harvard’s faculty, students and staff.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
As a professional journalist and interviewer at NPR, I ask tough questions for a living. Not to trap or embarrass anyone, but to try to figure out what really matters to them, what they believe and why, and what evidence they can marshal to support their position. My job requires me to speak to people who move through the world in very different ways than I do, who are experts in things about which I know little, or who hold views diametrically opposed to mine. The job requires treating them with courtesy and respect. It also requires listening closely and following up when they give answers that are incomplete, or untrue, or contradicted by the facts. You have to interrupt when they try to dodge a question. You have to push. When asked why I do the job I do, I like to point out that on the best days, I get to put questions to powerful people in the service of holding them to account. I have always seen this as both a privilege and a responsibility. It also seems like a useful skillset to bring to an oversight role at an institution as complex as Harvard. I would relish the opportunity to put hard questions to Harvard’s leaders, in the service of holding them to account and making our university stronger.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
The first reason is personal. My children have grown into young adults; as of last fall, they are both off at college. For the first time in twenty years, I am staring down weekends that are not packed with driving to back-of-beyond soccer fields where I scream myself hoarse from the bleachers. My career remains consuming, but I have a little more time. The other reason is that the moment seems urgent. Harvard was shaken last year. We see continuing attacks on private universities, including legal, political and financial pressure campaigns. We can either react from a defensive crouch or we can use this moment of flux to open the door to new leadership and new ways of thinking about what a university can be, and what its responsibility looks like to its students, alumni and wider community.
Nathaniel Owen Keohane, Ph.D. ’01, New York City, president, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
I believe that Harvard has a unique role to play in addressing climate change – a generational challenge that demands urgent action. As the world’s foremost institution of higher learning, Harvard has the opportunity and responsibility to lead on climate by creating and disseminating knowledge, developing innovative technologies and policy solutions, educating the next generation of leaders, tapping the enormous potential of the university’s alumni, leveraging its considerable financial and cultural resources and influence, and serving as a exemplar for other prominent institutions.
A number of efforts are already underway at the university. Harvard was already a leader on environmental issues when I arrived as a doctoral student in the 1990s, with a distinguished history in measuring and understanding biodiversity, world-leading collections of flora and fauna, and the unparalleled intellectual legacy of giants like E.O. Wilson. That legacy has continued through the establishment of the Harvard University Center for the Environment in 2001 and then the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability in 2022, along with myriad other centers and initiatives – including the Harvard Environmental Economics Program (of which I am a proud alumnus). These efforts, in particular the establishment of the Salata Institute, are vital. But the scope of the challenge is vast and increasing, with climate damages worsening, the need for adaptation ever more pressing, and the energy transition still just in its infancy.
With its unparalleled alumni base, climate-related network, convening power, leading faculty, committed students, and now the Salata Institute, Harvard is poised to take the next steps to be a leader in addressing climate challenges. These challenges span science, technology, medicine, the law, economics, policy, government, business, health, and design – all fields in which Harvard excels. Ultimately, climate and clean energy solutions will be to a great degree built on new ideas that emerge from universities and in particular from Harvard. Moreover, success in climate and sustainability will form a template for how Harvard’s decentralized structure can draw on its complementary strengths to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, which will increasingly demand a coherent vision and strategy across all its Schools.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
In line with its charge to “[draw] on its members’ diverse experience and expertise … [to provide] counsel to the University’s leadership on priorities, plans, and strategic initiatives,” the Board of Overseers can advance Harvard’s leadership on climate change in a number of ways: identifying timely opportunities where Harvard’s research and insights have outsized impact in informing policy debates; connecting faculty, staff, and students to policy makers and civil society organizations; collaborating with the Salata Institute and other university centers to amplify Harvard’s impact and reach; and providing a sounding board for the faculty and administration on how Harvard can best use its resources to create useful knowledge and drive positive change. A particularly important role for the Board is to help Harvard faculty and the administration to identify opportunities that transcend individual Schools.
The Board of Overseers is one of a very few entities that reach across the entire university, giving it a unique role in elevating the effectiveness and impact of Harvard’s research, scholarship and engagement on cross-cutting issues such as climate change. Several of Harvard’s peers – including Stanford, Columbia, the University of Chicago, and MIT – have launched very significant university-wide initiatives on climate and sustainability in recent years, either through new Schools or through well-funded institutes with significant internal authorities. With its view across the University, the Board of Overseers can guide senior leadership towards significantly greater commitments and impact – helping to develop the integrated vision, strategy, and implementation plan that is needed for Harvard to reach its enormous potential as a world leader on climate.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I am one of the country’s foremost leaders and experts on climate change policy. Over the course of three decades, I have been a scholar, teacher, environmental advocate, senior White House official, and now the leader of prominent climate NGO. As a professor at Yale, I taught environmental strategy and focused my research on the cap-and-trade programs that provided a template for policies in California and the EU. I subsequently taught climate policy at the NYU School of Law.
At Environmental Defense Fund, I played a central role in designing and advocating for the Waxman-Markey climate bill that passed the House of Representatives in 2009 before foundering in the Senate. As Special Assistant for Energy and Environment to President Obama in the White House, I was deeply engaged in all environmental and energy regulation including the first-ever standards to limit climate pollution from power plants; led interagency processes to develop a proposed national Clean Energy Standard and other policies; served on the U.S. delegation at the UN climate negotiations at COP17 in Durban; and helped catalyze what became the world’s first climate regime for international aviation. As Vice President and then Senior Vice President at EDF, I was a prominent voice for the markets provision (Article 6) of the Paris Agreement; helped to establish the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA); successfully advocated for the extension of California’s cap-and-trade program; and laid the groundwork for a robust market for high-quality forest carbon credits, known as “jurisdictional REDD+.”
Now as President of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), a DC-based NGO that works with policy makers and businesses to develop and implement ambitious and effective climate and energy policies, I am actively involved on a range of issues including the enactment, implementation, and defense of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and efforts to strengthen, reform, and scale up voluntary carbon markets. I have an unparalleled, cross-sectoral, global network of current and former policy makers, leaders in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, and prominent scholars and thinkers – including many whom I have taught and mentored. I am keen to put my experience, network, and knowledge to work in order to support Harvard in playing a central role in addressing climate change – and contributing to a safer and more prosperous future for all.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
I am passionate about addressing climate change. I have been an environmentalist since childhood, deeply influenced by my grandmother’s love of wild places. I came to Harvard as a graduate student to study economics in order to inform the design of more effective environmental policies, and have devoted my career to that effort. I am standing for election as an Overseer now because I believe that climate change is a generational challenge that demands urgent action, that Harvard has a unique role to play in addressing that challenge – and that my professional experience and leadership make me well-suited to help Harvard fully realize that vision.
Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D. ’87, Atlanta, president and CEO, Morehouse School of Medicine
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
Harvard faces the challenge of adapting to a rapidly evolving global landscape, where the integration of technology, equity, and sustainability in education is paramount. The University must also address growing concerns about accessibility and diversity to ensure that its excellence benefits a broader segment of society. Harvard’s unmatched resources position it to lead innovative research, tackle societal inequities, and shape the future of interdisciplinary education.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
The Board serves as a vital bridge between the University and the global community, providing strategic oversight and ensuring accountability in advancing Harvard’s mission. By fostering a culture of inclusion, supporting pioneering research, and holding the administration to the highest standards of integrity, the Board empowers the University to address critical issues and seize opportunities.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
My career has been dedicated to addressing disparities and fostering systemic change in healthcare and education. These experiences equip me to contribute to Harvard’s efforts to innovate and remain a beacon of excellence. My leadership at Morehouse School of Medicine demonstrates my ability to align institutional priorities with societal needs.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
This moment demands leaders who can navigate complexity with vision and purpose. With decades of experience in academic leadership, healthcare innovation, and equity advocacy, I bring a unique perspective to the Board. I am committed to helping Harvard address pressing challenges and leverage its unparalleled resources to create a transformative global impact.
Michael Rosenblatt, M.D. ’73, Newton, Massachusetts, advisory partner, Ascenta Capital; senior adviser, Bain Capital Life Sciences and Flagship Pioneering; former executive vice president and chief medical officer, Merck; former dean, Tufts University Medical School
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
Truth is the one-word "North Star" of the University. The University community must continue to learn ways to discover "truth". The University community must engage in this discovery process with open minds and through respectful discourse. Once discovered, truth must be defended against distortion and degradation. This challenge is present across disciplines and within professions. The discovery process requires the interaction of education, research, and discourse. At Harvard, we must assure that these three components are present at the highest level of quality. We also live in a time when the values and work of the University are challenged or come under attack. The importance of diversity in a learning community is one of the values under assault. We have an opportunity to interface better with the external world and explain what we contribute and our process for doing so. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, will impact every field and many aspects of daily life. We need to learn how to harness such opportunities, emphasizing their best uses and avoiding potentially damaging uses. With so many opportunities before us, we need to find the resources, both human and financial, to wisely seize the right ones Leadership and vision will be key ingredients in our succeeding in advancing knowledge and serving society--at no time have we ever been presented with greater opportunity.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
The Board of Overseers are one component, but an important component, of a layered governance structure to assure that the efforts of the University (its faculty, administration and students) are advancing its multiple missions at the highest levels of quality and effectiveness, and with appropriate speed. The Overseers are given the opportunity to assess the performance of these schools and other components of the University and to make recommendations. Importantly, the Overseers are principally an advisory group; they do not have decision-making authority.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I have held major leadership positions in academia and industry. I have been on university, government and industry review panels, and I have been a member of task forces charged with setting education and research priorities for medical schools, international professional societies, national and international-level initiatives, corporations, and biotech start-ups. I understand the difference between governance and managing, and between fiduciary and advisory and can operate in these different contexts.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
I was honored to be asked to stand for election. I did not seek the opportunity and frankly did not expect it. But once presented with the possibility, I undertook learning about the role and responsibilities of the Overseers, and who the members are. I believe the Overseers can provide valuable advice and guidance, based on their experience and (hopefully) wisdom. I believe my own expertise will fit into the overall mandate of the Overseers, and I think I will learn a lot if given the chance to serve. Plus I would be greatly honored to join this group of distinguished people who are working together to advance Harvard.
Anjali Sud, M.B.A. ’11, New York City, CEO; Tubi; former CEO, Vimeo
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
Harvard’s biggest challenge today, and biggest opportunity for tomorrow, is relevance. The transformative power of a liberal arts education to equip the citizen-leaders of our society is at risk. There is skepticism around the value of higher education versus its cost, and that will only grow as AI and reskilling permeate and as Gen Alpha and Beta increasingly gravitate to digital mediums for learning. With challenge comes opportunity—and Harvard is also uniquely positioned to define the future of what higher education can and should look like. As an institution we possess the legitimacy, resources, access and motivation to do this, and the world will look to us to lead. It is an incredibly important and energizing time for our community that we should embrace head on.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
As a tech leader I have learned that you can only build great products when you deeply understand and anticipate the needs of your customers. In order for Harvard to effectively navigate today’s landscape, we must maintain that same pulse on the most fundamental educational needs of the next generation. We must also be able to foresee how those needs will evolve and act decisively to evolve our curriculum in response. I view the role of the Overseers as supporting the institution in deepening this pulse through a culture that encourages creativity, innovation and thinking differently beyond what has worked in the past. In short, the role is to be an enabler of positive change.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I have dedicated my career to helping organizations transform during times of existential risk, by turning challenges into opportunity. Having served as CEO of two global video companies and having governed on the boards of public companies and social enterprises, I have witnessed firsthand how to effectively navigate change and how to intentionally design a culture that enables creative transformation. Through my work I also have a strong pulse on how the workforce is evolving, how the younger generation is being served and how technology and innovation will impact our lives, from AI to cloudbased software to new forms of media and distribution. On a personal level, I care deeply about bolstering the value of higher education. I am the eldest of Indian immigrants, raised in Flint, Michigan. My parents came to this country to give their kids a shot at the American dream, and I was able to achieve mine largely because of access to quality education. I want to pay it forward by doing work that provides more opportunity and access for more people in the next generation.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
I was asked to serve, and there is no better time than the present! I genuinely believe my experience as a business and tech leader can provide a helpful vantage at a transformative time for Harvard, and I’d be honored to contribute.
Courtney B. Vance ’82, La Canada Flintridge, California, actor, producer, writer; president and chair, SAG-AFTRA Foundation
What are the most important challenges facing the University—and what are its most significant opportunities?
As one of the world’s most storied institutions of higher learning, I see Harvard’s most important challenge today is regaining its moral center after the recent Supreme Court, Congressional and internal attacks on its character. I truly believe that as A.I. continues to evolve in our world today, our significant opportunity will be tapping back into our most valuable resource—our people. We need to re-engage & reconnect with one another. Communication is our superpower! At the end of the day, this world will always be about people, not technology.
What is the Board of Overseers’ role in Harvard’s response to those challenges—and in its efforts to realize those opportunities?
I believe this past year was a real wake-up call for the Harvard community to see that even fair Harvard, is not immune to institutional chaos. Therefore, I see the Overseers role is ensuring that Harvard remains true to its core values.
How do your experiences and interests bear on the prior two questions?
I felt disconnected as an alumnus for the first 10 years after graduating, and I believe that re-engaging and bringing more disconnected alums back into the fold will help make the Harvard community much stronger. Communicating person-to-person is what I am all about. Having a long, productive career in the business-of-show has prepared me to contribute in a meaningful and impactful way. Why? Because connecting with people, consensus building, and the lost art of listening, are the little things that will help us reconnect and reposition ourselves at home and abroad.
Why are you standing for election as an Overseer now?
I care deeply about Harvard, and as we prepare for our fifth century, it’s time to give my whole self to that effort.
