Rakesh Khurana, the Bower professor of leadership development at Harvard Business School and a professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is the new president of the Harvard Magazine Board of Directors. Khurana has played a role in the lives of countless Harvard students and their families, as faculty dean of Cabot House from 2010 to 2020 and as Danoff dean of Harvard College from 2014 to 2025. He guided the College through times of expansion and uncommon turmoil with a commitment to openness, inclusion, and accountability. (He was also a pioneering presence on social media.)
Khurana has also been a Harvard Magazine contributor, most recently with an essay in our January-February 2026 issue about Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber’s book on campus speech—which he declared “a call to sustain institutions that, despite their flaws, remain among our best hopes for educating citizens to prepare them for a pluralistic and interconnected world.”
Harvard Magazine takes pride in its role of helping to sustain one such institution, by engaging alumni and deepening their understanding of Harvard’s challenges, accomplishments, and promise. Khurana brings to this position a wealth of knowledge and insight into how organizations—small like our magazine and vast like Harvard—can grow and thrive at a time of change. We are excited and grateful for his leadership. —The Editors
