Harvard Board of Overseers
Encyclopedia
The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend The Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University
's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harvard College
, the Board of Overseers is sometimes referred to as the "senior" governing board because its formation predates the fellows' 1650 incorporation.
Today there are 30 overseers, all directly elected by alumni; at one point the board was self-perpetuating. Originally the overseers included, ex officio, the public officials and puritan clergy of Cambridge
and the neighboring towns (hence the "honorable and reverend" of the title).
Each year, Harvard alumni elect five new overseers to serve six-year terms. Overseers candidates are nominated by the Harvard Alumni Association, and those not nominated by the HAA (petition candidates) must gather signatures from Harvard alumni to appear on the ballot.
in his successful bid to join the board in 1989. Since Tutu's election in 1989 (and the altering of election rules), no petition candidate has been successful, including Barack Obama
, who lost in 1991.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harvard College
President and Fellows of Harvard College
The President and Fellows of Harvard College is the more fundamental of Harvard University's two governing boards...
, the Board of Overseers is sometimes referred to as the "senior" governing board because its formation predates the fellows' 1650 incorporation.
Today there are 30 overseers, all directly elected by alumni; at one point the board was self-perpetuating. Originally the overseers included, ex officio, the public officials and puritan clergy of Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and the neighboring towns (hence the "honorable and reverend" of the title).
Each year, Harvard alumni elect five new overseers to serve six-year terms. Overseers candidates are nominated by the Harvard Alumni Association, and those not nominated by the HAA (petition candidates) must gather signatures from Harvard alumni to appear on the ballot.
Current Overseers
The current Overseers are:- Mitchell L. Adams (2005–2011), Executive Director, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
- Photeine Anagnostopoulos (2009–2015), Chief Operating Officer, New York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of EducationThe New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
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Incorporated - Lynn Wan-Hsin Chang (2008–2014), Concert violinist
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LLP - Walter Clair (2009–2015), Director of Arrhythmia Consultation Services, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterVanderbilt University Medical CenterThe Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a collection of several hospitals and clinics, as well as the schools of medicine and nursing associated with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.It comprises the following units:...
- Ronald CohenRonald CohenSir Ronald Cohen is an Egyptian-born British businessman and political figure, known as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment".-Early life:...
(2007–2013), Chairman, Portland Capital, The Portland Trust & Bridges Ventures - Cheryl Dorsey (2010–2016), President, Echoing Green
- Sandra M. Faber (2006–2012), University Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa CruzUniversity of California, Santa CruzThe University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
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(2008–2014), Author; Writer-in-Residence, Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States... - Leila Fawaz (2006–2012), Professor of Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Tufts UniversityTufts UniversityTufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
- Paul J. Finnegan (2008–2014), Co-CEO, Madison Dearborn Partners
- Lucy Fisher (2007—2013), Film Producer and Co-Head, Red Wagon Entertainment
- Linda GreenhouseLinda GreenhouseLinda Greenhouse is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School...
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- Walter IsaacsonWalter IsaacsonWalter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
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- Karen Nelson Moore (2010–2016), U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- Diana Nelson (2010–2016), Director, Carlson Companies
- David W. OxtobyDavid W. OxtobyDavid William Oxtoby is the ninth and current president of Pomona College. He has held this position since July 1, 2003. A theoretical chemist, he received his undergraduate education at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1975 from the University of California, Berkeley...
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- Lisbet Rausing (2005–2011), Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
- Cristián Samper (2009–2015), Director, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
- Richard R. Schrock (2007–2013), Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry, MIT
- Robert N. Shapiro (2006–2012), Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP
- Susan S. Wallach (2005–2011), Former Special Counsel, Schulte Roth & ZabelSchulte Roth & ZabelSchulte Roth & Zabel is an American law firm and one of the top 100 largest law firms by revenue. The firm was founded in New York City in 1969 and launched in London offering American and English law capabilities in 2002. The firm also has an office in Washington, D.C...
LLP - Seth P. Waxman (2005–2011), Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
- Stephanie Wilson (2007–2013), Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Drew Gilpin FaustDrew Gilpin FaustCatherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an American historian, college administrator, and the president of Harvard University. Faust is the first woman to serve as Harvard's president and the university's 28th president overall. Faust is the fifth woman to serve as president of an Ivy League university, and...
, President, Harvard University (Ex officio) - James F. Rothenberg, Treasurer, Harvard University (Ex officio)
Petition candidates
In the late-1980s, a group calling for a withdrawal of Harvard's investments in Apartheid South Africa helped nominate petition candidates for overseers elections. Known as the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Against Apartheid (HRAAA), this group supported the first petition candidate to win an overseers' seat. The HRAAA also backed South African Archbishop Desmond TutuDesmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
in his successful bid to join the board in 1989. Since Tutu's election in 1989 (and the altering of election rules), no petition candidate has been successful, including Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, who lost in 1991.
External links
- Harvard University Board of Overseers
- Central Administration Governance of the University, from Office of the Provost