News from the HAA

Candidates for Election

This spring, five new Harvard Overseers and six new elected directors for the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) board will be chosen by alumni.

Ballots should arrive in the mail by April 15 and, to be counted, must be returned to Cambridge by noon on June 1. Election results will be announced at the HAA’s annual meeting on June 7, Commencement day. All Harvard degree holders, except Corporation members and officers of instruction and governance, are entitled to vote for Overseer candidates.

Candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are:

For Overseer (six-year term, five to be elected):

Ronald Cohen, M.B.A. ’69. London. Chairman, Portland Capital and The Portland Trust.

Lucy Fisher ’71. Los Angeles. Film producer and co-head of Red Wagon Entertainment.

Yuki Moore Laurenti ’79. Trenton, New Jersey. Director of capital campaign, Isles Inc.

Champ Lyons Jr. ’62. Montgomery, Alabama. Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Alabama.

Richard A. Meserve, J.D. ’75. Washington, D.C. President, Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Lisa M. Quiroz ’83, M.B.A. ’90. New York City. Senior vice president, corporate responsibility and inclusion, Time Warner Inc.

Stephanie D. Wilson, S.B. ’88. Houston. NASA astronaut.

For Elected Director (three-year term, six to be elected):

Stephen W. Baird ’74. Chicago. President and CEO, Baird & Warner Inc.

Richard B. Cooperstein ’88, M.B.A. ’95, Burbank, California. Senior vice president, finance, business development and equity ventures, Walt Disney Company.

Elena C. Crespo ’89, M.B.A. ’93. New York City. Senior vice president, director of client management, Citi Analytics, Citigroup Inc.

Catherine A. Gellert ’93. New York City. Partner, Windcrest Partners.

B. Lane MacDonald ’88. Boston. General partner, Alta Communications.

William E. Markus ’60. Pittsburgh. President, Markwalt Incorporated.

Phuong-Vien Nguyen ’86. Corona del Mar, California. Vice president, Morgan Stanley.

Nana Amma Twum-Danso ’94, M.D. ’98. Decatur, Georgia. Physician; director, Mebendazole Donation Initiative, The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, Emory University.

Sally Williams-Allen, M.A.T. ’65, Paris. Senior advisor in alumni relations, INSEAD business school.

The HAA nominating committee proposes Overseer and elected director candidates each year. The committee’s 12 voting members include three current or former Overseers and nine other alumni chosen by the HAA’s executive committee. Overseer and HAA elected director candidates may also be nominated by means of petitions signed by a prescribed number of eligible degree holders and filed by a set date early in the year.

 

Comings and Goings

University faculty often appear at local clubs: here are some speakers on tap this spring. For details, call the HAA (617-495-3070), or go to www.haa.harvard.edu.

On March 9, the Harvard Club of Sarasota hosts Ali Asani, professor of the practice of Indo-Muslim languages and cultures, for a lecture on “Religion and Politics in Contemporary Muslim Societies: The Rise of Anti-Western Movements in the Islamic World.” The Harvard Club of Naples (Florida) presents Sarofim-Rock professor of business administration Howard Stevenson on March 28. The next day Carswell professor of East Asian languages and civilizations Peter Bol discusses “Bringing Geography back to Harvard” at the Harvard Club of Georgia. Louise Richardson, executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, reveals “What Terrorists Want” at the Harvard Club of Maryland on March 31.

On April 4, members of the Harvard Club of Fairfield County can learn about “Globalization” from George Cabot Lodge, Chua Tiampo professor of business administration, emeritus. The Reverend Peter J. Gomes, Plummer professor of Christian morals, talks to the Harvard Club of the Research Triangle on April 23.

 

HAA Clubs Committee Awards

The HAA Clubs Committee Awards honor individuals who provide exemplary service to a Harvard club or shared interest group (SIG), as well as clubs and SIGs that have organized exceptional programming. The 2007 recipients follow.

Gary L. Crocker ’76, M.B.A. ’78, of Salt Lake City. Crocker has contributed to the success of the Harvard Alumni Association of Utah for more than 20 years. A two-term president, he has hosted major events, participated in the Prize Book program, and conducted interviews for the schools and scholarships committee.

Peter D. Weldon ’59, of Hong Kong. Weldon has raised the profile and efficacy of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong. As the current membership officer, he updated the alumni database, and continues to increase communications, outreach, and events planned.

The Harvard Club of Finland, established in 1996, boasts unusually strong membership and a thriving calendar of events. Past speakers include Henry Kissinger, John Kenneth Galbraith, and Al Gore. In June 2006, Finnish leaders and university presidents joined dean of the College Benedict Gross for a weekend celebration of the club’s tenth anniversary. The club also founded a scholarship fund for Finns to attend or work at the University, and was chosen to host the annual European Harvard Club Leaders Meeting in Helsinki in September.

Founded in 2002, the Harvard Black Alumni Society is a dynamic national organization through which black Harvard alumni convene, communicate, and contribute to the cultivation of both present and future black graduates. The society hosts events through local networks in many major cities, mentors undergraduates, and partners with student groups on goals and activites. A new website, www.hbasonline.org, helps maintain a listserv of more than 1,800 alumni, making the society the largest on-line network of black Ivy League graduates.

 

Return to Harvard Day

On April 18, all College alumni, and their spouses/partners and high-school-age offspring, can visit the College, attend classes, and meet faculty members. The HAA sends brochures promoting the event to alumni in New England. If you do not receive a brochure and want to attend, contact the HAA at 124 Mount Auburn Street, sixth floor, Cambridge 02138; 617-495-2555; or send your request by e-mail to alexandra_monti@harvard.edu.

 

Alumni Colleges

On March 10, the HAA and the Nieman Foundation present “Harvard in Journalism” at the Harvard Club of New York City (www.hcny.com). New York Times columnist Frank Rich ’71 (see page 40) delivers the keynote address prior to three afternoon panel discussions. Speakers include Jim Bell ’89, executive producer of the Today Show; Bill Marimow, NF ’82, executive editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer; and Louise Richardson, Ph.D. ’89, executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Topics include the changing nature of journalism  and the unique challenges of reporting on national security and politics.

A second Alumni College, “Space Exploration,” is set for April 28 in Cambridge. Speakers include Fisher professor of natural history and professor of earth and planetary sciences Andrew Knoll; assistant professor of planetary science Sarah Toby Stewart Mukhopadhyay; and astronomy professor Dimitar Sasselov.

For additional information or to register for an event, call 617-495-1920, e-mail haa_alumnieducation@harvard.edu, or visit http://post.harvard.edu/travel and click on “Alumni College.”

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