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RESULTS ARE IN
THANK YOU FOR VOTING!

March 17, 2025

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COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD ANNOUNCES ENDORSED CANDIDATES FOR HARVARD ELECTIONS

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The need to elect leaders who will hold fast to the University’s commitment to an “environment that values diversity, promotes an inclusive culture, and establishes a profound sense of belonging for each member of our community” has never been greater. In this moment of peril for democracy, scholarship, and the freedom to learn, we need Harvard’s leaders to stand up.

 

As we have for the past decade, the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard is – after exhaustive research and review – endorsing candidates in the Harvard elections. Here are the 5 Overseer candidates and 6 Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Elected Director candidates we endorse.


In ballot order

OUR ENDORSEMENTS

 

Overseer Candidates

  • Anjali Sud MBA '11

  • Mark A. Edwards AB '82

  • Mary Louise Kelly AB '93

  • Nathaniel Owen Keohane PhD '01

  • Courtney B. Vance AB '82

 

Elected Director candidates

  • Angela M. Ruggiero AB '02, MBA '14

  • Sanjay Seth MPA '19, MUP '19

  • Theresa J. Chung AB '98, JD '02

  • Daniel H. Ahn AB '90, MBA '97

  • Colin J. Kegler AB '97

  • Victoria "Vicky" Wai Ka Leung AB '91

To learn more, please visit our 2025 Endorsements page.

We are proud to be joined in our endorsements by these extraordinary organizations:
 

Appian Way Alliance for Alumni of Color  

Black Alumnae of Harvard Equity Initiative

Black Harvard Alumni United

First Generation Harvard Alumni

Harvard Arab Alumni Association

Harvard Alumni for Black Advancement

Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance

Harvard Black Alumni Society

Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus

Harvard Kennedy School Black Alumni Association

Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance

Harvard Law School Black Alumni Network

Harvard Progressive Jewish Alumni

Harvard South Asian Alumni Alliance

Harvard Tamil Alumni

Harvard University Muslim Alumni

Native American Alumni of Harvard University

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The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard will not retreat from our mission: to fight for diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice. We researched every candidate extensively as always. (In past years, that has included petition candidates; there are none this year.) We met repeatedly to discuss each candidate’s experience advancing racial justice and equity before choosing whom to endorse. We have endorsed those we believe will best support our collective vision for Harvard and will work to prevent further harm.
 

Jane Sujen Bock, Jeannie Park, Kristin R. Penner, Margaret M. Chin, & Michael Williams

Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

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The 2025 Candidate Review Committee

Jane Sujen Bock A.B. '81, Laura Dumbach A.B. '84, Kristin R. Penner A.B. '89, Tab Timothy Stewart A.B. '88, David Van Taylor A.B. '83, Rachel B. Tiven A.B. '96, Emily Van Dyke A.B. '03, MPH '09, Itzel Vasquez-Rodriguez A.B. '17, Michael Williams A.B. '81, Rashid Yasin S.B. '12 (with thanks to David Lewis A.B. ‘25, J.J. Moore A.B. ‘26, Rebecca Zhang A.B. ‘26, and Barbara Koh A.B. ‘81).

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April 6, 2023

COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD STATEMENT ON CAMPUS "SWATTING" INCIDENT 

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In response to false 911 calls, at least five armed Harvard University Police Department officers raided a Leverett House dorm suite at 4 am on April 3rd, holding four Black seniors at gunpoint, the Harvard Crimson has reported. Jarah K. Cotton ‘23 told the Crimson that HUPD officers in riot gear banged on her door and pointed assault rifles at her and her roommates.

 

“We were all extremely scared, particularly because my roommates and I are Black students who have been bombarded our whole lives with stories and images portraying how situations such as this had ended up terribly,” Cotton wrote. “We felt our lives were in danger. We are traumatized.”

 

The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard stands with Harvard students and the Harvard Black Alumni Society in calling for a University-wide response to this horrifying incident, including a comprehensive examination of HUPD’s conduct. The two-day delay before the HUPD chief provided details of the raid and before Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana acknowledged the “deeply troubling” attack in an email to undergraduates has heightened fear and alienation among students of color and throughout the Harvard community.

 

Diverse Harvard has fought hard to support Harvard’s efforts to bring diverse students to the Harvard campus. It is equally important that Harvard ensures that all students feel safe, comfortable, welcome, and cared for on the Harvard campus. This raid and the University’s deficient response have made many Black students feel the opposite, especially given the context of horrific police violence against Black people in the U.S., a series of disturbing incidents involving the HUPD, and widespread frustration with Harvard Mental Health Services.

 

“Swatting” attacks disproportionately endanger people of color and can cause anxiety in the entire community. Harvard must not magnify the damage in its response. The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard is committed to supporting students as they work toward the development of protocols that will address the mental health ramifications of this incident and prevent future incidents. We urge the Harvard administration to welcome their input.

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Jane Sujen Bock, Jeannie Park, Kristin R. Penner, Margaret M. Chin, & Michael Williams

Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

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March 16, 2023

COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD ANNOUNCES ENDORSED CANDIDATES FOR HARVARD ELECTIONS
 

The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard urges you to VOTE for the terrific candidates below when your online ballot arrives on March 31. These candidates have the strongest histories of advocacy and accomplishments on diversity initiatives and are best positioned to help Harvard be a more diverse, inclusive, and just institution. We endorse them enthusiastically, and we need your support to get them elected.

 

To learn more about the fantastic endorsed candidates and the endorsement process please go to our 2023 Candidate Endorsements page. 

 

 In ballot order

 

OUR OVERSEER ENDORSEMENTS

 

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OUR HAA ELECTED DIRECTOR ENDORSEMENTS

 

* Member of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

We are proud to be joined in our endorsements by these extraordinary organizations:
 

Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

First Generation Harvard Alumni

Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance

Harvard Black Alumni Society

Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus

Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance

Harvard South Asian Alumni Alliance

Harvard Tamil Sangam Alumni

Native American Alumni of Harvard University

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October 31, 2022

COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD RALLIES FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AT SCOTUS

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September 29, 2022

We Urge The Supreme Court Not To Take Us Backwards
 

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard and 24 other Harvard student and alum organizations. Our brief calls on the Supreme Court to uphold over 40 years of precedent holding that it is legally permissible to consider race as one of many admissions factors.
 

“Colleges and universities cannot reap the education benefits of diversity unless they have the freedom to consider race . . . to identify talented and qualified students of color, whose prospects are artificially depressed by the unequal PK-12 educational landscape,” writes our LDF lawyer Michaele Turnage Young JD ‘06, who has represented the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard since 2018.

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SCOTUS will hear arguments in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC on Oct 31st at 10 am. Please join us at rallies in DC to tell the Supreme Court they must defend diversity in higher education! 

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March 20, 2022

COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD ANNOUNCES ENDORSED CANDIDATES FOR HARVARD ELECTIONS

The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard urges you to VOTE for the terrific candidates below when your online ballot arrives on April 1. These candidates have the strongest histories of advocacy and accomplishments on diversity initiatives and are best positioned to help Harvard be a more diverse, inclusive, and just institution. We endorse them enthusiastically, and we need your support to get them elected.

 

OUR OVERSEER ENDORSEMENTS

 (in ballot order)
 

 

 

 

 

 

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OUR HAA ELECTED DIRECTOR ENDORSEMENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Member of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

We are proud to be joined in our endorsements by these extraordinary organizations:
 

First Generation Harvard Alumni

Harvard Arab Alumni Association

Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance

Harvard Black Alumni Society

Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus

Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance

Harvard Progressive Jewish Alumni

Harvard South Asian Alumni Alliance

Harvard Tamil Sangam Alumni

Native American Alumni of Harvard University



To learn more about the fantastic endorsed candidates and the endorsement process please go to our 2022 Candidate Endorsements page. 

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January 24, 2022

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COALITION FOR A DIVERSE HARVARD STATEMENT ON

SCOTUS ANNOUNCEMENT

“Those of us who were lucky enough to have gone to Harvard know that what is at stake here


May 28, 2021

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ELECTION NEWS

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We are proud that 8 of the 11 candidates we endorsed – along with 11 other alumni organizations committed to racial justice – were elected.

 

Congrats to the newly elected Overseers:
 

  • Mark J. Carney ’87, the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance*

  • Christopher B. Howard, the president of Robert Morris University

  • Raymond J. Lohier Jr. ’88, a U.S. Circuit Judge*

  • Megan H. Red Shirt-Shaw, an Indigenous activist and Harvard Forward candidate

  • Sheryl WuDunn, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist*.

 

And the new HAA Elected Directors: 
 

  • Whitney S. F. Baxter ’07, an executive at MTV*

  • Jane Labanowski ’17, lead of Spaceport development at SpaceX*

  • Hannah Park ’13, a human resources partner at Curriculum Associates*

  • Rebecca C. Ribaudo ’93, an author; 

  • George A. Thampy ’10, an executive at CareDx*

  • Maiya W. Verrone ’84, a television writer and producer*.

 

*Endorsed by Diverse Harvard

 

As the Harvard Crimson noted, 

 

Three of the five incoming Board of Overseers members — Carney, Lohier, and WuDunn — were endorsed by the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, an alumni group seeking to improve diversity at the University that advocates for the creation of an ethnic studies program and improved hiring and retention of diverse faculty.

 

With 11 candidates running for 5 Overseer spots this year (including 3 Harvard Forward candidates), our endorsed candidates made a strong showing. Although we are deeply disappointed that María Teresa Kumar and Yvette Efevbera were not elected, we believe that all 5 of the incoming Overseers will be powerful voices on issues we care about. Notably, In response to the Diversity Questionnaire, all the elected Overseers and Directors have committed to meeting with us during their tenure. 

 

This year, under 40,000 alumni cast ballots, a decrease of about 12%.  There are more than 400,000 Harvard alums around the world.

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We thank the Candidate Review Committee of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard for its tireless work during our endorsement process and voting period:  Jane Sujen Bock '81, Margaret M. Chin '84, Laura Dumbach '84, Kristin R. Penner '89,  Brad Riew '18, Tab Timothy Stewart '88, David Van Taylor '83, Rachel Tiven '96, Isamar Vega AB '13, EdM '19, Michael Williams '81.

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Thanks for voting and getting your friends out to vote!

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Jane, Jeannie, Kristin, Margaret, & Michael

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Jane Sujen Bock, Jeannie Park, Kristin R. Penner, Margaret M. Chin, & Michael Williams

Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

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March 17, 2021

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Diverse Harvard Endorsements for Harvard Overseers and HAA Elected Directors

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The need to elect Harvard leaders who will work collectively for diversity and racial justice – both with each other and with us – is urgent. With that in mind, the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard urges you to VOTE for the extraordinary candidates below when your online ballot arrives on April 1. We need them in our fight for Ethnic Studies; for the hiring, and retention of faculty of color; and for the creation of a campus welcoming to all students.

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We are joined in our endorsements by: First Generation Harvard Alumni, Harvard Alumni for Black Advancement, Harvard Arab Alumni Association, Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance, Harvard Black Alumni Society, Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus, Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance, Harvard Progressive Jewish Alumni, Harvard South Asian Alumni Alliance, Harvard Tamil Sangam Alumni, and Harvard University Muslim Alumni.

 

The Overseer candidates we endorse are: 

 

  • Raymond Lohier Jr., a federal appellate judge in the Second Circuit who is dedicated to equal justice for all
     

  • María Teresa Kumar, the co-founder/CEO of Voto Latino which works to educate and empower a new generation of Latinx voters
     

  • Sheryl WuDunn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, and consultant focusing on the inequality gap
     

  • Mark Carney, the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance who is sounding the alarm about inequality and profit-driven decision-making, and
     

  • Yvette Efevbera, a Harvard Forward candidate who is a global health and equity expert.

 

These candidates have the strongest histories of advocacy and accomplishments on diversity initiatives and are best positioned to help Harvard be a more diverse, inclusive, and just institution.

We endorse them enthusiastically:

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For Overseer (in ballot order):

Raymond Lohier Jr.  AB ‘88 

María Teresa Kumar* MPP ‘01

Sheryl WuDunn* MBA ‘86

Mark Carney*  AB ‘87

Yvette Efevbera* SM ’11, SD ‘18

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For Director (in ballot order):

Maiya Williams Verrone* AB ’84

Hannah Park* AB ’13

Jane Labanowski*  AB ’17

Tenzin Priyadarshi ​​​​​​M.T.S. ’03

George Abraham Thampy AB ’10

Whitney S.F. Baxter* AB ’07, M.B.A. ’11

 

* Coalition for a Diverse Harvard Members

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Click HERE for our full endorsements, bios of our Overseer candidates and to learn more about our endorsements process. 

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Thank you, and stay well.

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Jane, Jeannie, Kristin, Margaret, & Michael

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Jane Sujen Bock, Jeannie Park, Kristin R. Penner, Margaret M. Chin, & Michael Williams

Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

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November 16, 2020

US Court of Appeals Affirms Harvard Decision

 

After the long wait for election results and as the trial for SFFA’s legal attack on race conscious admissions at the University of North Carolina had just begun, last week's 104-page First Circuit US Court of Appeals ruling in the Harvard admissions case – not even two months after argument – was welcome news. Jane Sujen Bock spoke for Diverse Harvard on the decision:

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“For our 1,600+ student and alumni members, the diversity we experienced at Harvard has been vitally important to our education, careers, and lives. We are thrilled that today’s decision affirms that Harvard’s consideration of race in its admissions process – which is necessary to achieve that diversity – is consistent with Supreme Court precedent. It is impossible to view applicants in their full humanity without allowing colleges to consider the entirety of a student’s story, in which race may play a critical role.”

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Our LDF attorney Jin Hee Lee noted,

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“A race-conscious and holistic admissions process is vital to counteract the entrenched biases and barriers to opportunity that can disadvantage qualified and hardworking students of color with criteria like standardized test scores. Colleges and universities must consider the myriad ways a student applicant can contribute to the educational benefits of diversity, which most certainly includes racial and ethnic diversity.”

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“In this time of such inequity and crisis, it is even more critical that students engage with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives,” said Jeannie Park, president of the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance and co-founding board member of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, in the Gazette.

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HLAA President and CDH member Shirley Cardona made a critical point that this case has never just been about admissions at Harvard: “Now more than ever, we need to elevate diverse perspectives that will help serve as the bridge that will heal a divided world. The Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance celebrates this ruling as a major win for education, equity, and the rule of law. It is a strong signal to colleges and universities across the country that they can continue to do the arduous work of shaping diverse student bodies that elevate the learning experience for all.”
 

While we won this latest round in court, Edward Blum has already said he will try to bring SFFA v. Harvard to a changed Supreme Court, the SFFA v. UNC trial is happening right now, and attacks on admissions at other universities continue, aided by the Trump DOJ and DOE. SFFA and allies were, unfortunately, successful in defeating Prop 16 in California. From this failure to overturn the damaging affirmative action ban in California, we know the chilling effect SFFA’s lawsuits have had on public opinion about the race-conscious remedies needed to combat inequities in education, even as the effects of systemic racism and inequality have been so starkly revealed this year. There is so much work to do!

 

Thanks for your support, and stay safe.

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Jane, Kristin, Margaret, Jeannie, & Michael

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Jane Sujen Bock, Margaret M. Chin, Kristin R. Penner, Jeannie Park, & Michael Williams
Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

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