Sanjay Seth is formerly Chief of Staff of US EPA Region 1, where he advanced policies and programs that supported climate action and environmental justice in New England. A dedicated public servant, he has also worked on municipal climate resilience for Boston and New York, and has lectured on climate, urban planning, and public policy at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. 

An Indian-American raised in Bismarck, North Dakota, Seth supports the expansion of Ethnic Studies at Harvard. He believes that research and knowledge creation around a wider range of identities and histories is core to the work of higher education.   

According to Seth, Harvard can and should play a role in defending democracy and the rule of law. “Universities are often targets of campaigns to silence dissent. They must remain places of courageous enquiry. … Harvard will be a lightning rod on a range of issues, whether it wants to be or not. So, as an institution, it might as well continue to do the right thing and stand up for all of the values that are central to the enterprise of education, research, knowledge creation, and free inquiry.”