The Board comprises 30 Overseers elected by Harvard alumni, together with the president and treasurer of the University, who serve ex officio. Typically, five Overseers are elected each spring to serve six-year terms that begin on the day after Commencement.
The Overseers bring a broad range of experience and perspectives to bear on the work of the University. The class elected in 2018, for instance, includes:
- the founding president of a nonprofit devoted to neurological research and care in rural Asia
- a retired vice admiral of the United States Navy
- the executive director of the Boston Ballet
- a lawyer with expertise in corporate governance who served as Harvard Alumni Association President
- the director of the National Congress of American Indians’ policy research center.
A full list of the present members of the Board of Overseers appears here:
https://www.harvard.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/board-of-overseers/