Voting is now open for the 2026 election for the Harvard Board of Overseers and Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Elected Directors. Over the last several weeks, we interviewed all candidates who were willing to speak with us: 5 of the 9 Overseer candidates and 8 of the 9 HAA Elected Director candidates.
This year, the top 7 Overseer candidates will be elected (up from 6, due to an additional vacancy that will be created once Sylvia Burwell, the current chair of the Board of Overseers, joins the Harvard Corporation, as announced yesterday). The top 6 HAA Elected Director candidates will be elected.
1636 Forum’s Overseer recommendations (in ballot order):
Salvo Arena
Nisha Kumar Behringer
Trey Grayson
Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena
Philip Harrison
1636 Forum’s HAA Elected Director recommendations (in ballot order):
Mia Esther Alpert
James P. “Jimmy” Biblarz
Allison Charney Epstein
Medha Gargeya
David Lefer
Jakob Haesler
Scroll down for more details on why we recommend each of these candidates.
Voting note: We recommend you do not fill out all given candidate slots per race. Vote only for the candidates you truly support (even if fewer than 6). Doing so improves their chances.
Questions? Reply to this email!
Our process
Our recommendations are based primarily on our own candidate interviews, supplemented by follow-up interviews or email exchanges. We avoided verbatim quoting to encourage candor. After an initial interview, we held a follow-up conversation with each candidate or, if scheduling didn’t allow, corresponded with them over email to understand how their thinking evolved after having additional time to reflect on academic issues at Harvard.
Our interviews focused on candidates’ views on strengthening Harvard’s core mission — academic excellence in the pursuit of Veritas — including teaching, research, open inquiry, and how the scope of their positions (Overseer or HAA Elected Director) relates to these priorities.
We were impressed by the dedication to Harvard of everyone we spoke with. We’ve focused on recommending those who:
Show the deepest commitment to improving academic excellence and academic freedom at Harvard
Demonstrate actual interest in doing the core-but-sometimes-unglamorous Overseer work of visiting committees
Offer the most specificity in their understanding of and suggestions on academic issues, including academic freedom, across the University
Exhibit the strongest ability to ask the right questions, grasp nuance, and be principled and consistent when reasoning through scenarios Harvard may face once they’re elected
Why we’ve recommended each candidate
For the Board of Overseers election:
Salvo Arena demonstrated a desire to learn about areas of Harvard he didn’t previously know much about and a focus on being fair and consistent in upholding campus policies.
Nisha Kumar Behringer stood out for her dedication to academic freedom as well as her strong governance experience and financial expertise — critical amid a volatile research funding landscape, the new endowment tax, and other financial challenges like the longstanding structural deficit in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences.
Trey Grayson stood out for his commitment to academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and their contribution to the classroom, as well as his familiarity with Harvard from serving as Director of its Institute of Politics.
Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena articulated a consistent approach to upholding and enforcing campus policies that preserve the academic mission of Harvard and a commitment to rigor.
Philip Harrison showed a deep understanding of what it takes to oversee a large organization like Harvard and has acted proactively on his interest in improving constructive dialogue across all schools of Harvard.
For the HAA Elected Director election:
Mia Esther Alpert stood out for her comprehensive understanding of the academic rigor challenges facing Harvard College and her curiosity to learn as much as possible about the University.
James P. “Jimmy” Biblarz stood out for his deep commitment to academic rigor, the specificity with which he articulated it, and — among all candidates — the strongest demonstrated knowledge of the University and each of its schools.
Allison Charney Epstein showed a commitment to re-centering academics at Harvard College, an interest in improving constructive dialogue, and a clear-eyed approach to academic rigor.
Medha Gargeya stood out for her focus on academic excellence across the University, with a particularly strong commitment to developing students’ writing and critical thinking skills.
David Lefer demonstrated a commitment to free speech, an open-minded approach to learning about aspects of Harvard, and thoughtfulness on how to engage many parts of the alumni community.
Jakob Haesler stood out for his nuanced opinions on improving academic rigor across the University, his grasp of the challenges Harvard faces in open inquiry and constructive dialogue, and his understanding of the HAA Elected Director role.
Forward this email to fellow Harvard alumni who believe in academic excellence, academic freedom, student safety, and proper university governance.
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Voting Information
Today, you should receive an email from [email protected] containing a link to your online ballot and the information you need to vote.
Ballots must be received by 5 p.m. ET on May 19, 2026. If you prefer to vote by paper ballot, use the materials recently mailed to the address HAA has on file for you.
For more help, contact the Election Services Co. (ESC) help desk at [email protected] or by calling 1-866-720-4357 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm ET) or 1-516-688-7013 (international). If you email ESC for help, include your name, mailing address, degree, and graduation year.
—The 1636 Forum Team