Barakett and Cuéllar Elected to Serve on Harvard Corporation

Timothy R. Barakett ’87 and Mariano-Florentino “Tino” Cuéllar ’93 have been elected the newest members of the Harvard Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, the University announced Monday.

Barakett and Cuéllar will replace outgoing Corporation members Susan L. Graham ’64 and Jessica T. Mathews ’67, both of whom already planned to depart the Corporation, on July 1.

William F. Lee ’72, the senior fellow of the Corporation, said he is looking forward to Barakett and Cuéllar beginning this summer and pointed to the expertise each of them brings to the 13-person body that includes University President Lawrence S. Bacow.

“Tino offers a remarkable breadth of experience and accomplishment in higher education and public service,” Lee said in the press release. “Tim will bring us notable financial and business savvy, as well as deep engagement with alumni affairs and philanthropy.”

Cuéllar attended the College and later Yale Law School, and earned a master's and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He currently serves as a justice on the Supreme Court of California and has been a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers — the University’s second-highest governing body — since 2017. Within that group he sat on the standing committees on social sciences and institutional policy, the advisory committee on honorary degrees, and the visiting committees for the Graduate School of Design and Harvard Medical School. He is also a member of the law school faculty at Stanford.

Cuéllar was born in Matamoros, Mexico and later moved to Calexico, Calif.

“When I arrived at Harvard from a small California border town, I found opportunities I could scarcely have imagined,” Cuéllar said in the press release. “The privilege of serving on the Corporation represents a chance to do all I can to help others have the same life-changing opportunities.”

“I look forward to working with President Bacow and the governing boards to ensure that Harvard continues to live up to its promise as a force for creativity, integrity, and humanity,” he added.

Barakett played a significant role in the Harvard Campaign, the University’s capital campaign that raised a record-breaking $9.6 billion between 2013 to 2018. Barakett co-chaired both the Faculty of Arts and Sciences fundraising committee and the committee on financial aid. The campaign brought in $1.3 billion alone for financial aid across the University.

A graduate of the College and Harvard Business School, Barakett founded and led the hedge fund Atticus Capital, where he served as chairman and CEO for 15 years. The company became one of the largest hedge funds in the world in 2007 under Barakett’s leadership. He is also a current trustee and executive member for the Dalton School — a New York City preparatory school — and has served on the boards of various hospitals.

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Harvard Corporation,” Barakett said in the press release.

“I know firsthand the impact that Harvard can have on individuals, communities, and organizations throughout the world, and I look forward to working with President Bacow, the members of the Corporation, and Harvard’s leadership to further its important mission.”

The election of Barakett and Cuéllar follows the elections of Penny S. Pritzker ’81 and Carolyn A. “Biddy” Martin to the Corporation last year. Pritzker and Martin filled vacancies left by Joseph J. O’Donnell ’67 and Bacow, who was a member of the Corporation before his selection as University president in February 2018.

—Staff writer Alexandra A. Chaidez can be reached at alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @a_achaidez.

—Staff writer Aidan F. Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @AidanRyanNH.