Raymond Lohier, Sheryl WuDunn Named to Lead Harvard Board of Overseers

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Raymond J. Lohier Jr. ’88 will serve as the next president of Harvard’s Board of Overseers, the University announced Thursday morning.

Sheryl WuDunn, M.B.A. ’86, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and management consultant, will serve as vice chair of the Board’s executive committee for the 2026-27 academic year.

Lohier and WuDunn will assume their new roles after Commencement, succeeding outgoing Overseers president Sylvia M. Burwell ’87, who was appointed to the Harvard Corporation in March.

In a press release, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 celebrated Lohier and WuDunn’s appointments.

“Raymond Lohier and Sheryl WuDunn are distinguished alumni whose devotion to the University shines through their service,” he wrote.

Garber praised Lohier and WuDunn for their “deep commitment” to student well-being and their “keen interest” in strengthening Harvard’s visitation process, through which the Board of Overseers conducts regular external assessments of the University’s schools and departments.

“I am eager to see the ways in which their leadership will advance the efforts of the board,” Garber said.

The Board of Overseers — Harvard’s second-highest governing body — consists of 30 alumni who advise top University administrators.

In the release, Lohier framed his new role as an extension of his service to the University.

“This is about giving back,” Lohier said in the release. “It’s a privilege to serve on a board of dynamic, committed, and extraordinarily talented people of all backgrounds and experiences who offer their time, expertise, and thoughtfulness to the task of advising the university.”

“No matter the circumstances, the board is committed to ensuring that Harvard’s departments and schools continue to deliver the best education and academic scholarship in the country and the world,” he added.

Lohier has served on the Second Circuit since 2010. He graduated from Harvard College with a degree in philosophy before earning his law degree from New York University School of Law.

Before joining the federal bench, Lohier clerked for Judge Robert P. Patterson Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, worked at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, and served in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. He later became an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he served as chief of the office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force.

As an Overseer, Lohier has chaired the Board’s standing committee on arts and humanities and its elections working group. He also serves on the executive committee, the committee on institutional policy, the subcommittees on visitation and governance, and the governing boards’ joint committee on alumni affairs and development.

WuDunn, who became the first Chinese-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, is the co-author of five books and the co-founder and principal of FullSky Partners. She previously worked at The New York Times as both a journalist and executive and later served as a vice president in Goldman Sachs’ private wealth investment management division.

“It is a tremendous honor to serve as vice chair alongside Ray Lohier, all my dedicated fellow Overseers, and in partnership with President Garber and leaders across the University,” WuDunn said in the release.

WuDunn earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

On the Board of Overseers, WuDunn serves on the executive committee, the elections working group, the subcommittee on visitation, the advisory committee on honorary degrees, and committees focused on humanities and arts, Harvard’s schools, the College, and continuing education.

The announcement comes just days after voting closed in this year’s Overseers election, in which seven candidates are set to join the board following two unexpected vacancies. Burwell’s move to the Corporation opened one of the additional seats.

Lohier and WuDunn’s terms as Overseers are set to expire in 2027.

—Staff writer Hugo C. Chiasson can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at hcc.35. Follow him on X @HugoChiassonn.