The year 2024 marks 20 years since the inception of the “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office" political training program (Oval Office). To date, Oval Office has trained over 900 Harvard graduate students and affiliates to run for political office. The Oval Office program is the flagship tool of the Women and Public Policy Program’s mission to advance nontraditional candidates for political office.
A total of 71 alums from the Oval Office program are known to hold or have previously held elected or appointed positions across the world, representing 22 nations including Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, Croatia, The Czech Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Georgia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Israel, Liberia, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Oval Office Alums Currently Serving in Government
Abiola Seriki
Oval Office 2009
Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Government, Nigeria (2019 - Present)
Al Anood Bin Kalli
Oval Office 2015
Strategic Division Advisor, Public Diplomacy Office, UAE (2016-2017); Director of Strategy and Policies, Prime Minister’s Office UAE (2018-Present)
Alexandra Dublanche (Goujon)
Oval Office 2011
Deputy-Mayor, Vice President of Paris Region in charge of Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, (2014-2021), Vice-President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation (2021-Present)
Amelie de Montchalin
Oval Office 2014
Representative, National Assembly 6th Constituency of Essonne, France (2017-2019); Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the OECD (2022-Present)
Ann-Margaret Ferrante
Oval Office 2017
5th Essex District Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2009–Present)
Clare O'Neil
Oval Office 2008
Parliament of Australia Member for Hotham (2013–Present), Minister of Home Affairs and Minister for Cybersecurity (2022-Present)
Emma Greenman
Oval Office 2006
District 63B Representative, Minnesota House of Representatives (2021–Present)
Gali Levi
Oval Office 2016
Chief Prosecutor, Ministry of Economy, Israel (2010-Present)
Ivana Vukov
Oval Office 2012
Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Government of the Republic of Croatia (2017-Present)
Jane Lee
Oval Office 2009
Deputy Chief Operating Officer, US Office of Personnel Management (2014-2017); Senior Advisor to the Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (2021-Present)
Joanna Penn
Oval Office 2015
Member of Parliament, United Kingdom House of Lords (2019–Present)
Jun Mukoyama
Oval Office 2019
Representative for the Hokkaido 8th District, House of Representatives of Japan (2024-Present)
Kami Hart
Oval Office 2007
Children's Court Judge, Gila River Indian Community, State of Arizona (2008–Present)
Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Oval Office 2018
Member, Vermont House of Representatives (2009 to 2016); Vermont State Senator (2021-Present)
Kosi Yankey
Oval Office 2016
Executive Director, Ghana Enterprises Agency (National Board for Small Scale Industries) (2017-Present)
Lori Ehrlich
Oval Office 2005
8th Essex District Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2008–2022); FEMA Regional Administrator, Region 1 (2022–Present)
Lynsey Heffernan
Oval Office 2019
Member and former Chair, Shrewsbury School Committee (2019–Present)
Marjorie Decker
Oval Office 2006
25th Middlesex District Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2013–Present)
Meredith Davis Tavera
Oval Office 2018
Foreign Service Officer, US Department of State (2018-Present)
Michelle Monsegur
Oval Office 2013
Assistant Town Administrator, Town of Hingham, MA (2018 - Present)
Michelle Wu
Oval Office 2011
City Councilor At-Large, City of Boston (2014–2021); Mayor of Boston (2021-Present)
Nancy Chaires Espinoza
Oval Office 2006
Trustee Area 6 Representative, Elk Grove Unified Board of Education (2015–Present)
Orit Farkash-Hacohen
Oval Office 2007
Chairperson of The Israeli Public Utilities Authority (2011-2015); Minister of Strategic Affairs (2020); Minister of Tourism (2020-2021); Minister of Science, Technology and Space (2021-2022); Member of the Knesset National Legislature of Israel (2021–Present)
Raina Thiele
Oval Office 2009
Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Alaska Affairs & Strategic Priorities, United States Department of the Interior (2021–Present)
Sapana Pradhan Malla
Oval Office 2014
Justice, Supreme Court of Nepal (2016–Present)
Shaniece Criss
Oval Office 2013
City Council Member, City of Travelers Rest (2018–Present)
Sharon Clarke
Oval Office 2012
Judge, New York City Civil Court Kings County (2014–2024); Judge, New York Supreme Court 2nd Judicial District (2024-Present)
Tania Del Rio
Oval Office 2015
Executive Director for the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement, City of Boston (2018–2021); Director of the City of Boston's Coordinated Response Team (2022-2024); Commissioner of Inspectional Services (2024-Present)
Tazneen Shahabuddin
Oval Office 2011
Assistant US Attorney (2016-2023), Prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal (2023-Present)
Therese Kayikwamba Wagner
Oval Office 2023
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo (2024-Present)
Varina Winder
Oval Office 2011
Senior Political Appointee, Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State (2021-Present)
- Ajita Talwalker – Oval Office 2008; Special Assistant to the President for Higher Education Policy, White House Domestic Policy Council, U.S. (2013-2017)
- Andress Appolon – Oval Office 2007; Senior Counselor to Haiti, Boards of Inter-American Development Bank (2014 - 2016)
- Brune Poirson – Oval Office 2017; Vaucluse Representative, French National Assembly (2017, 2020-2021)
- Carlyn Reichel – Oval Office 2008; Foreign Policy Speechwriter, Office of the Vice President, United States (2015-2017)
- Christina Sharkey – Oval Office 2017; Counselor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic (2018-2022)
- Cielo V. Castro – Oval Office 2010; Deputy, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (2015)
- Decontee King-Sackie – Oval Office 2014; Deputy Commissioner General for Technical Services, Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) (2014–2022)
- Ellen Kwame-Corkrum – Oval Office 2012; Managing Director, Liberia Airports Authority (2017)
- Ethel Branch – Oval Office 2006; Attorney General, The Navajo Nation (2015–2019)
- Havatzelet Yahel – Oval Office 2007; Deputy to the Southern District Attorney, Civil Matters, Ministry of Justice, Israel (2007-2014)
- Heather Hamilton – Oval Office 2016; Select Board Member, Brookline Town Government (2017–2023)
- Hilda Zacarias – Oval Office 2006; Santa Maria, California City Councilor (2006-2010)
- Jennifer Benson – Oval Office 2015; 37th Middlesex District, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2009–2020)
- Jessica Altman – Oval Office 2014; Insurance Commissioner, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, State of Pennsylvania (2018–2022)
- Jewel James – Oval Office 2007; Special Assistant to President Barack Obama, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs (2011-2013) Assistant US Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement (2013-2014)
- Jimena Zuniga – Oval Office 2005; Advisor, Minister of Economics, Argentina (2019)
- Katherine Randall – Senior Strategy Advisor, U.K. Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (2008-2010), Deputy Director, Strategic Directorate, Department of Energy and Climate Change (2010-2012)
- Katie Selenski – Oval Office 2006; First Executive Director, Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program, State of California (2017–2023)
- Laura Marquez – Oval Office 2007; White House Liaison, Department of the Interior (2013-2014)
- Lhakpa Bhuti – Oval Office 2013; Joint Commissioner, Ministry of Finance Department of Revenue & Customs, Thimphu, Bhutan (2015-Unknown)
- Lise King – Oval Office 2013; Selectwoman, Town of Provincetown, MA (2018-2022)
- Maggie O'Grady – Oval Office 2009; Special Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex District Attorney, Massachusetts (2017)
- Maria Syms – Oval Office 2014; District 28 Representative, Arizona House of Representatives (2017–2019)
- Mary (Mamie) Marcuss – Oval Office 2006; Washington State Attorney General's Office (2013-2016)
- Maura Corby Sullivan – Oval Office 2007; Assistant Secretary for Public and Governmental Affairs, US Department of Veterans Affairs (2014-2016), Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (2014-2016)
- Melissa Bender – Oval Office 2017; Chief of Staff, Office of Delegate Debra Davis, The Maryland General Assembly (2019-2020)
- Meredith Fascett – Oval Office 2005; Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, ANC 6D07, Washington D.C. (2014–2018)
- Michelle Fay – Oval Office 2011; Caledonia-3 Representative, Vermont House of Representatives (2012–2015)
- Nairi Tashjian – Oval Office 2007; Budget Lead, Department of Transportation Agency Review Team, Biden-Harris Transition Team (2020–2021)
- Nelly Nieblas – Oval Office 2007; Governor-Appointed Legislative Manager and Public Information Officer, California (2015-2016)
- Natalie Black – Oval Office 2010; Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific, Department for International Trade, Singapore (2018–2023)
- Paige Wallace – Oval Office 2008; Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Office of the New York State Attorney General (2017-2021)
- Sara Greenberg – Oval Office 2013; Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel for World Communities (2018-2019)
- September Hargrove – Oval Office 2010; Appointed Board Member, Michigan Strategic Fund at Michigan Economic Development Corporation (2019 – 2021)
- Sharon Lai – Oval Office 2023; Appointed Board Member, The Treasure Island Development Authority Board of Directors (2017-2020); Appointed Member, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (2020-2022)
- Shashank Shukla – Oval Office 2015; Joint Secretary, Indian National Congress (2019–2020)
- Sonay Kanber – Oval Office 2016; Senior Expert on European Union Affairs, Ministry for European Union Affairs, Turkey (2016-2018)
- Sophia Pappas – Oval Office 2009; Chief Executive Officer for the Division of Early Childhood Education, New York City (2011-2017)
- Stefani Carter – Oval Office 2005; District 102 Representative, Texas House of Representatives (2011–2015)
- Tahra Goraya – Oval Office 2019; Town Meeting Member, Town of Milton (2019–2022)
- Tamar Chugoshvili – Oval Office 2015; First Deputy Chairperson, Parliament of Georgia (2016–2020)