Dean's Office Staff

Sarah E. Wald, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor; Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy

Prior to joining the Dean’s Office in 2008, Sarah served in a number of senior administrative roles at Harvard, including Assistant Provost for Policy and Planning for the University; Assistant Dean and Dean of Students at Harvard Law School; and as Lecturer on Law at the Law School. In those roles, she worked on a wide range of issues, including academic planning, university-wide policies on commercial partnerships, use of the Harvard name, communications strategy, and major public service initiatives at the Law School.

Along with Professors Archon Fung (HKS) and David Barron (HLS), she is a member of the faculty steering committee for the Joint Degree program between HLS and HKS.
She has also served as Massachusetts Assistant Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation; as an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Public Protection Bureau; and as a civil rights lawyer in private practice. She is a former president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. Sarah is a graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School.

Contact Sarah at sarah_wald@harvard.edu or (617) 495-4260.

Sarah Harre, Administrative Specialist

Sarah has worked in the Dean’s Office since 2007. She is a proud alumna of the Kennedy School (MPP, 2005) and serves as an alumni mentor. She has extensive experience in the non-profit sector, where she has worked on issues related to global health and international development, affordable housing, the organic foods movement, and volunteer training and advocacy. She earned her BA in Anthropology at Yale University. Sarah participates in a peer counseling network that uses listening partnerships to educate individuals around issues of diversity, sensitivity, and leadership, with an emphasis on inclusion and respect.

Contact Sarah at sarah_harre@harvard.edu or (617) 496-6926.

Tasha Thomas, Administrative Specialist

Tasha joined the Dean’s Office in 2011 and has broad knowledge of the University, having worked at the Harvard Commencement Office, the Law School and the Radcliffe Institute. Tasha has an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as B.A. and M.A. degrees from Binghamton University. She is active in the community and has served on the City of Cambridge Affirmative Action Advisory Committee and volunteered at various organizations throughout Cambridge and Boston.

Contact Tasha at tasha_thomas@harvard.edu or (617) 384-7971.

Jim Wigdahl, Executive Assistant

Jim joined the Dean's Office team in 2010 after serving in many other capacities at Harvard. Most recently, Jim oversaw the extensive alumni interview network for the Admissions Office of Harvard College. Prior to that role, Jim worked in Mass Hall for more than ten years, including a stint staffing the 1990 Presidential Search Committee. Jim started his Harvard career in the office of the Freshman Dean. A native of Northwest Iowa and a man of many interests, Jim left Harvard temporarily in 2002 to 'read carpentry' at the North Bennet Street School. Jim has also produced a voiceover demo--work that he hopes to pursue further.

Contact Jim at jim_wigdahl@harvard.edu or (617) 495-1122.

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