The Ombuds Program: Who We Are

Eleanor Ayres

Ombuds Coordinator

Faculty Assistant

Littauer 207A, 495-1339, e-mail

Eleanor Ayres is a faculty assistant to Steve Peterson, Alberto Abadie, and Celia Gonzalez. A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, she began work at the Kennedy School in March of 2008 after graduating from Agnes Scott College where she studied Anthropology and Sociology. She is currently seeking an M.A in Children’s Literature at Simmons College.

Matt Alper

Associate Dean for Research

Research Administration Office

124 Mt. Auburn St., Suite 220, 496-8813, e-mail

Matt oversees the HKS Research Administration Office (RAO), and is responsible for managing the review and approval of all faculty grant and contract proposals, advising the Dean, HKS Research Centers and Programs, and members of the faculty on all aspects of research administration and related areas of compliance and risk management. The RAO also supports faculty research dissemination by managing the HKS Research Report (print and online versions) and the Faculty Research Working Papers Series. Matt has been at HKS since 2000 and before that he spent 10 years in research administration at Harvard Medical School and at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in public policy from Tufts University.

Laura Johnston

Program Officer

Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations

Belfer L-2C, 496-9814, e-mail

Laura joined the HKS community in 2004 as part of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, a Harvard university-wide research center dedicated to nonprofits and civil society. At Hauser she is responsible for the Center’s student and alumni engagement initiatives, marketing and communications, and various research projects on international civil society. Laura served in Bolivia as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and has supported social entrepreneurs around the world at Ashoka. She has BAs in Psychology and Spanish from Tufts University and a Master’s in Mind, Brain, and Education from Harvard. She volunteers as an interviewer for the Tufts Alumni Admissions Program, and has also served as a mentor in HGSE’s Student Alumni Mentoring Initiative.

Donna Levy Wray

Senior Program Director

Executive Education

Belfer 209, 495-9599, e-mail

Donna began working at HKS in 1998, and currently serves as Senior Director, Federal Programs in Executive Education. In this position, she is responsible for managing the federal portfolio of programs designed for managers and professionals in the federal government and their international counterparts, senior military officers and private sector managers working with the public sector. Prior to joining HKS, she served as vice president of corporate communications with Fleet Financial Group. Donna is a graduate of and has an M.A in Communications Management from Simmons College.