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The year of 2023 marks 19 years since the inception of the “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office: A Political Campaign Practicum” (Oval Office). To date, Oval Office has trained 818 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.

As of 2022, 67 alums from the Oval Office program are known to have held elected or appointed positions across the world, representing over a dozen nations, including Australia, Croatia, France, Georgia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Israel, Liberia, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, UAE, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

Oval Office Alums Currently Serving in Government

Headshot of Jessica Altman

Jessica Altman

MPA '14, Oval Office '14
PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE
(2017 - Present)
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Headshot of Melissa Bender

Melissa Bender

MPP '17, Oval Office '17
CHIEF OF STAFF, OFFICE OF DELEGATE DEBRA DAVIS, THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
(2019 - Present)
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Headshot of Jennifer Benson

Jennifer Benson

MPP '16, Oval Office '15
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 37; CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE JOINT CHAIR
(2008 - Present); (2017 - PRESENT)
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Lhakpa Bhuti

Oval Office '13
JOINT COMMISSIONER,  MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, THIMPHU, BUTAN
(2015 - Present)
Headshot of Natalie Black

Natalie Black

MPA '11, Oval Office '10
her majesty's trade commissioner for asia pacific
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Sharon Clarke

Sharon Clarke

MC/MPA '13, Oval Office '12
NEW YORK CITY CIVIL COURT JUDGE
(2014 - Present)
Headshot of Ellen Kwame Corkrum

Ellen Kwame Corkrum

Oval Office '12
MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIBERIA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY
(2017 - Present)
Headshot of Shaniece Criss

Shaniece Criss

MC/MPA '16, SC.D. '15; Oval Office '13
TRAVELERS REST CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Amelie de Montchalin

Amelie de Montchalin

MPA '14; Oval Office '14
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 6TH CONSTITUENCY of essonne representative; whip of la republique en marche! at the national Assembly's finance committee/secretary of state for european affairs
(2017; 2017 - 2018; 2019 - Present)
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Headshot of Alexandra Dublanche (Goujon)

Alexandra Dublanche (Goujon)

MPA '12; Oval Office '11
Sartrouville deputy-mayor
(2014 - Present)
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Headshot of Lori A. Ehrlich

Lori A. Ehrlich

MC/MPA '05; Oval Office '05
Federal Emergency Management Agency Region I Administrator
(2022 - Present)
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 8
(2009 - 2022)
Headshot of Nancy Chaires Espinoza

Nancy Chaires Espinoza

MPP '06; Oval Office '06
ELK grove unified school district board of education representative area 6; president, elk grove unified school district
(2016 - Present; 2017)
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Headshot of Orit Farkash-Hacohen

Orit Farkash-Hacohen

MPP '07; Oval Office '07
israeli public utilities authority (PUA) chairperson and general director; minister of science, technology and space, knesset (supreme unicameral national legislature of israel)
(2011 - 2016; 2021 - Present)
Headshot of Ann-Margaret Ferrante

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

MPA '18; Oval Office '17
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 5
(2009 - Present)
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Headshot of Tahra Goraya

Tahra Goraya

MC/MPA '19; Oval Office '19
Milton town meeting member in precinct 6
(2019 - Present)
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Headshot of Sara Greenberg

Sara Greenberg

Oval Office '13
advisor to the prime minister of israel for world communities
(2018 - Present)
Headshot of Emma Greenman

Emma Greenman

mpa '09; Oval Office '06
minnesota house of representatives, district 63b
(2021 - Present)
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Headshot of Heather Hamilton

Heather Hamilton

mpa '16; Oval Office '16
selectboard member, brookline town government
(2017 - Present)
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Headshot of September Hargrove

September Hargrove

mpP '11; Oval Office '10
board member, michigan strategic fund
(2019 - Present)
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Headshot of Lynsey Heffernan

Lynsey Heffernan

mC/MPa '19; Oval Office '19
selectboard member of the shrewsbury school committee
(2019 - Present)
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Headshot of Decontee King-Sackie

Decontee King-Sackie

mC/MPa '14; Oval Office '14
liberia revenue authority (LRA) deputy commissioner general for technical affairs
(2014 - Present)
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Headshot of Angela Lagdameo

Angela Lagdameo

MPp '08; Oval Office '07
chief innovation officer and deputy chief administrative officer, howard county government
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Gali Levi

Gali Levi

Oval Office '16
ministry of economy, israel
(2010 - Present)
Headshot of Michelle Monsegur

Michelle Monsegur

mpp '14; Oval Office '13
assistant town administrator, town of hingham, ma
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Clare O'Neil

Clare O'Neil

mpp '18; Oval Office '08
parliament of australia member for hotham; minister of home affairs and minister for cybersecurity
(2013 - Present; 2022 - PRESENT)
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Headshot of Brune Poirson

Brune Poirson

mpp '17; Oval Office '17
vaucluse representative at the french national assembly (Member of parliament)/minister for the ecological and inclusive transition secretary of state
(2017 - Present)
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Headshot of Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Kesha Ram Hinsdale

MPA '18, Oval Office '18
Vermont State Senate
(2021 - Present)
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Headshot of Kimberly Schneider Branam

Kimberly Schneider Branam

MPp '07, Oval Office '07
executive director; prosper portland
(2016 - Present)
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Headshot of Michelle Wu

Michelle Wu

J.D. '12, Oval Office '11
mayor of boston
(2021 - Present)
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Headshot of Christina Sharkey

Christina Sharkey

mpa '17; Oval Office '17
counselor for commercial affairs, us embassy, prague, czech republic
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Kathleen Selenski

Kathleen Selenski

mpp '07; Oval Office '06
first executive director of the secure choice retirement savings program
(2017 - Present)
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Headshot of Abiola Seriki

Abiola Seriki

Oval Office '09
director general, office of education quality assurance, lagos state government
(2019 - Present)
Headshot of Shashank Shukla

Shashank Shukla

mpa '15; Oval Office '15
indian national congress joint secretary
(2019 - Present)
Headshot of Meredith Davis Tavera

Meredith Davis Tavera

mpp '18; Oval Office '18
foreign service officer, us department of state
(2018 - Present)
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Headshot of Raina Thiele

Raina Thiele

mpp '09; Oval Office '09
senior advisor to the secretary for alaska affairs and strategic priorities
(2021 - Present)
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Headshot of Kosi Yankey

Kosi Yankey

mpa/Mpp '16; Oval Office '12
senior advisor to the prime minister, government of the republic of croatia
(2017 - Present)
Headshot of Hilda Zacarías

Hilda Zacarías

mpa '06; Oval Office '06
santa maria city councilor; trustee at allan hancock community college
(2006 - 2010; 2012 - Present)
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Headshot of Marjorie Decker

Marjorie Decker

mpa '06; Oval Office '06
massachusetts state house representative district 25
(2012 - PRESENT)
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Oval Office Alums Who Previously Served in Government
  • Ethel Branch, MPP, J.D. '08, Oval Office '06, Attorney General, Navajo Nation, 2015 - 2019
  • Stefani Carter, MPP, J.D. '05, Oval Office '05, Texas House of Representatives District 102, 2013 - 2015
  • Tamar Chugoshvili, MC/MPA '15, Oval Office '15, First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament, Georgia, 2016 - 2019
  • Tania Del Rio, MPP '16, Oval Office '15, Executive Director for the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement, City of Boston, 2018 - 2021
  • Meredith Fascett, MPP '05, Oval Office '05, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Capitol Riverfront Neighborhood, 2014 - 2018
  • Michelle Fay, MPA '11, Oval Office '11, Vermont House of Representatives District 3, 2012 - 2015
  • Al Anood Bin Kalli, Oval Office '15, Strategic Division Advisor, Public Diplomacy Office, 2013-2017
  • Sonay Kanber, Oval Office '16, Senior Expert on European Union Affairs, Ministry for European Union Affairs, Turkey, 2016-2018
  • Sapana Pradhan Malla, MC/MPA '14; Oval Office '14, Committee Against Torture (CAT) Member, Nepal, 2014 - 2017
  • Joanna Penn, MPP '15, Oval Office '15, Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser to Theresa May, 2016 - 2019
  • Maura Corby Sullivan, MPA, MBA '09, Oval Office '07, The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), Department of Veteran Affairs Assistant Secretary, Department of Defense Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, 2010, 2014 - 2016, 2014 - 2016
  • Maria Syms, MC/MPA '14, Oval Office '14, Arizona House of Representatives District 28, 2017 - 2018
  • Nairi Tashjian, MPP '07, Oval Office '07, Budget Lead, Department of Transportation Agency Review Team, 2020 - 2021
  • Ivana Vukov, MPA '12, Oval Office '12, Executive Director, National Board for Small Scale Industries, 2017 - 2021
  • Jimena Zuniga, MPP '05, Oval Office '05, Advisor to the Deputy Minister, Ministerio De Hacienda, 2019